Top Speed Shootout 2011

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I just got this note from Mike Cook Jr.:

The dates for the shootout will be September 19-23 as of today we have Speed Demon, Speed by Spectere, Terry Nish, jet bike Mike Charlton, and the new dry lakes hall of fame member Mike Akatiff .  More on the hook just not confirmed yet

Mike Cook Jr.

[Dean Los Angeles]

Dang! Drooling already and months to go.

So Mike Akatiff has that 400 mph taste in his mouth! So close last year.

I don't see BUB Lucky 7/Chris Carr on that list.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

On a side subject, Chris has had a bad year on his XR750 flat tracker this year, with the Kawasaki 650 beating him - consistently, by the end of the season.  Back to the Ack bike -- look for it to do well with the new rider -- who's going to be Sam Wheeler, I do believe.  Unh, don't I remember that he's had some success with two-wheel 'liners, too, just like Rocky?

[John Noonan]

On a side subject, Chris has had a bad year on his XR750 flat tracker this year, with the Kawasaki 650 beating him - consistently, by the end of the season.  Back to the Ack bike -- look for it to do well with the new rider -- who's going to be Sam Wheeler, I do believe.  Unh, don't I remember that he's had some success with two-wheel 'liners, too, just like Rocky?

Jon,

That little Kawasaki 650 that beat Carr is running our Wossner pistons...

Sam has already made some passes in the past with the Ack Attack and with the recent improvements look for even bigger achievements coming..time for Sam to get his long sought record...

Go Ack Attack!!!

[Seldom Seen Slim]

In re:  The 650 Kaw -- I read about the racing and the "rivalry" in the latest Cycle World, and sure enough, John -- I don't think they mentioned Wossner at all.  How could they have missed that vital piece of data?

So forgive me for forgetting -- what's the date of your wedding, and what mailing addres shall Nancy and I use to send our greetings?

[John Noonan]

Slim,

The best part of the untold story is that the 650 engine was a donor from Ebay I believe and the total cost to put a bike together the way Bill Werner has done it is only about 10-13K..the cost for the HD unit is much more..it is great to see some new platforms mixing it up for the fans.

Getting Married on the 26th of March, the address is the same as the one on your Christmas card mailing list..

[RCKirby]

The rider for the ACK Attack this year will be Rocky.  Although he was set to retire in 2010, I think that his exit speed last September may have enticed him into one last season!

ACK Attack Riders:
Jimmy Odom
John Noonan
Sam Wheeler
Rocky Robinson

Talk about some history!

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Good news about Rocky and the Ack bike.  We know Rocky and Tricia pretty well - and will be glad to see them on the Salt once more.  I know that at last year's Shootout the bike already had Sam's name on it (along with Rocky's) - and I went to the conclusion that Sam would be in the seat from then on.

Yes, after that Hail Mary 2nd - 3rd - 4th run for the record last fall -- I think the Ack Attack has a good handle on the phrase "Sentimental crowd favorite" for a while.  And Nancy and I have enjoyed their lunch tables, too.

[John Noonan]

So Sam will be the back up rider then I assume..either way what a great team...

I spoke with Mike the other day and they have some new ideas that will shake things up a bit..

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I wanted to know for sure, for positive -- so here's what Rocky said yesterday in response to my question to him about his continuing relationship with the Ack team and bike:

"Hi Slim.
 
Okay, you got me. We are planning on running again in 2011. With the new motor guy and the changes Mike has worked on on the aero, there's new found potential. Ken Puccio, Frank Milburn and the entire team have worked real hard and a couple of milestones are within our reach if we want to pursue them. I also feel like we owe it to our sponsors (Top 1 and Suzuki) to reach our maximum potential before calling it a day.
 
The ride's not bad either!
 
Rocky"

There you have it from the Rocky's mouth.  Let's have fun!

[ack]

Mike Cook’s 2011 Shootout Line up all TV times listed are eastern time.

This is the confirmed lineup for the 2011 Shootout as of July 12th.

The cars all have Run over 400 MPH:

Nish                                               Royal Purple                                    USA

Ron Main/George Poteet                  Speed Demon                                  USA

Amir Rosenbaum                            Speed by Spectre                              USA

Charles Nearburg                            Spirit of Rett                                     USA

Bikes:

Mike Akatiff                                    Top 1 ACK Attack                              USA

Richard Assen                                 Turbo Hayabusa                               Australia
   
Leslie Porterfield                             Turbo Hayabusa/Turbo Honda            USA

Nancy Wennerberg                          Turbo Kawasaki                                 USA

Scott Horner/Jamie Williams             Turbo Hayabusa                               USA

Top Oil will again be picking up the costs for the FIM/AMA officials to attend and
paying for the course survey if you place Top Oil graphics on your bike.  

Mike Cook can possibly fit in one or two more cars and if there is a serious bike
contender that wants to run contact me we can probably accommodate one more bike.

I am working with a couple of potential sponsors to possibly arrange to have some
live video interviews from the event though the internet in conjunction with Jon’s
Landracing.com coverage of the event.

The producer of this years Discovery Program is in discussions with Discovery and
another major cable channel to bring wider coverage of the event this year.

Here are the US airdates for ACK Attack- The Fastest Motorcycle in the World on
Discovery HD Theater other Airdates vary by country.

[Dean Los Angeles]

I am working with a couple of potential sponsors to possibly arrange to have some
live video interviews from the event though the internet in conjunction with Jon’s
Landracing.com coverage of the event.

What are the internet broadcast plans for Bonneville Speedweek, World of Speed, Top Speed Shootout, World Finals . . .

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Quickly - 'cause it's bedtime -- landracing.com will have live audio streaming at SpeedWeek and, assuming all works out as well as it did in our experiment last October at WF - we'll have the live audio at WoS, the Shootout, and WF, too.

I just got started talking with Mike Akatiff today about doing some video at the Shootout.  That's still, in other words, in early development - but we might just have some dandy stuff to watch.  Stay tuned.  As for video at other events -- I've started talking with a fella that does video streaming for other purposes - and he might work with me for land speed racing.  The problem with video is that it takes big-time resources - in the way of people to run cameras and do interviews and so on - to make a quality program worth watching.  I'm hesitant to offer something that's dull and spotty.

Okay for now?  Still looking for a major sponsor for the live audio stuff.  If you've got the money to help pay for it - please be in touch.