200 MPH at Bonneville! Sort of. In a circle. In miniature.
Tether Cars!!!
The United States Nationals for World Class tether cars is scheduled for November 11, 12, 13 at the Whittier Narrows tether car track. 1600 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91733 at Whittier Narrows Park. Races are 9-3.
If you are in SoCal there will be 35 cars from across the country and around the world. The entire Swiss and Estonian teams will be there.
These are not your grandfather's tether cars. (They ran 2 weeks ago.)
World Model Car Racing is the global association for these streamliners.
Watch a 7 lb car go 200 real miles per hour. The world record is 216 mph.
Tether cars have been around since the 1930s. Attached to a piano wire on a 65 foot diameter circle the 7 lb car weighs 600lbs and 86G at 200mph. The cars hold 3.5 oz of fuel that pushes 8 psi at speed making tuning a real challenge. Races are run individually and there is a 3 minute window for each participant. At the end of the run there are 8 timed laps that are averaged for the speed.
There are 5 classes from 1cc to 10 cc. All cars run methanol/castor oil fuel for the 2-stroke engines.
Your grandfather's tether cars (They look like Bonneville roadsters) are open wheel and have a multitude of classes. You can find rules and pictures for both Open Wheel and World Class at AMRCA.com
