Landracing Forum
Bonneville Salt Flats Discussion => Bonneville General Chat => Topic started by: USMC1932 on April 17, 2007, 03:02:43 PM
-
my name is Clark, and i am 17 years old, i go to school in Montana and am doing my senior project on land speed racing. i have been to the Bonneville salt flats with the Bakersfield boys race team and loved it. i am looking for stories facts and info to help me complete my paper, anything helps, i have alot of technical info, but i am looking for more of the personal stories of Bonneville. thanks
-
Scott Guthrie does a great interview. :-)
gsguthrie2003@yahoo.com
-
Clark,
Welcome and what type of personal stories, like the one of Wes and the h@@ter bar?
.
:-D
-
Clark,
Welcome and what type of personal stories, like the one of Wes and the h@@ter bar?
.
:-D
well any stories help, but i will use the ones about the action on the salt in my paper, but i could stand to hear the stories about off the salt for my own personal entertainment
-
I think we should help him -- this lad shows promise.
-
Clark,
So that we can help you ,can you give us a little more info on your project, such as main focus or a general outline. A lot could be written about the cars and characters of Bonneville 1949 to present.
Why not write about your personal experiences @ Bonneville. Another idea would be to write about why people race at Bonneville. I'm sure the people that post on this site will come up with many ideas.
What are the requirements of your project, that might be a good place to start.
Tom (Bonneville rookie 2006)
-
Clark,
Welcome and what type of personal stories, like the one of Wes and the h@@ter bar?
.
:-D
well any stories help, but i will use the ones about the action on the salt in my paper, but i could stand to hear the stories about off the salt for my own personal entertainment
Here is our story for 2004, 05 and 06:
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/hooley/hooley-index.html
Good luck with your project and c ya on the salt,
Sum
-
My story:
I grew up reading about Bonneville back in the 60's and dreamed I would race there some day. My uncle Carl Swanson was a NHRA Div. V Top Fuel F/C driver in the 70's, and I got to hang out in the pits with him and the other T/F drivers back then. I started sportsman drag racing in high school in the mid-70's and continued on this path until one day in Feb. 2002 when driving across Utah on I-80 in Mile High Talon, my 2.0L 4-cyl. '95 TSiAWD, and I took time out to drive the couple miles to Land's Ends. Looking across that vast lake for the first time was all it took for me to decide that I had to run at Bonneville! Checked out SCTA-BNI when I got home and realized my daily driver would need a huge amount of safety equipment to run at Speedweek that as a single parent I couldn't afford all at once Then I checked out the USFRA and was ecstatic they have the 130 Club Mile for street cars. Took me until WoS '03 to get it all together to make the trip out. Drove out with my 5-yr. old daughter, got there two days early and drove out onto the Salt for the 1st time. Standing out there just the two of us looking across the Salt was nearly a religious experience! Kinda like portrayed in WFI when Anthony Hopkins was standing out there by himself. Waited around for three days until they ran the 130 Club checking out the cars and talking to the other racers. Everyone I met was really helpful and friendly. Finally Sat. morning rolled around, did the driver's meeting, passed tech, drove the course, and got in line to make a run. They tell you to make a pass at <100 the first time. The Salt was fairly wet and I had the boost turned up to 18psi, I launched hard shooting Salt onto the guys behind me(oops!) and then it broke all 4 wheels loose yawing back and forth every time I shifted when it went to WOT. Hit 5th gear at the half-mile and held it 3/4 open. Ran a 114.xxx on that run. That was the single most fun and exhilirating run I'd ever made in a car on a race course! Salt Fever for sure! Got back in line and made a pass and the car started stuttering at 115, maxed out at 117. What the??? Next run same thing, ran 119. I'd run 130+ on the highway on the way out I-80 with no problem, so I changed plugs, checked the plug wires, coil packs, timing belt and didn't find anything wrong. ecided to wait till Sun. to try again. 4th run same stuttering, went 120. 5th run same thing, ran 121. So I used up my 5 runs and didn't make the 130 Club. Defeated but not despondent, I decided to return in '04 to try again. Drove home, no issues, figured out a few weeks later I had a partially clogged fuel filter. Over the next 11 months I upgraded the turbo, I/C, injectors, and added a massive circle track V-8 fuel filter with a cleanable element(not ever going to have that problem again).
By WoS '04 Mile High Talon had 240,000 miles on the original engine, so I convinced my Dad to drive out to Colo. from Minn. with his truck and trailer and trailered out to WoS '04 in case something broke. Removed the side mirrors, bolted on a front air dam made from lawn edging, turned the boost down to 6psi and ran 127 first run. Changed plugs and ran a 130+, got back in line and ran a 131+. Made the 130 Club in the first two hours, which was an excellent moment, but kinda shot myself in the foot since they wouldn't let me make any more runs. Next up gotta be to try for the 150 Club at WoS '05. Added the 4-point rollbar, 5pt harness, and bought a driving suit, gloves, neck collar, waited 9 more months, then the event was cancelled due to water on the course. Rats! Next year.
Waited another 12 months, by then I had 280,000mi. on the car. Meanwhile lowered the car 2", added a door net(rules revision), added a programmable ECU/laptop, & sold several local companies on the idea of giving me money for sponsorship. Brought in $1550 which paid for a truck/trailer rental, entry fee, fuel for the rig, and the merchandise I promised everyone for their sponsorship. Spent half the day prepping to run, passed tech 1st time through, and ran a 142.xxx on 6psi boost in the 2-Mile. Re-mounted the manual boost controller in car the following morning, ran 147.285. Water temp got up to 235F, and the FMIC was piping hot so I let it cool down for 3 hours between runs. Made another pass at 148.368. Still had the cat convertor on the car, pump gas in the tank, and hadn't started making timing/fuel adjustments to the ECU. No problems, two more days of racing to go, should be a shoe-in to make the 150 Club. Removed the cat and installed the test pipe, got back in line, and it got real windy and rained some, so they closed the course. Waited in line a couple hours, they started racing again, and then it got windy again, which shut down the course for the day. Poured like mad that evening, and the next day the course was underwater, so we all went out and loaded up in the lake, and went home. Next year!
Last Fall I got a set of 4.5x16 steel rims welded, bought a set of 4.5-27/16's and a set of Moon discs for this season
to replace the wide 225-50/16's on open rims I've run in the past. Bought a Fluidyne radiator to help lower the coolant temps, and will be adding a bigger turbo and injectors in the next few months. Same sponsors are willing to pony up again for this year which'll cover my expenses(Thanks guys!!). If Mother Nature cooperates, and nothing breaks, I hope to make the 150 Club at the 2, then make a few more runs to the 3 to see how fast it will go. Possible it'll go 170-174(no chute yet) with the new tires and bigger turbo. Who knows, we'll see. If not this year, there's always next year, and then the year after that! After that it'll be built to G/BGT specs so I can run at SCTA events. And one day I hop to make the 200MPH Club with a 500-550HP race-built engine and a 25% overdrive-5th gear transaxle.
Haven't been back on a drag strip or road course since that first day on the Salt, probably won't ever be again since now I live, eat, and breathe to race on the Bonneville Salt Flats!!
James
-
Go to Wells. All the good stories from Bonneville are there. Or you can go to Amazon and buy 50 different books on it...Good Luck
-
Wow, there are more good Bonneville stories than stories about anything else; as I remember, they get better every time they are told. If you read through this forum, there are several already written without asking.
Now if I was going to tell stories, it would be hard to choose just one, we have drinking :| , carousing :-) , Patio Motel :-P , Dixon's :-) , Johnboy :evil: , racing :-D , impound :roll: , record run 8-) and travel to Bonneville in the Salt Coach :-o . You could probably write a book about Salt Flat racing. Oh, some of these stories are R rated, we can tell those to you next year... :roll:
-
All that stuff could be chapters in the "Real Big Book on Bonneville" instead of the "Coffee Table Artsy" types that seem to abound.
However true the stories are exactly is less important than the picture they leave with the reader that is more true than just about anything you can do.
YOU MAY BEGIN :wink:
-
I guess it's just my sunny outlook on life . . .
But I'm suspicious that Clark's just looking for something to plagiarize as his talents in grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling seem to be lacking.
A trip to the salt with the Bakersfield Boys should offer enough drama and storyline.
Stan
-
Consider that he is still in school and the effect the Bakersfield Boys had on him can be remediated. :wink:
-
Come on Stan,
You're stealing Seldom Seen Slim's thunder.
Just kidding.
How could you do justice to LSR in a school project?
I think "Slim's" exploits moving Portapotties last year could make an interesting chapter.
Tom
-
Clark,
I don't know where you are at in Montana but a great racing family lives in Great Falls. If your around that area you may want to speak with the Burkland's (Gene & Betty) They ran a 265 MPH Stude in the 70's/80's, a 300 MPH Datsun B210 in the 80's/90's, and a 450 MPH Streamliner now. I'm sure you'll get some good stories and they are some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet.
Good Luck,
Dallas
-
I think Dallas is ahead as the best recommendation so far. Not a lot better stories out there!
-
...300 MPH Datsun B210 in the 80's/90's..
Anybody that passes on a chance to talk to somebody who made a brick go that fast is crazy, not to mention that much racing experience in general.
What motor did they run in that thing? :-o
-
I believe they ran a blown Donovan, and it is far from a brick. Ran Comp Coupe and from the window posts forward it is slippery.
-
...300 MPH Datsun B210 in the 80's/90's..
Anybody that passes on a chance to talk to somebody who made a brick go that fast is crazy, not to mention that much racing experience in general.
What motor did they run in that thing? :-o
(http://www.ugofadini.com/images/burklanddatsun3.jpg) ]
Tom used different motors, but did the 290+ with a 392 Hemi. Then he did engine development with a Donovan for the future streamliner that they run now.
There is more here:
http://www.ugofadini.com/burklandstory3.html
and I have a lot of good information that Tom has shared on my site here:
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/bvillecar/bville-tburkland-1.html
c ya,
Sum
-
Thanks Dallas/Sumner,
They sure did a nice job of slicking up that brick!
-
The first edition of the Datsun they ran was in primer and it was hard to tell the origin.
It was called a "gas streamliner" because it was so radical.
-
HOW ABOUT THE ONE WHERE THE GUY WENT OUT TO TEST THE SALT"it was very wet and ruff the day before Racing",AND RAN INTO A LAKE AT 140MPH 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE STAGING LANES OPENED UP :-o!Or the time he and His wife spent the night on the Clay Dirt right off the entrance to the Salt Flats in their Brand New Totter home.Only to have it Rain in the middle of the Night and they got stuck in the Mud and had to be Rescued by cable on a special Semi Tow truck :roll:!Allot happens before we ever get to race :-P!As I have found Racing is the Easy Part it's getting there that take all the effort,Time,and Money :-(!!!!!!!!! I'm a newbie,but sure have Learned WHAT NOT TO DO :-o!
I'm sure She"The Great Bonneville Salt Flats" has Plenty more Lesson for me and the Rest of the Racer's ,Crew's ,and Family's that Live,Breath, and Eat this $tuff!! :wink:
-
Hey Super, for a guy with 20/10 eyes, your camera focus is a little lacking... :roll: but I laughed out loud when you told your story. :-D
-
Kaz needs leash and a suitable operator.
Oh by the way, it was not a lake or mud bog but a moat/water hazard to catch the terminally unaware.
Ya gotta axe yersef, do da guy dat toll you where to park work for the towin company ? :wink:
-
Hey Super, for a guy with 20/10 eyes, your camera focus is a little lacking... :roll: but I laughed out loud when you told your story. :-D
I Thought it was a Mirage and Blinked my eye's twice!By that Time I was skippin across the MOAT as Jack D Would say!!!!!!! :-o I Saw it but it didn't register till it was too late! :oops:Ya those signs that say' No Parking ' or you will turn to Mud! Ain't Lying :|
-
When you seem to be losing your sense of humor, Kaz can help.
-
When you seem to be losing your sense of humor, Kaz can help.
As Long as I made someone smile :mrgreen: it will be all Worth it Someday!