Landracing Forum
Misc Forums => LSR General Chat => Topic started by: TrickyDicky on July 06, 2014, 05:36:31 AM
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In an article on her web site, LSL states:
George Poteet, owner of the Speed Demon streamliner, commissioned “LandSpeed” Louise Ann Noeth to chronicle the 2012 racing season of the land speed racing team whose dedicated work allowed Poteet to drive in excess of 400MPH a dozen times during two speed meets on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The timed runs on the surveyed course resulted in the certification of 1 National and 2 World Land Speed Records. This unprecedented achievement surpasses the remarkable speed demonstration by Californian Al Teague driving his Spirit of 76 streamliner in excess of 400MPH eight times in one season.
My question is about Al Teague's performances. The year in question was presumably 1991. Is there a published account of what was happening in land speed racing at that time, in particular the very fast runs of Nolan White and Al Teague? This pre-dates my interest in the subject, and there seems to be limited information on the internet.
Thanks for any historically accurate references anyone can provide. Maybe I need to wait for LSL's forthcoming book?
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What would you like to know?
I crewed for Al from 87 until he retired & worked on Betsy full time from 88 till 91.
Sid.
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Any photos of those days you would like to share? Probably a lot of interesting stories too.
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What would you like to know?
I crewed for Al from 87 until he retired & worked on Betsy full time from 88 till 91.
Sid.
My slightly nerdy/geeky interest is in the numbers - dates and speeds of runs, especially the fast ones. Something like the results spreadsheets published these days by SCTA/USFRA for their meets would do the trick. Or the Burklands run log on the Ugo Fadini web site (http://www.ugofadini.com/burklandstory.html). There is information about the records out there but I was surprised to read that there were eight runs at 400+ in one year.
As I understand it, in 1990 Nolan White made the first 400+ run by a wheel-driven car since the Summers Brothers in 1965. Just one day before Al Teague. Sounds like there should be quite a story behind this and the subsequent years, so I expected it to have been written up as at least a chapter in a book.
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When it comes to details & photos we didn't do very well, we were just too busy getting the job done.
It is true that Nolan was the first at 403 & Al ran 401 the next day. I think that was SW 90.
Other people remember more about how fast & when it was & had the time to take pics.
At one time we had the AA, A, B & C/BFS records, Nolan had the AA, A & B records at times but only ran on the AA when he went to two engines.
Bring on the info people!!!
Sid.
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Check with Wendy at Bonneville Racing News.
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The reference to Al Teague running in excess of 400MPH in one year came directly from Al in a conversation with him. I did not add the year as I opt for feature writing versus technical data copy in most of my columns.
Nolan was 1st in excess of 400MPH, Al heard his time as he working the bottom end of #76 and told me, "Good thing I was already on the ground, because I think my legs would have given way." Their back-and-forth battle was epic.
If you are inclined to have every detail, then I suggest gathering the hi-perf rags of the era and check the latter year issues. Back then there was more reporting coverage, not the feature work that pervades the media today.
AL and I have spoken repeatedly about telling his racing life story. I have many many form many interviews but nothing near what constitute the whole story. . . yet.
LSL
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Sid definitely has enough stories to fill a few chapters, if you ever write that book, Louise.
Willi
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If you are inclined to have every detail, then I suggest gathering the hi-perf rags of the era and check the latter year issues. Back then there was more reporting coverage, not the feature work that pervades the media today.
AL and I have spoken repeatedly about telling his racing life story. I have many many form many interviews but nothing near what constitute the whole story. . . yet.
LSL
Louise,
Many thanks for responding. Finding specific back-issues of magazines from 20+ years ago is not straightforward (at least, not from where I sit in England), but if that is the best way of finding the detailed information, I will give it a go.
My impression of your forthcoming "Bonneville: A Century of Speed" book is that it is a serious historical record of events on the salt. As such, will it include detailed tables of results, maybe in appendices?
One other question if I may. Is The Demon's Dozen available to buy, or is the limited production run now sold out?
Thanks again.
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There will be more of a technical slant to new book, but not as much as you might want. Most folks would be bored and I NEVER want to bore my readers. Unsettle them, amuse them, educate them and sometimes piss them right off, but never bore them. My work is thororughly fact-checked - usually with the person/team/group in question but even then memories fade, facts get skewed. Many rags back in the day rushed to print with preliminary data so don't think it is the FACTS. I know first-hand the HOT ROD had plenty of errors and omissions learning the hard way NOT to trust the old stuff without additional verification.
As for THE DEMONS DOZEN, it is digital print demand book with low volume so the individual price is very high. George has given me the rights to print more copies if I wish.
If we could generate 50 orders up front the cost per book would still be about $30.-$40. for a 68-page book. That known, if we could get 100 orders, the price would be more favorable. Shipping, taxes additional.
Perhaps I should start thread to see if there is any real interest.
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Start a thread, I would buy one! :cheers:
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http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/the-demons-dozen.html (http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/the-demons-dozen.html)
Mike
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Sign Nancy and me up for one of the books, Louise. Seriously, hey?
PS I got your email earlier today, but since we're on the road it'll take a day or two to get back to you. Thanks for your ideas.
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Put me down for two
Richard 2
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Not long ago, Bill Hoddinott did an indepth interview with Al Teague in Bonneville Racing News. That should answer most of your questions.
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I started to work on al's car about 6 mos after sid, I was pretty busy then running a top alcohol dragster and going to Bonneville 3 times a year and working on al's engines that we would take, I do remember exactly when Nolan went 400 I was changing rod bearings and maint as usual when we heard Nolan go down waitied for the time and he did it he ran 400 plus Charlie Hamilton myself and al just continued working (actually kind of quiet), I stayed with al until after the thunder down under then i started to drive the sad, Teague and bentley roadster.it was a lot of fun. Anthony young
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Great information, and please put me down for a copy of Demon's Dozen. -Dean
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Anthony!
So VERY glad you posted your comment. I knew there was another person working with AL but I could not recall who! Yes, rod bearings, I can see you both under Betsy now. . . the charred oil, everywhere, always a mess and never a clean t-shirt afterwards!
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louise, yeah that was me (damm moly lube) anthony
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After all these years it?s rather awkward to read anecdotes about my father Charlie Hamilton married to Susan Carr my mother (I know, she was a bit whacked, LOL)
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HB326, hope you have a copy of the Monster Garage Lakester build. That's where I was able to talk to Charlie.... Met him around Al's car but he was always so busy. Back then when the battle was on the crew was always working toward the next run.... however Al always took time for short chats with other racers.
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LSL, please put me down for a copy of Demon's Dozen, too. Thanks, Neil.
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just to clarify something as maybe this something was clear as mud....
When Louise talked about the Demon Dozen...
this was eight years ago....when I remember right...it was available in 2015 on a very low number...as it was a digital print book it wasn't cheap to the size and pages....
I fear you all who asked now....you have to check on the used book pages....
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Well...duhhh. I didn't notice the date on her post. :x
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I'll have to dig out my copy and look at it again. I have it in print form.
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Probably find a copy on Amazon.....along with a book on rain forests..... 1drink
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Well...more mud to clear....
Jon, sure you got it in print form....as I wrote it is a digital print book...
a digital print is a little bit different to a normal print book...
Best known are digital books as you can let it make in a photo store....family came home from vacation...samples some photos to several pages in a book and the photo dealer get them a print
hard or soft cover book....
the different to a normal book is....in the normal book you got white pages and the photos and letters are print on that paper...
digital print didn't use a paper in that way....the whole page is a photo which get printed....when you design your digital book you can use some kind of background...but this background
is also part of the photo which is used for the print....
a single book, especially with a hardcover are all but not cheap....very good quality goes easily up to 100 dollar.....for 64 pages.....if you order a bunch of that book
the prize goes down but it is still high...
Louise used this technic for her Demon Dozen book....as she run only a very limited number of copies....regular books would be too expensive....
I'll have to dig out my copy and look at it again. I have it in print form.
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Thomas, now I understand the philosophical and technical difference between a book printed on paper on a printing press and a book printed on paper by a digital printer, and now that you've pointed it out to me I can see that "The Demon's Dozen" was produced the latter way.
But even with that - it's a cool book and I'm not enough of a collector to be concerned about the actual value. I'm happy to have it.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/IMG_8547.JPG)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/IMG_8549.jpg)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/IMG_8548.jpg)
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My wife, Joanie, makes books of our trips using Shutterfly. The cost is approx. $100.
DW
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I know of 2 of the 100 copies that reached Australian shores . myself and Ronnie Stayte purchased one each .
Mine has been passed on as i donated it to the DLRA fundrasing Auction . cheers Paul .
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Any photos of those days you would like to share? Probably a lot of interesting stories too.
Fairly certain that I have good images of both Al's and Nolan's cars... somewhere. I'll see what I can dig up.