Ahhh Speedweek... the Woodstock of the WFO set. Radical rides, not to be believed weather shifts, heart breaking turns of events, heart warming conversation, and The Bonneville Experience. Nothing you can read or be told can prepare you for The Bonneville Experience.
We didn't do too bad on the way up. Only one new trailer tire in Las Vegas. Slightly trashed a trailer fender as it came apart, but...
Expected the Bearcat to stick her toe into The Bonneville Experience just enough to get a Red Hat. Rookie run Saturday morning, qualifier Saturday afternoon, record run Sunday morning. Wham bam, thank you… justlikethat. Spend the rest of the week fooling around with NOS and turbos.
Sooo… Rookie run... right on the money.
Qualifier... done with room to spare.
Record run... ("Pull the chute if anything doesn't feel right"). It didn’t, so she did. No Hat.
Next pass... cooling hose blew off.
3rd run Sunday (or was it 3 on Monday?) had the radiator cap on only to the 1st notch so covered the engine with coolant. No Power.
Next pass... fuel pump relay fell out of the socket (Huh?)
I'm loosing track here, but last run Monday we're in Impound along with the Poteete and Main Speed Demon, and we've got them by .2 mph. Ron and George graciously agree that if they put up a bigger record number and got to Impound first in the morning they'd let Jeanne go first for her hat. Thank You Ron and George!
Tuesday morning she puts up the bigger number and gets the Red Hat.
We're beat. Back to the hotel and Champagne and a nap. Late in the day (3:00 pm) we get a call. The Red Hat is no good. The record had been bumped the day before and hadn't gotten through the system. And we’re short. We race back to the salt to try to get in a qualifying pass. Of course there’s a line. Jeanne says, "I'm just going to talk to everyone in front of us, tell them what happened and ask if we can go in front of them." Well, her efforts are immediately thwarted by a less than humble engineer type in the car in front of us. “No way I’m going to let you get in front of ME!” Some of you may know him. Be thankful if you don't. “Talking” to him was 22 minutes of my life I’ll never get back. And no, it was not JackD.
So we're skunked for the day.
The next morning I pull all of the Bearcat adaptive stuff out of the car and make a pass and find a front tire had gone soft. Interesting ride… 235 on a flat tire.
Fill the tire, put all the Jeanne stuff back in... Jeanne makes a pass...pilot chute hooks in the tube. Next time I see her and the car they're both ankle deep in the lake 7 1/2 to 8 miles out.
Take out the Jeanne stuff. I make a pass and qualify on the record but want Jeanne to get the hat so put her stuff back in and give her the car for a pass. Car just doesn't pull. That’s Thursday afternoon. And her 10th pass.
Friday morning… last chance. Jeanne’s on it… 198 in the quarter. I’m praying… 1st mile 205… a little slow. It’s going to be close. 209… what??? And 188. Rats! Trailer time. What th’?? As I come upon the car I see the big black U-turn stripe with the puddle under the car. Uh oh. Turns out the oil filter gasket blew out and dumped four quarts of oil all over the headers, the belly pan and out the side of the car. And no fire! Thanks I believe to the high flash point of the Amsoil synthetic. But thanks anyway. And the filter was still tight! Thanks to “Somebody”.
And really, thanks to all you men and women (yes, even you, Monty) who come up every year to give your hearts and minds (and most of your sleep for two weeks) to our epic gathering. Some years back when I stepped to the window to pay my first entry fee, I was shocked at the amount. Then I looked around. Took in all that was going on and simply said, “Who should I make it out to?” What an Experience. What a great “ride”. How blessed we are to be able to be a part of it all.
Oh, and the ride home? One thrown trailer tread, one ripped off mud flap, two tires with sudden tread bulges, and a race car motor with an oil pan full of bearing “confetti”.
Wham bam thank you…??? I don’t think so, Tim.
The Bonneville Experience.
Again, folks… Thank You,
Jim and Jeanne
Car #1 The Barnyard Bearcat F/GS
