On the Scene at SpeedWeek 2011

[RayTheRat]

You're right, Don.  The tire pic is weird.  It doesn't show that the wear and degradation started at the contact patch.  Here's another shot of it.

[RayTheRat]

This one is John Puryear in the Puryear Boys' AA/GL and is gonna take several posts to cover..  They had trouble getting it started when they were first in line, and the officials (for some reason...and btw, all of this is just what I observed...I didn't overhear any conversation nor talk to the team at all) had 'em push it over to the right side of the starting line.  There they got it started and wanted to push it back into the lane. 

First one official told 'em "yes" then another official came over and told 'em "no."  I could understand this from body language and gestures. 

All this time Puryear is sweltering in the 95+ heat and black driver's suit.

More in the next post.

[RayTheRat]

(Part 2)  The team finally got permission to push the lakester back into the 300 mph lane, which they did.  Then they wanted the push truck back in line, which was no mean feat.  You can see Puryear wiping the sweat from his face ad they're getting things straightened out....that took several cuts at it.


Apparently the truck wasn't aligned well enough so the officials had 'em get it positioned a little straighter.

Finally, the starter checked the belts and gave 'em approval to go....until the course was put on hold for a timing light problem.

[John Noonan]

Ray,

Is the only shade for the driver coming from the woman with the boots?  Where is the team with the umbrella and other shade offerings?

Hope he made a good clean pass..looks like the body is a little rough..looks like my bike just better 

[RayTheRat]

(Part 3)  In the fist photo, the starter is apparently telling Puryear the reason for the delay and telling him to shut the motor off.  They (the officials) may also have been doing a course sweep, looking for broken glass.  By this time Puryear's been in the car waiting at the starting line for 30 minutes.  He shuts the car off and when the delay is over, it won't start.

The team begins to push the car back tward the pits and Puryear throws the steering wheel out in disgust. 


Then the official tells him that he has to get back in the car and steer it. 

Puryear jumps on the car like it's a wild horse and is riding it rather than driving it back to the pits.

Again, this is all my observation, not anything I can confirm, particularly  .  I'll go talk to 'em in the pits now.

[RayTheRat]

Ray,

Is the only shade for the driver coming from the woman with the boots?  Where is the team with the umbrella and other shade offerings?

Hope he made a good clean pass..looks like the body is a little rough..looks like my bike just better 

The body?  On the woman in the boots?  Never mind.    They eventually got an umbrella, but it's still awful hot out here.  (It's 102 in my Burb.)

He never got a run as part 3 explains...and the last foto should be the first...the server scrambled 'em.

[Stan Back]

"Mis-classed indeed. Has to be Fuel, not Gas."

Back to this bike.  In cars (except Streamliners) you can run diesel instead of gas.  There's a diesel Street Roadster that runs Blown Street Roadster every year.  Not very fast, but legal.

So the bike could run diesel in a Gas class, not Fuel -- right?
But my issue is that a bike has to run a motorcycle engine -- right?  (Not a farm implement motor or whatever it was referred to in the video.)

Someone straighten me out on this (I know, that's a big challenge -- just this item).

[RZ350]

Ray,

Is the only shade for the driver coming from the woman with the boots?  Where is the team with the umbrella and other shade offerings?

Hope he made a good clean pass..looks like the body is a little rough..looks like my bike just better 

The body?  On the woman in the boots?  Never mind.    They eventually got an umbrella, but it's still awful hot out here.  (It's 102 in my Burb.)

He never got a run as part 3 explains...and the last foto should be the first...the server scrambled 'em.

That body looks pretty good to me, relatively aerodynamic.....

The streamliner however, does look a bit rough.....

[Tman]

The driver is obviously used to riding things

[jimmy six]

I've been in that guys shoes before. Had some one break and be next in line. In August that's tough. We keep a wet towel and like John said an umbrella.

One time I got out of the car and when they to get ready instead of me going first like it sould have been they sent the car beside me and guess what...He scattered an engine and I waited again...This time I didn't move from the seat. Tried a little "yoga" by shutting myself down so I didn't use much energy and it helped a lot....One of the reasons I like the October meet. I feel for anyone waiting in the heat...Good Luck to all running and thanks for the good info and pics................................JD

[ol38y]

"Mis-classed indeed. Has to be Fuel, not Gas."

Back to this bike.  In cars (except Streamliners) you can run diesel instead of gas.  There's a diesel Street Roadster that runs Blown Street Roadster every year.  Not very fast, but legal.

So the bike could run diesel in a Gas class, not Fuel -- right?
But my issue is that a bike has to run a motorcycle engine -- right?  (Not a farm implement motor or whatever it was referred to in the video.)

Someone straighten me out on this (I know, that's a big challenge -- just this item).

Stan, it's always been my understanding you have to run a mc engine in a mc also. I was thinking diesel put you in fuel cuz it's not event gas but I dunno...
So yes, that thing should never have made it out of tech IMO.

[saltwheels262]

"873B   Clever Clatter   350CC    A-PBG     0.000   15.851   Lombardini"



Stan Back

probly need a bigger rear gear on the back wheel.
couldn't tell how far down the track  he took it.

a nice kid from new york had a diesel water pump construction engine
in a bike at loring this year.his goal was 50 mph. topped out at about 56 (?).
musta been about 60 some rear gear teeth.

bf

[hotrod]

I just got home a few hours ago (have to go into work tomorrow), will post up a few pictures after I spend a few hours downloading and backing them up.
I survived the down pour at the Bend, but the tent did not. Wind beat it up so badly that the fiber glass poles were split lengthwise so it is no resting in peace in a dumpster.
Unfortunately my car did not fare a lot better. On the way home while I was in a convenience store buying some munchies a dude in a Ford F350 super duty decided to use some of the space occupied by my car for his front bumper, and he totaled the drivers side rear door and took out the window glass. Spent 1.5 hours with duct tape and card board and sealed up the window, and discovered that with the blending provided by the duct tape the car is quieter now at speed that it was with all the glass. My old war horse may get retired after this in spite of how much I love the car. I did use it to tow a full sized late model truck out of the mire at the bend after the storm, as I saw the rain coming and moved up on the road shoulder before the heavy rain hit. I will have some pictures of the mess later.

More to follow after food, a couple hours sleep and some picture review.


Attached are 3 images of Ray the videographer at his tower that I could locate quickly.

The first is Ray watching a bird at the Mike Cook Shootout.
The exhausted bird, was taking shelter under one of the cars and drinking water we put out for it.
The second is Ray at the base of his video tower at the Mike Cook Shootout.
The third is Ray going up the ladder to join Pork Pie at the top of the tower at the Mike Cook Shootout.

Ray I will miss your company during the breaks in the runs, and your willingness to laugh, and your sea stories.
The historical record of Bonneville will be diminished by the loss of his video coverage from that high tower vantage point, and his willingness to wait and watch for hours on end to document every run. It was a labor of love done for the simple enjoyment of seeing and hearing the cars run.

To his partner, Stan (I hope I am remembering your name correctly), please accept my deepest sympathies for your loss!


Larry

[LittleLiner]

"Mis-classed indeed. Has to be Fuel, not Gas."

Back to this bike.  In cars (except Streamliners) you can run diesel instead of gas.  There's a diesel Street Roadster that runs Blown Street Roadster every year.  Not very fast, but legal.

So the bike could run diesel in a Gas class, not Fuel -- right?
But my issue is that a bike has to run a motorcycle engine -- right?  (Not a farm implement motor or whatever it was referred to in the video.)

Someone straighten me out on this (I know, that's a big challenge -- just this item).

The non-bike engine thing should disqualify the bike from A/PBG.  A while back I asked SCTA about running a Briggs Vanguard V twin in the pushrod bike classes.  It is virtually almost nearly the same engine used in the Ridley motorcycles.  Tom Evans answered that the Ridley engines were not sourced from Briggs so the Briggs engine would not quality as a motorcycle engine.  That seemed like a reasonable answer to me.  So I doubt the little diesel would qualify either . . . and the 350 A/BPF class has an open record.  Wonder if he took it to impound?

[Stan Back]

I took the original post off the records list.

Who's to ask and/or challenge this?