Bonneville Salt Flat Reality Show...

[Kansas Bad Man]

Wow, have I had fun reading this thread!  A whole bunch of "reality" came to mind.

Back in 1989 Dave Campos had the LSR record for streamliner motorcycles.  I had a couple of thousand dollars and a couple of clapped out Vincent engines.  I said to myself, "Shoot.  It would be a walk in the park to take that record."  Since that time I have built no less than nine streamliners.  Two of them never made it to the salt.  Have raced seven of the liners twelve times on the salt.  Just once a year.  Have spent $150,000 of my own money and around $75,000 of contributors money.  Have crashed the motorcycle on two occasions.  Streamliner pilots have included Don Vesco, Dave Campos, Stu Rogers, Don Angel, and Hartmut Weidelich.  The Vincent streamliner has been on the Discovery Channel twice.  The time Don Angel rolled the liner, and went airbourn, tumbling end over end the Discovery Channel played that crash over and over and over for a couple of years.  Hartmut Weidelich has a timing slip of 150 mph going backwards through the timing traps, parachutes billowing from the front of the liner.  (Have a picture of this one). Been rained out, losing several days of precious salt time.  One morning arrived on the salt only to find that the body of the liner was gone!!!  Found out about noon that the security crew had put the skin in an 18 wheeler after a monster wind storm had blown it all the way to the 10 mile.  The liner's been put on the trailer due to crankshafts breaking, drive trains exploding, transmissions exploding, tires exploding, etc., etc., etc.     

Made a bunch of friends.  Had a good time.  Met a lot of Go Fast Guys.  Managed to capture a couple of records. 

Hardly noticed when I turned 73 last year.  Will be taking the liner to World of Speed and Mike Cook Shootout in 2013. 

(BTW Stainless, can you break off from working on Ol' Yeller and come over to my place to take some pictures? I've got quite a bit done since the last time you were here.)

                            #:^)#

                        Mad Max,
               The Kansas Bad Man

[makr]

That is excellent, Mad Max!


Spencer, I wasn't sure you had the chops to draw people in to your circle of thought, but judging by the emotional response in this thread; good, and bad, you may just have something here. Ha!

[scwillard]

That is excellent, Mad Max!


Spencer, I wasn't sure you had the chops to draw people in to your circle of thought, but judging by the emotional response in this thread; good, and bad, you may just have something here. Ha!

If the show can gain the same emotional response, good, bad or what ever, I can only believe it will be a total success.

[Kansas Bad Man]

The written word is a strange thing.  Meanings sometimes can be misconstrued.  What I meant to say was:

A reality show covering a 23 year project would be outrageously impossible and exceedingly boring, except for a few seconds of "O Shit.", and another two or three seconds of "Wow!".   

                                       Max
                     

[scwillard]

The written word is a strange thing.  Meanings sometimes can be misconstrued.  What I meant to say was:

A reality show covering a 23 year project would be outrageously impossible and exceedingly boring, except for a few seconds of "O Subaru.", and another two or three seconds of "Wow!".   

                                       Max
                     

How about a little shop talk (forgive the pun). From my perspective on the broadcast side there's some issues which many are unaware, just as there is much I am unaware in the building and driving vehicles at speeds above 85 MPH.

There isn't a production that has the budget to cover 23 projects. Our target is 6 or 7 projects at most. If you look at Deadliest Catch, it starts with fewer boats and moves on to more in later seasons. What we will cover is all about the budget given us by the network. If it's a smaller budget, it could be as small as 4 projects. It it's a larger budget, 6-7. I do agree however less is more. Any more than 7 and it would be a very cramped and confusing 42 minutes of entertainment.

[John Noonan]

 

7
Backers
$250
pledged of $2,100 goal
4
days to go
Back This Project $1 minimum pledge

This project will only be funded if at least $2,100 is pledged by Tuesday Apr 23, 10:51am EDT.

[Kansas Bad Man]

The written word is a strange thing.  Meanings sometimes can be misconstrued.  What I meant to say was:

A reality show covering a 23 year project would be outrageously impossible and exceedingly boring, except for a few seconds of "O Subaru.", and another two or three seconds of "Wow!".   

                                       Max
                     

How about a little shop talk (forgive the pun). From my perspective on the broadcast side there's some issues which many are unaware, just as there is much I am unaware in the building and driving vehicles at speeds above 85 MPH.

There isn't a production that has the budget to cover 23 projects. Our target is 6 or 7 projects at most. If you look at Deadliest Catch, it starts with fewer boats and moves on to more in later seasons. What we will cover is all about the budget given us by the network. If it's a smaller budget, it could be as small as 4 projects. It it's a larger budget, 6-7. I do agree however less is more. Any more than 7 and it would be a very cramped and confusing 42 minutes of entertainment.

Like the guy said in Cool Hand Luke, "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

I said, "...a 23 year project..."

You said, "...23 projects..."
                                       

                                          Max                               

[scwillard]

My bad. (I know that's so 1990's) The projects we found are one and two year projects, plus the perpetual drive to better the vehicle to perform bigger and better each and every time they go to the salt. Back to budget, indeed the only kind of production that follow 23 years are film documentaries and only then usually funded by government contracts.

[RCKirby]

Spencer,

Do you have any work that we could view...perhaps some previous projects. (On or off the Salt)

RCKirby

[scwillard]

Well, my IMDB (internet movie database) is http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3925862/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1. Those are the only screen credits I have. However I have worked on several pilots this past couple of years which include "The Flyboys" television series http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-flyboys-tv-series?website_name=theflyboys, some commercials for Dixie College, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRwo9talPlg. I am the son of a Special Effects man who's been in the business for 35 years. I have worked on and off films for the last 20 years including (uncredited) Top Gun, The Untouchables, Blind Fury and The Flyboys the movie - http://theflyboysmovie.com/ if that helps.

[Tman]

Spencer, I dug Flyboys even though the movie flopped. I guess in the gimmie now culture we have today WWI does not register. Those Vols were crazy SOBs.

[scwillard]

Spencer, I dug Flyboys even though the movie flopped. I guess in the gimmie now culture we have today WWI does not register. Those Vols were crazy SOBs.

Different Flyboys. The one I did was a coming of age adventure of two young teens. Kind of a Harty Boys with wings. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357668/?ref_=sr_1 it was released internationally at the same time as the the WWII Flyboys, and released in Southern Utah where it was filmed.

[JonAmo]

8 Backers

$255 pledged of $2,100 goal 


0 seconds to go


Funding Unsuccessful  This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal about 21 hours ago.

[38flattie]

8 Backers

$255 pledged of $2,100 goal  


0 seconds to go


Funding Unsuccessful  This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal about 21 hours ago.

Hmmm, 3 guys want to make a show about the blood, sweat, and tears that are involved in LSR, yet can't come up with $2100.

If racers showed the same perseverance (lack of), LSR would be over.

Looks to me like this thread is done!

Unless, you would like me to give you the money? I would want, of course, final editing say, to insure the show turned out the way WE (racers) would want to see the show-not the sensationalism of the trailer!

[scwillard]

8 Backers

$255 pledged of $2,100 goal  


0 seconds to go


Funding Unsuccessful  This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal about 21 hours ago.

Hmmm, 3 guys want to make a show about the blood, sweat, and tears that are involved in LSR, yet can't come up with $2100.

If racers showed the same perseverance (lack of), LSR would be over.

Looks to me like this thread is done!

Unless, you would like me to give you the money? I would want, of course, final editing say, to insure the show turned out the way WE (racers) would want to see the show-not the sensationalism of the trailer!

I wouldn't throw dirt on the grave just yet. That was a campaign to help offset the out of pocket cost to make the sizzle reel. The fact is it's been shot, edited and already has interest. We ended up putting the cost on a credit card, to expedite matters. Now I just get to pay that bill myself. That's fine, risk takers usually take calculated risks. It actually could be a lot worse, Our group could of done this and was rejected in total by those parties which deal with such matters. All in all, it's another one of life's adventures.

By the way, if I offered to pay for your speed projects, would you allow me to have final say on the design and engine of your project. I dare say no.