SpeedWeek 2017 - the event!

[Vinsky]

I think Al called and congratulated them on the new record. I think that says it all.

[fordboy628]

  Al Teague lost his 409 mph record held since 1991 to Main and Poteet, too fat cats going after all the records and don't have a clue about building a car or engine them self's, like AL.

  They have the car and engine built, pay the crew and show up and drive.

  I wonder what Al's cost was compared to theirs?

                JL222

Racing has ALWAYS been expensive, no matter the era.   It has also been a playground for the wealthy, many a small fortune has been made by starting with a large fortune . . . . . . .

With the technology required today to go fast, it is inevitable that professionals will be involved at some point and some level.

Not trying to provoke or incite anybody, just describing how I see it.   Even the lowest buck efforts need to use machine shops and the like.

 

[TugBoat123]

  Al Teague lost his 409 mph record held since 1991 to Main and Poteet, too fat cats going after all the records and don't have a clue about building a car or engine them self's, like AL.

  They have the car and engine built, pay the crew and show up and drive.

  I wonder what Al's cost was compared to theirs?

                JL222

Our car (D/GL #409) goes less than 1/2 the speed of the speed demon team and I'd be willing to bet my father spent about 1/100 the amount of money that the speed demon team spent. We have a great time as a family working on the car and taking turns trying to go fast. My dad spent countless hours in the garage building a really cool car that goes fast and is tough as hell. This year alone, the car made at least 15 passes and 6 drivers got to drive it and The Blue Goose hasn't blown up on us or had a major failure yet. Knock on wood. I get what you mean JL222. However, I gotta say that I really like Speed Demon. Very cool car. And it really takes big cajones to keep your foot on the gas at those speeds (especially after the demise of the previous Speed Demon. Yikes). Poteet has definitely earned his reputation, in my humble opinion. You can't do what he does without a large team of highly skilled people that can build amazing engines, transmissions, frame, body, etc. Congratulations to George Poteet and the Speed Demon team. Congratulations to all the folks who made the journey out to the salt and managed to have a great time racing. It's not an easy thing to do, regardless of what class you might be in.

[4-barrel Mike]

I wonder how fast Poteet/Main would be on 1991-quality salt?

Mike

[SPARKY]

  to all of them!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tman]

I wonder how fast Poteet/Main would be on 1991-quality salt?

Mike

fastER

[Tman]

Any word on how the Costella cars ran?

[TrickyDicky]

Daily runs/qualifiers/records for the last couple of days are posted on the SCTA web site. 

August 15 daily runs (long and short courses) still missing. 

Anyone able to offer any help?

[ronnieroadster]

The Ron's Hobby Shop race team is now home the car is in the shop and all cleaned up. I would like to thank everyone form the SCTA for working so hard to give us the best racing surface's they could with what they had to work with they did an amazing job in my opinion. Also a big Thanks to Slim for handing me the microphone so I could ask everyone listening in the pits for the taller gear set I was looking for.
  We arrived at Speedweek with an untested combination we did not know if the engine which my son and I machined and hand built using many one off internal parts would run a mile or blow. From the first pass Saturday morning and every run after that each one was over 200 MPH. By Sundays backup run my son had established the record at 200.448. Sunday afternoon it was my turn to drive the car my qualifying speed at mile three was over 223 plus MPH boy it was wild ride the wind was pushing me around pretty good and the traction was not the best.
 For Mondays backup run the wind was still blowing hard across the coarse this pushed the car to the right side of the coarse I was getting pretty close to the edge of the coarse so I decided to not push to hard mile tree speed was 208 plus I now held the record at 216.131. The 2 club minimum for entry for the XXF/BGRMR class was 210 I had no idea I would do this well or gain entry into the club.  We certainly put a huge amount of work into this but I'm still in shock about how it was turning out. My runs were on the long coarse. Next it was my sons turn Monday on the long coarse to top my record his run was extremely exciting between mile two and three he was looking at the pits the wind had the car sideways his mile 2 and 3 speeds were just over 209 MPH thankfully he and the car were safe all the work we did on making sure the center of pressure and gravity were correct I feel kept the car from spinning.
  After Jr's fun ride we decided to try the short coarse so on Tuesday morning when Ron Jr had his turn to run he qualified a bit over my record he ran 225 plus.  His back up run Wednesday morning was 224 plus. Ron set the XXF/BGRMR record at 225.003 and he joined dad as a new member of the 2 club. When we arrived it was an open record. All told we made 7 runs on the car the only work needed on our engine was basic valve lash adjustment.
 All the hours in the shop was worth the effort were looking forward to next year hopefully with better salt but that part about the salt I doubt will happen.
   Ron

[Freud]

Ron and Jr., be extremely satisfied.  You will NEVER exceed

this week. You may raise the record. Butt, what You 2 did

in one week is WAY beyond expectations.  You should be

congratulated and satisfied. Ya' did so well that you will

never exceed this week. Just be happy and don't give the

Salt Gremlins too many opportunities to "eat your lunch."

Bonneville is not forgiving. Don't set your goals too high.

Let enjoyment be your goal for your next visit.  You took

advantage of Mutha Salt and she will remember You.

Marlo Treit has been competing at Bonneville since 1957

and all that experience, since then, is not helping on his

Target550 project.  Mutha Salt broke one set of drive

shafts last year and then broke the companion shafts

this year. We must may alienated her somewhere along

the line and she is getting even with our project. Time is

our killer and it was just extended by another year but she

didn't give either of us a Mulligan on our age.


FREUD

[Dave Haller]

I like the amateur classes right up to home built streamliners. I appreciate the time, effort and funding put into professional teams as well. I wonder if there can be a separation of the two in the rules. Congrats to Poteet, I don't care if your the builder, funder or crew member, it takes a bucket of guts to strap in and put the peddle to the metal and keep it there at those outstanding speeds.

[desotoman]

I wonder how fast Poteet/Main would be on 1991-quality salt?

Mike

Mike,

Since you brought it up, I always wondered how Team Speed Demon  would do if they had to run the old three runs, 15 miles 1991 rules, instead of the new two runs, 10 miles. Records were much harder to achieve then.

Tom G.

[JR'S PAPA]

I figure, if The Speed Demon can run 438 with a "C" motor on the salt I saw out there on Monday, three runs on good salt would not hamper the car or team too much. I fear the days of the racer with a pack of "Lucky Strikes" rolled up in his tee shirt sleeve and nothing but good hard effort have been over since before I saw Mickey Thompson hit 406. For every era it has taken cubic money and innovation to break the ultimate Land Speed Record. Just sayin'.....

[wobblywalrus]

The bike classes are even worse.  Go down to the bike shop, buy the latest model for a fraction of the cost of building one, go race and set records.

[kiwi belly tank]

Most people won't know how it was back when Al set the 409 record. We would be on the line ready to make a run at 7am & that had to be over the record to qualify for a record attempt. Then get it back to the pits for service & usually a tire change then back to the line for record runs. Make a down run over the record then turn it around & come back towards Wendover on the return run. If we missed the record or the time window or broke something we would do it all again the next day. On a couple of occasions Anthony & I did an engine change over night & made it to the line the next morning for qualifying. We were a lot younger then.
Al was on the salt Tuesday & Wednesday, hope some of you got to see him, he's 77 now.
  Sid.