300+ MPH Bikes and Cars.....

[Sumner]

Actually, we did run FIA at Speed Week when Teague set his big record. Don't think it was a big slowdown. It was an amazing time that I believe was well worth any delays. Most people that were there thought that it was an experience of a life time.

Richard's comment above (that I stole off another thread) reminded me of something I wanted to bring up and see if anyone has any thoughts on.

At Speed Week I was talking to one of the streamliner guys and he said that with the long lines it was very hard for them to run as it took a lot of prep up near the start to run.  I thought we are missing a lot to not have these guys run more often.

Personally I have no problem if the 300+ mph streamliner bikes or cars that have run over 300 bring their car/bike past the rest of us and up to the head of the line.  There they can move to one side and prep their vehicle to make a run and then let them run when they are ready.

It is not like these guys can make multiple runs in a day anyway and when you are running that fast chances are you don't just push up to the front like the rest of us do and motor away when the started tells you to.

There aren't that many 300 mph plus vehicles out there and I think we should do what we can to encourage them to run and not make them feel like they are by-passing the lines the rest of us sit in.

I miss seeing them run and hope we can come to some kind of agreement that makes it easier for them to run and yes Richard I was there when Al ran and it was an experience of a life time.  A return run would be fine for me if they qualified for a record and it was feasible, but that is something that would be hard to do with the course laid out the way it has been the last couple years and I personally like the long course nearer the pits.

c ya,

Sum

[Bob Drury]

Sum, I totaly agree.  Not seeing Burklands only run this year at speedweek was a disapointment, and with Teague retired, Nolan watching from above with Don and Carl, we need to encourage the fast guys to continue and race at Speedweek.  My two fondest memories of the last twelve years were listening to Al shift at over three hundred, and watching Carl herd that incredible green locomotive across the salt.....

[Rex Schimmer]

I agree completely with Sum and Bob, watching the "Fast" Guys is always an experience that is remembered for a long time. There are not that many of them and as Sum has said if allowing them to move to the front of the line keeps them coming back to speed week then it is a change that should be made.

My son and I still talk about seeing Don Vesco run 439 back in the late 90s. The sonic shock waves coming of the back of his air scoop are still something I marvel about.

Rex

[JackD]

The delays that people talk about are from the Atminosphere.
I ran an FIA record with a 200mph doorslammer at Speedweek and hardly anybody even knew except the GMC suits that are still hung up about it.
One of the only reasons 400mph cars are ever seen at Speedweek was the resolution by the board that 300mph + vehicles would be allowed a pass from the end of the available area at the end of the day and we would close with them. They were not required to run from the 0 marker that was on some occasions as much as 4 miles into the running area.
Those days have changed like so many other Politrick things.
It is NOT well known but the return run that Al made and SCTA is so proud of was so much faster because he had more space to run.
He used an additional 1/4 mile that I prepared for Campos the previous month.
The bike track that we prepared on our own was parallel to the Speedweek alignment and he started the return run on what we called "PALLOT ROAD" and after he was underway, he steered over the the SCTA track to complete the run.
It was called "PALLOT ROAD" because desire and a willing crew tied a bunch of wood pallots together and with a bunch of "HEAVY WEIGHT BIKERS ON TOP", Al Sherman drug it out.
The BUB event is on no way a good comparison to make nor the costs that many have allowed themselves to believe.
There are more examples.
Was it safe ? Was it done?
I guess you had to be there with the desire.
When I see someone say it can't be done I think to myself they  can't do it .

Well this is the spot where I was going to get nasty, but you already know how shy I am.  LOL

[PorkPie]

Sum,

your opinion is a good point.

Be involed himself in a streamliner, I know what it means staying in line and than get the car ready right on time.

The 2006 season was for the spectator who like to watch the fast one may be a disappointment - there was not too much - alright, also Nish and Burkland was only checking for FIA meet - but from the other big streamliner was only a few there.

The percentage of this big/fast once are very small to big number of other competitor and doing the way as you explained would be a great deal for everybody - waiting for the other people who are in line for one more run, wouldn't be a problem I think.

Also it would give the spectators an advantage. The team's can go to the starter and let them know that they are ready to go in 30 minutes, he can give this information to the radio announcer, so everybody know when they are coming.

Like me, standing at the 6 mile marker with the camera, don't knowing what's going on at the starting line it's always a hard time to catch them, sometimes I'm getting the information when they are on the run.

Doing picture from a 400 mph racer is something different than from a 200 mph racer, you have to catch the real fast one in at the two mile marker with the camera to get the right shoot at the five and five a half with the parachute.

Hope the SCTA it thinking about your idea.

[PorkPie]

Hey, Jack, what time is on your place......you are sleeping sometimes......I think it will be 7 am at your place???

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Bob, if you haven't already watched it, you can hear Tom Burkland shifting at 3 bills++ or so on the video that's available on the USFRA website home page.

I keep that video (and the Mark Brazeau one from the SCTA site) of the desktop of my computer so I can show visitors a little bit of what it's like to see someone going past at a gazillion mph.

Then I get to tell them the story of watching Carl Heap making a run -- we were at the line, and you could see the smoke from him all the way down the course -- the interruption in smoke from his shift from 1 -2 at about the one mile, into third about 1 3/4, and finally to high gear at the three.  Then I show them the photos of the Phoenix -- and they just don't understand. . . Ah, it's great, theis land speed stuff.  I think I'll do it some more this coming year.

[JackD]

Hey, Jack, what time is on your place......you are sleeping sometimes......I think it will be 7 am at your place???

Well right now it is 08:53  12-21-06 here.
Time is what you make of it and the longer you do it the more you should be able to decide when things are going to happen.
I know I strive for it all the time. 
Freedom includes no pager, cell phone, wrist watch and just a drivers licence, pass port with a debit card beyond my wants. LOL

[836dstr]

This was our first year running at Bonneville. One of the things that made the wait in the staging lanes of the Short Course bearable was to be able to walk over to the Long Course and check out the fast cars.

At El Mirage the SCTA has the "200 MPH Staging Lane" for the fast cars and it seems to work very well. They push up to the starting lane when they are ready to run. A 3rd lane for 300 MPH+ entries at Bonneville (on the Pit side) would appear to be an easy thing to do.

For racers in line this would be easy to handle (knowing when to suit up and be ready). You would only be waiting for one more car to run. Figuring out when to suit-up when someone in front of you opens a trailer door and rolls out 4 Bikes makes it a little tougher, but I digress.

Tom

[Ro Yale]

I for one agree with Sumner on this subject!
Merry Christmas and get back to work on those machines!

[JackD]

Soon, 836 will learn to count noses when getting in line.
His secret will be safe with me.  LOL

[lvsalt]

  300mph vehicles to the front of the line, GREAT IDEA !! 

[JackD]

  300mph vehicles to the front of the line, GREAT IDEA !! 

400mph vehicles need not apply ?
I will bet we can do better than that and have before.
"Home of the World's not quite the Fastests Speed Trials"

[POPS]

"Calling all cars over 300 to the front of the line."  Got my vote, the only bad part is we will be in line and not down track to see it. 
Pops

[Sumner]

"Calling all cars over 300 to the front of the line."  Got my vote, the only bad part is we will be in line and not down track to see it. 
Pops

You might have just run and be down at the "big end" .

The reason I suggested this is, if it became policy, then it could be announced at the driver's meeting and in the program and these guys could push past us without a guilty conscious and everyone would know what was going on  .

c ya,

Sum