My story:
I grew up reading about Bonneville back in the 60's and dreamed I would race there some day. My uncle Carl Swanson was a NHRA Div. V Top Fuel F/C driver in the 70's, and I got to hang out in the pits with him and the other T/F drivers back then. I started sportsman drag racing in high school in the mid-70's and continued on this path until one day in Feb. 2002 when driving across Utah on I-80 in Mile High Talon, my 2.0L 4-cyl. '95 TSiAWD, and I took time out to drive the couple miles to Land's Ends. Looking across that vast lake for the first time was all it took for me to decide that I had to run at Bonneville! Checked out SCTA-BNI when I got home and realized my daily driver would need a huge amount of safety equipment to run at Speedweek that as a single parent I couldn't afford all at once Then I checked out the USFRA and was ecstatic they have the 130 Club Mile for street cars. Took me until WoS '03 to get it all together to make the trip out. Drove out with my 5-yr. old daughter, got there two days early and drove out onto the Salt for the 1st time. Standing out there just the two of us looking across the Salt was nearly a religious experience! Kinda like portrayed in WFI when Anthony Hopkins was standing out there by himself. Waited around for three days until they ran the 130 Club checking out the cars and talking to the other racers. Everyone I met was really helpful and friendly. Finally Sat. morning rolled around, did the driver's meeting, passed tech, drove the course, and got in line to make a run. They tell you to make a pass at <100 the first time. The Salt was fairly wet and I had the boost turned up to 18psi, I launched hard shooting Salt onto the guys behind me(oops!) and then it broke all 4 wheels loose yawing back and forth every time I shifted when it went to WOT. Hit 5th gear at the half-mile and held it 3/4 open. Ran a 114.xxx on that run. That was the single most fun and exhilirating run I'd ever made in a car on a race course! Salt Fever for sure! Got back in line and made a pass and the car started stuttering at 115, maxed out at 117. What the??? Next run same thing, ran 119. I'd run 130+ on the highway on the way out I-80 with no problem, so I changed plugs, checked the plug wires, coil packs, timing belt and didn't find anything wrong. ecided to wait till Sun. to try again. 4th run same stuttering, went 120. 5th run same thing, ran 121. So I used up my 5 runs and didn't make the 130 Club. Defeated but not despondent, I decided to return in '04 to try again. Drove home, no issues, figured out a few weeks later I had a partially clogged fuel filter. Over the next 11 months I upgraded the turbo, I/C, injectors, and added a massive circle track V-8 fuel filter with a cleanable element(not ever going to have that problem again).
By WoS '04 Mile High Talon had 240,000 miles on the original engine, so I convinced my Dad to drive out to Colo. from Minn. with his truck and trailer and trailered out to WoS '04 in case something broke. Removed the side mirrors, bolted on a front air dam made from lawn edging, turned the boost down to 6psi and ran 127 first run. Changed plugs and ran a 130+, got back in line and ran a 131+. Made the 130 Club in the first two hours, which was an excellent moment, but kinda shot myself in the foot since they wouldn't let me make any more runs. Next up gotta be to try for the 150 Club at WoS '05. Added the 4-point rollbar, 5pt harness, and bought a driving suit, gloves, neck collar, waited 9 more months, then the event was cancelled due to water on the course. Rats! Next year.
Waited another 12 months, by then I had 280,000mi. on the car. Meanwhile lowered the car 2", added a door net(rules revision), added a programmable ECU/laptop, & sold several local companies on the idea of giving me money for sponsorship. Brought in $1550 which paid for a truck/trailer rental, entry fee, fuel for the rig, and the merchandise I promised everyone for their sponsorship. Spent half the day prepping to run, passed tech 1st time through, and ran a 142.xxx on 6psi boost in the 2-Mile. Re-mounted the manual boost controller in car the following morning, ran 147.285. Water temp got up to 235F, and the FMIC was piping hot so I let it cool down for 3 hours between runs. Made another pass at 148.368. Still had the cat convertor on the car, pump gas in the tank, and hadn't started making timing/fuel adjustments to the ECU. No problems, two more days of racing to go, should be a shoe-in to make the 150 Club. Removed the cat and installed the test pipe, got back in line, and it got real windy and rained some, so they closed the course. Waited in line a couple hours, they started racing again, and then it got windy again, which shut down the course for the day. Poured like mad that evening, and the next day the course was underwater, so we all went out and loaded up in the lake, and went home. Next year!
Last Fall I got a set of 4.5x16 steel rims welded, bought a set of 4.5-27/16's and a set of Moon discs for this season
to replace the wide 225-50/16's on open rims I've run in the past. Bought a Fluidyne radiator to help lower the coolant temps, and will be adding a bigger turbo and injectors in the next few months. Same sponsors are willing to pony up again for this year which'll cover my expenses(Thanks guys!!). If Mother Nature cooperates, and nothing breaks, I hope to make the 150 Club at the 2, then make a few more runs to the 3 to see how fast it will go. Possible it'll go 170-174(no chute yet) with the new tires and bigger turbo. Who knows, we'll see. If not this year, there's always next year, and then the year after that! After that it'll be built to G/BGT specs so I can run at SCTA events. And one day I hop to make the 200MPH Club with a 500-550HP race-built engine and a 25% overdrive-5th gear transaxle.
Haven't been back on a drag strip or road course since that first day on the Salt, probably won't ever be again since now I live, eat, and breathe to race on the Bonneville Salt Flats!!
James
