Shootout 2009

[Bob Drury]

  Jon is starting to look more and more like the "real" SSS.  A few more months on the salt and they could be twins..............  its just like curing jerky............   if I don't make the WF it will be because of this damn thread............................... Bob

[Malcolm UK]

John N

(Some slap dash editing by myself).  The Boost Palouste was the first speed record attained 'officially' by a thrust powered bike.  And it was here in the UK.  The Gillette Mach 3 Challenger set a higher British thrust powered record in the class at 216.55 mph in 1998, with the fastest run (on the same airfield) of 241.155 mph.

Malcolm UK

Come on Mike get the Aslan streamliner to 250 mph this meeting.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Maybe a hundred folks -- spectators number maybe a dozen, family a couple of dozen (that would be the corporate family as well as relations), and crew totalling three or four dozen.  Add in fifteen or twenty "officials" and workers and a half-dozen safety workers and there you've got my best guess.

The jet mike is trailering down to the 4 mile to make a timed run.  Mike said he was hoping to go 200 on this run.  No word from Bub - other than they're still at the 12 mile and deciding what to do next.
  The Missile is apart -- I saw a clutch disk being looked at just a few minutes ago -- so you know it will be a good while before the Missile makes another run.  

[Seldom Seen Slim]

The jet bike just made a short run -- but with the bodywork on for the first time, and evidently the heat from the engine curdled the paint of melted some plastic.  They're keeping Mike in his fire suit and they might even have him try re-starting and running without the body again.

No fire --= but the fire and ambulance crew responded anyway, just in case, just like they should have done.

They'll restart the jet motor again and see if they can make a run.  Coupla minnits, hey?

[RayTheRat]

Jet bike started a run, just creeping down the course.  After a coupla seconds mass quantities of smoke billowed from the bike.

Turns out that it was the first time they'd run it with the full bodywork and it caught fire.  EVs were scrambled, got there quick.  No real harm...or so they thought.  They were gonna re-light the jet, but apparently something went wrong. 

Next run will be BUB liner from the mountain end toward the highway.

As the day gets hotter, the mirage effect is starting to creep in.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Ray's got it under control, and Ray -- I've got a bag of ice here in the pits for you.  It's cool, it's cooooool.

Bub will now pre-stage, so to speak, while the jet bike is rolled out of the way.  And I've got a photo of the Bub bike that I'll post in a few minutes -- after I have a sandwich.

Did I tell you that on a run a while back -- the Bub bike went through one of the markers?  Here's a shot a photographer (don't know his name, sorry) just gave to me.  Not the best quality, durn it, but still not without redeeming qualities.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

The Bub bike is ready for another attempt -- but we're waiting for the Honey Bucket truck to clear the course area.  As soon as it's out of the way -- the course is back to the control of Junior, that works as race director during the actual runs.

[RayTheRat]

All great photos today Ray [like everyday].  

My imagination or the new lens really sharpening up the background/mountains?

It's a combination of things.  First, it was real nice and cool earlier this morning, very little mirage/haze effect.  2nd, I've been shooting with settings a bit different on the camera (Aperture Priority, f14, center spot focus) and going back and forth between cameras and lenses.

As the air is heating up, the hze and mirage is becoming more pronounced. 

However, the new lens is VERY nice. Well worth the price.  So far I have zero complaints and 100 percent recommendation.  For reference, it's the new Canon 18-200 f3.5-5.6 EF-S (not L) with auto 2-axis Image Stabilization, one of the available kit lenses on the 50D

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ET6QFY/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

Two images attached.  Both shot with 40D, 100-400 at 400mm + 1.4 extender, manual focus.  First one is cropped WAY down from the actual image...about 1.8 miles from me.  You can see the haze/heated air distortion.  The second one has some sharpening and color correction, but the distortion and mirage effect is still there.  Hot air does funny things to optics.

HtH (Hope this Helps, for those who might not be familiar with the acrnym)

[jimmy six]

The Demons 7-1/2 confuses me some. Fixing the head is very reasonable and running with a sunk piston has been done but it seem to me extra pistons would have come along on the trip. It must to difficult to get to the lower end to push the piston out with the head needing the repair removed. With the softer metal of the sunken piston you would definately need extra fuel to use as a cooling it as well as making some power. With extra fuel comes unburned fuel out the exhaust which can cause other problems in the headers especially with methanol. Hope Ron and George still do it................JD

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Bub engine is running.  Bike is moving. 
Bike is away from the tow rope and truck.

Run is aborted -- they're taking him back to the 12 mile for another attempt later.

Apparently they had the bike in the wrong gear -- will U-turn, go back to the 12 and start again.  Hold on for a few minutes -- you've got enough time to go take a leak, but don't plan anything that'll take longer than that.  Well, maybe -- I hear it'll likely be twenty minutes.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

How do members of the Mormon Missile team keep themselves busy during breaks?

[Glen]

Hope they have colored balls 

[BrentMalone]

Hope they pick them up!!!!

[4-barrel Mike]

Looks like a basket of orange balls, which is what I saw Japanese using while they were golfing in snow.

Mike

[RayTheRat]

Nuttin new about the golfin.  Remember this one from last year?  (I even got the ball in mid flight...lucky shot.)



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