Top Speed Shootout 2010

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Main reports the chase truck is moving into position -- maybe another five minutes.  I've gotta go chase folks outta the way.  Be back soon.

Write your congressmen, ladies and gentlemen.  The course is the problem with the Nish car.  The first time the car kicked out sideways and Mike shut it down.  The second time - the car bounced on the lousy dirt at the start, the engine revved and the limiter shut it down.  Mike has to pedal it carefully and even use brakes to keep the engine from spinning up. 

Speed Demon ready to run -- I've gotta go kick folks off the course.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Speed Demon is under way, off the push truck, headed towards us, through the one mile.

Through the three mile and gaining speed, through the four, into the measured mile/kilo.

403 in the first lights.  413 exit speed, chute is out.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Chute did not blossom.  Coming fast, slowing but no chutes.

Sorry -- had to move the truck out of the way.  Slowing now and into the pits.

Safe -- engine off.  First chute didn't deploy, but second chute worked okay.  Motor was running as he came into the pits, so they'll try for the one hour turnaround.

I'll get the speeds and report.

413 and 413 mile and kilo, exit was 422.

413.537 mile   413.526  kilo  

The time of the entry into the clocks was 10.00.20 -- Tower will give us fifteen minute warnings through the allowed hour.

[mkilger]

looks like 400 MPH is the new 300, lMain sure made it look easy.

[Glen]

Jon, good stuff, keep it up.
 

[landracing]

Sweet for Poteet... Now he sits in the car as crew preps it for turnaround.

A couple years ago Nish car went airborne about the two mile and Mike was able to save it.

Hard to say its the course whent the next guy in line tosses a 413 mph run.

Good stuff Slim, thanks

JonAmo

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Here are some shots of George and the car as he arrived at the pits and during the turnaround thrash:











Tire guy and pit lackey Nate Jones:





Floor jacks?  Who needs floor jacks.  Up -



... and down:



Dave Petrali just brought two pages of printout with this year's competitors and the existing records.  Speed Demon is ready to leave the pit -- I'll post those pages later.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Engine running, canopy down.  21 minutes remaining.

Past the pits, through the mile.

Through the four, looking good.  through the five.  339 entry speed.   324 and slowing in the mile.  Chuite is out.

No words yet on what's happened.  Car is still moving.

Fire truck says all's looking okay -- no problems, is going back to location.  Nish is moving into starting position.

James Rice has been asked -- about whether the average speed is over the 1% increment needed.  No report -- maybe he's doing the math.

[Glen]

Bummer

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Here are those pages from Petrali.

First -- the existing records.



Now the list of who's here and the records they'll try to take:



And as for comparing FIA and SCTA -- Dave reminds me that it's a major issue and not easy.  I'll get you his address if you want to discuss it.

Poteet and Main evidently did set the record.  Combined average speeds  Kilo  363.847,,   mile 363.673    Exceeds old record by more than 1%, so pending verification and certification -- there's the first new FIA record of Shootout 2010.  Congratulations.  Here are a few shots of the car being turned around - and leaving the pits cruising past our truck:





Since I was in the truck playing pit steward I didn't get over to Charlton's pit --= so here is a long shot of the jet bike:

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Mike Nish is about to get into the car.  Wind is 9-10 mph quartering headwind.

Speed Demon crew didn't take air bottles to get the car back onto the transporter, so they'll push off to the side of the course so the Nish car can run.

Maybe 5-10 minutes 'til Nish runs.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Mike Nish is being belted into the car right now.  8 MPH headwind at the tower.

Engine is running.  Car is moving on the push truck.  In the soft dirt -- pushing a half mile or so.

Tiptoed through the bumpy mile, now on the throttle hard and moving out fine.

Engine off, coasting through the two mile.

Made it through the measured mile 1 mph faster than the last aborted run -- let's see -- about two hundred fifty, three hundred more runs and they'll get the record.  That's not me -- they're talking that way on the radio.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Nish car is back in the pit.  Now comes the next series of "Wha' Happent?".

In other news, the hydraulic system on the Spectre's new recovery dolly isn't working - so they can't get in line to make a run.

[landracing]

When Terry Nish was talking about getting more miles on his race engines per dollar spent, I didn't realize he was going to do it two miles at a time. So he's got 6 miles total so far, or there about.

JonAmo

[Seldom Seen Slim]

The Nish team is thinking about insulating the MSD box from engine heat.  The box is evidently getting too hot and shutting down the party.

Ken Puccio, Ack Attack crew chief, says they've done lots of stuff.  A new tail piece is ready - if they decide to use it.  They've upped boost with bigger turbos -- can make 35 pounds.  Don't want to -- did it earlier today and blew open the airbox, so welded it back and are going to return to the 27# they made on the dyno.  That's about 800 hp.  They're gearing for 390 with the engines spinning 10,200 -- vs. last year's 9,500.  The MoTeC sensors are giving goofy data - so the team has gone to high-zoot stuff -- Suzuki factory pieces for things like cam position sensors.   They're running fine.

Rocky will likely make a test and tune pass today to see what things are like in the real world, not just the shop and the dyno.

Speed Demon is still not back in the pit -- still fiddlin' with the car onto the transporter.  And- I see the Nearburg car out in the sunlight, so that's a good sign -- out of the trailer for the first time today.