Additional Bonneville photos

Part IV: Friday October 8 & Saturday October 9

Rain on Thursday night made for some spectacular vistas and a change in track locations. 

A rainstorm that barely dampened the parking lot added lot of water to the scenery out on the salt.  This view is heading to the starting line. 

One factor that contributes to the unique aspects of the salt flats is the fact that the salt is simply a thin layer over mud.  The fragility of this layer occasionally shows itself and care must be taken.  The mud below doesn’t allow the rain that falls to soak in like a conventional soil system.  It seems to just sit there and evaporate very slowly. This moisture content is reflected in the racing surface as well. The more moisture there is, the softer the surface.  This is where knowing the type and profile of tire to use can put an experienced racer at an advantage.   There doesn’t seem to be any hard and fast (please excuse the pun) rule for how long after a rain the development of an exceptional surface may take to develop.  In 2009, the course was under water the week before the event and a day’s delay in starting the event gave the hardest and fastest salt people said they’d seen in thirty years.  We had to use a screw gun to fasten down the tarps as a nail would simply bend.  This year it seemed as though the rain came nearly every night and the course softened a bit more each day.

The courses each had to be moved a mile further on to get away from the accumulated water at the western end.  Due to a softening of the shut-down area on Course 2, they changed it to a short course that now started on what used to be Mile 1 and ran until what used to be Mile 4.  Things get really loose at old Mile 6, so you had better not be running in that area, normally used for a long-course shut-down.

We elected to run on Course 1, closest to the pits, as changing Course 2 to a short course made running the bikes one after the other difficult at best.  While waiting in line we unloaded and got ready to run.  On rechecking the Ducati it didn’t seem very happy, running-wise.  Poor throttle response meant having to sneak up on full throttle and it was starting to bang out the exhaust again.  Quickly looking at the fuel pressure to make sure it was where it should be, I knew that the time needed to change the map would get us out of line.  Looking over at the shorter line on the other course, we decided that we would run on the shortened Course 2.  I was sure we could get our business done in three miles on the Ducati and Nick was familiar with that course on the Triumph.  

So back in the trailer and over to Course 2 we went.  After unloading it was back under the hoodie to reset the fuel map.  Nick added a bit of fuel and we developed the sophisticated method of tuning that would be used for the rest of the speed trials.  Waiting until Nick had made a change, and just twisting the throttle until the motor would pickup cleanly at wide open at least would give us a chance.  Keep adding a bit at a time and when it sounded better, try it.  Tuning by whack.  Felt a little like Junior Johnson in his garage up in the hills gettin’ ready to run some ‘shine.   

Nick got underway and after I heard him go into fourth gear I went to get ready.   

After the pre-run checkover, and getting waved out on the course it was just like before, going through the gears except this time it was running quite well.  No flat spots, or banging.  Going by the 1 mile marker I realized I was a bit behind if I expected to try and run 200 on the shortened length.  This prompted a bit more aggressive use of the throttle and upshifts.  This started to generate some wheelspin.  Not the immediate spin-up from before, but more along the lines of going along on a snowy road and accelerating in a car.  You can feel it spin up but it isn’t too scary (sorry to our southern readers without the slippery white stuff).  Eventually, if you just give it a chance, rear wheel speed and the car’s speed catch up and all is well.  Somebody must have forgotten to inform the Ducati that was how it was supposed to go.  The rear end started to feel a bit vague and shifting into 4^th gear didn’t help.  The vagueness developed into a weaving that increased in amplitude.  Hanging on and waiting for it to catch up and settle down wasn’t working.  The weave had now developed into a gradual pattern taking up five or so feet of course and getting a bit closer to the course markers than I liked.  At the point where the tach read 8,000 rpm and things weren’t getting any better I decided that it wasn’t fun any more and rolled off the throttle.  It took a bit for the bike to settle down, but it finally did and it took until getting to the return road before my heart rate approached normal.  Coming up to the stopping point I had a Laugh-In moment that if you come to the store I’ll admit to in person, but not in front of the whole world. 

Nick had qualified for a record so we needed to get back to the impound area to do the servicing on the Triumph.  Same routing as before without the gearing change. 

It was at this point in time that I had a moment.  Going around to the right side to set the valves I heard a very distinctive sound from the starting line three and a half miles away.  It was a sound I had heard when working on the Top Fuel dragster.  Listening to the sound you could hear the car being pushed from the starting line.  This rumble developed into a roar and I simply forgot what I was doing.  Standing up and watching the course, I saw the roadster go by and it was great even though it was almost three quarters of a mile away.  This is the car at rest in the staging lanes.

The fuel tank takes up the entire right side of the passenger compartment and the motor, blower, and injector is basically the same as used on a contemporary Top Fuel dragster or funnycar.  This car is based on a funnycar type of chassis and is all business.   

The sound of that car going across the salt is a rare occurrence.  A blown fuel roadster is almost unheard of and this one was at full song.  It came across on the PA that it went by us at 297 mph!  It took a good five minutes for me to recover my senses and get back to business.  Damn!

We finished servicing the Triumph and ran both bikes in the trailer, cleaned up the pit area and went back to town.   A highlight of that period if time was the servicing of the roadster.  They put new rod bearings in, set the valves, checked the timing and made some preliminary adjustments to the fuel system.  A pretty routine process for them and a hoot for everyone within a quarter mile of them.   

Saturday dawned clear.  It had rained again during the night and the course had to be re-evaluated.  Our record run was scheduled for the short course, but the event officials decided to close that course and run everyone on the long course.  

Nick got ready and to my surprise and delight roadster #911 was first up.  Getting near it was a treat and when it came to life and they turned on the nitro, you could tell it was a bit sportier in the tune-up.  I would guess another 5 to 10% more nitro.  Sounded good!  As they pushed off, everyone watched and waited as it caught hold and started to accelerate down the salt.  Listening to the radio, you heard the higher and higher speeds until mile four when it came out at over 304 mph!  Everybody just shook their heads in awe.  The first roadster over 300mph and the new record was 301.50.  The man got another red hat and a rather prestigious jacket denoting him a 300mph club member.  You only get a 200 or 300mph club jacket if you set a record over either of those two barriers. 

Nick got ready to go and left right after the roadster.  The bike sounded good and at the 1 mile mark it started to miss and suddenly died.  It was mystery to us as it always had been very dependable until then.  A million things run through your mind as you rush the starter back in the trailer and jump in the truck. 

Down course we retrieved Nick and found a lack of electrical current.  This was traced to a fractured fuse (vibration had its way).  Replacing the fuse restored full function and we were back to the starting line to attempt to qualify for a record.  As this was the last day, the impound step could be bypassed to allow for the record run to be made. 

The single course slowed the progress through the staging lanes and made for lines stretching out into the water from last night’s rain if you weren’t careful, and Louie got a shoe full when he hopped out of the truck the first time.  Progress to the starting line was going pretty well with the record runs until a parachute issue on a streamliner slowed things up.  There is a maximum amount of time allowed on the starting line to make your run and unfortunately the streamliner was not able to get the parachute issue resolved and because the officials wouldn’t let him run with one parachute, he had to pull off and try to re-qualify. 

Nick was finally up and off he went.  We had decided to rpm the bike harder in an attempt to get over the big jump from 3^rd to 4^th gear.  It was decided that 8,500rpm was the ticket and first the bike didn’t want to shift because the transmission was spinning too fast and must have gotten dizzy.  This was followed by the carburetor falling off.  Too much vibration (imagine that) and not enough of a carburetor stay.  Luckily the carb mounting boot wasn’t torn and once the carb was back in place, eight cable ties made certain it wouldn’t fall off again.   Back to the starting line we went.

It was getting to the point where there weren’t going to be many more chances, as they were getting ready to close the staging lanes.  It had suddenly developed into a do or die situation. 

Well not wanting to let it go at one run over 200 with the Ducati we readied it for the salt as well.  I guess I wanted to prove to myself as much as anybody else that the first one wasn’t a fluke and see how the changes we had made would affect the handling. 

Sitting in the staging lanes we met a lot of interesting people again.  A BSA 250 that was an absolute jewel and came from just over the border in northern Illinois was a highlight for me.  A few people I knew had worked on it and it was great to hear their names again.  Stan Millard was one and it is good to hear about him being involved in this type of project.  Someone who has forgotten more about motors than I’ll ever know. 

Getting ready, we checked for anything else that might want to take the opportunity to leap off the Triumph.  Upon start-up it all sounded good, and away Nick went.  I heard the first mile number and it sounded good.  At the 2 ¼ it was 132.842mph and I had to got get ready on the Ducati.  I looked at Bob and he gave me a thumbs up indicating Nick had done well at mile 2. 

Settling in and going through the pre-run routine helped keep things on an even keel.  It is very important to try and keep a routine that helps give a normalcy to the process and reduce the jitters and likelihood of doing something too stupid at the outset.  A similar routine works for the beginning of a run at the dragstrip as well as Bonneville.  Granted I have made a lot more laps at the dragstrip than at Bonneville but the importance of establishing a consistent beginning to the run can’t be overstated.  Stretching is one of the differences, but you are crunched up a lot tighter for a lot longer on the salt, and a cramp could be disastrous.  Checking your gear to be certain it’s comfortable and gloves aren’t bunched up on the bars, leathers aren’t constricting things and the helmet is strapped on tight and comfortably.  Check your tether, and a quick once-over of the cockpit to be certain nothing got left there inadvertently.  It’s easy to forget an intake plug or something similar that could get tangle up or flood the motor if left in during start-up.  Put everything out of your mind, then go through the run in your head.  Play it out.  Shift points, temperatures and pressures you want to see (if there’s a chance). 

 Now watch the starter to try and get a feel for how long before you go.  If the previous run was obviously a long course car it will be an extra 3 to 4 minutes.  Seems like an eternity.  Nerves are manifesting themselves in a new way all of a sudden.  Now my glasses are fogging up.  Just what you need is to have limited visibility and try to go 200mph!  I rarely have fogged up a helmet before.  Now wave the glasses around and try to time it right where you leave before they fog up again. 

Finally it’s time and as the starter waves you away, try to make the run happen like it did in you mind back in the staging lanes.  Shift into 2^nd at 6,500 rpm to avoid wheelspin.  Third gear at 7,000 rpm, and it feels good.  No changes were made to the fuel system after the Friday run because it seemed to have enough power to get into trouble, now we needed to see if the rider had enough sense to stay out of trouble. 

The salt was wetter than the day before on the other course and it felt a little more vague.  We had dropped the rear tire pressure 2 psi to try for a little more traction and it felt reasonably well hooked up. 

Fourth gear at 7500rpm and it kept accelerating well.  Went by the 2 mile marker at 177mph.  I figured it was time to get going so more throttle and shifted into 5^th.  It really started to pull then.  Going by the 2 ¼ mile marker it had climbed to 195mph at nearly 8,000 rpm.  This was when it started to feel a bit vague, but not terribly disturbing. 

The three mile marker hove into sight and I was still looking over the windscreen to establish a perspective frame of reference.  This was at 197mph.  Shifting into 6^th gear and tucking in behind the bubble you try to maintain a reference to the course markers, stay loose and feel for anything developing handling-wise that could present itself as a problem if ignored.  I kept looking at the tach and it was stuck at 8250 rpm.  I checked and yes it was in 6^th gear and just wouldn’t go any faster.  Holding it on past the 4 mile marker and hoping that was enough to get the highest number you can, it is then time to slow things down and get to the return road.  Rolling off the throttle quickly brings a surprising deceleration this time.  Peeking up over the bubble I was hoping to be able to be able to see the little green cones, but not this time either and I settled for a gradual sweeping turn to the left. 

Rolling across the salt towards the return road I knew it was fast, but not having anything to look at but the tach, no idea how fast.  As soon as it was safely possible and before the bike slowed to the point of cumbersome handling up went the shield to keep from fogging the glasses and maybe causing another Laugh-In moment. 

More time by yourself to reflect on what just transpired and listen to the ticking and other noises of the cooling motor. 

The boys came up the return road and it was Louie bouncing on the seat again, so I figured it must have been pretty good.  We had already made our first run over 200 so this wasn’t quite as momentous I guess, but when he got out and said “205, man” it felt pretty good.  I was hoping for a bit more, but that was all she had.  It wouldn’t go any faster. 

We found out Nick had qualified for the record again, so it was quick load-up and back to the starting line for our last shot. 

All there was time for was a quick inspection, some more gas and get Nick ready.  

Unloading we got set up and made our way to the front of the line. 

Finally it was our turn.  Firing up and taking a last look for anything unusual, Nick rolled to the line and once the starter wave him off it was “here we go again”.  Listening for the bike to shift into 4^th gear, we loaded the starter up in the trailer and listened to the radio.  It was excruciating!  At the 2 mile mark it was 127mph, slower than the qualifying run we just made.  At the 2 ¼ mile mark it was 130mph, while a record pace, not what we were looking for as it was 2mph slower than the qualifier.  Finally we pulled out to head to the return road and the final number came out…..132.241mph!  This was nearly 10mph faster than the record we set last year!  And it was still running and nothing had fallen off.  There was a lot of hooting and hollering and looking for Nick.  Luckily the Triumph is pretty visible because it is easy to lose track of things out there.  That is one reason silver and white are two colors not allowed for vehicles.   

Upon sighting Nick, it was a time for celebration.  The next step was load up and head to impound.  This is where you get the time tickets and tear the top end down to verify legality for the record.  The preliminary de-salting of the bikes was also started. 

 

Now the measuring and calculating by the tech inspector begins.  This is also where everyone else can see what you have. 

After the dimensions and displacement have been verified, a record form is filled out and signed off on by the tech inspector and it becomes official. 

Now we pose for a group photo and begin the process of packing it up for the trip home. 

Once the trailer and truck is packed it is off for the homeland.  Of course we have to stop for another shot by the entrance to the salt flats, tired but happy.  Another 24 hours and we’ll be home.  Missing from the photo is Jim Haraughty, who, as mentioned earlier returned home for his mother’s health emergency.  We missed you Jimmy! 

The ride home once again provided entertainment with snow in Wyoming.  The upside of all that was as we got into the Midwest the temperature kept going up.  By the time we got back to Madison it was nearly 80 degrees and this was the 10^th of October!  We all enjoyed the weather and unloaded the truck and trailer before it had a chance to change.   

The final result of this whole deal is the setting of a Land Speed Record by Team MS.  This is a big step for a small team running on a nearly non-existent budget with 45 year old technology as its basis.  The persistence of the crew came through again! 

The Ducati was able to accomplish two landmarks.  One permanent and one fleeting.  The permanent one is the fact that Under Pressure Racing, built and sponsored by Motorcycle Performance in Madison Wisconsin, is the first Ducati to go 200mph at Bonneville.  The fleeting one is one we intend to keep and that is the Motorcycle Performance is the home of America’s Fastest Ducati.  I am so proud of the crew at Motorcycle Performance for their efforts on both the Ducati and the Triumph.  I feel that with the work planned this winter we can accomplish the next goal, that of being the World’s Fastest Ducati!  Speeds in excess of 221mph will be needed to make this a lasting result. This has been done so far with very limited sponsorship.  Just think what could happen with backing! 

Once again, the players:

Jim Haraughty  Team MS      www.teamms.org 

Motorcycle Performance   Madison WI    www.motorcycleperf.com

Fred Weege   Motors and EFI

Nick Moore   Suspension, tires, assembly, fill-in rider, at-the-track EFI tuner

Bob Crook and Louie Lamore    Lumping, loading, comic relief, driving

Bill Shields     Logistics  

Jacki Whisenant    Paint, fiberglass, bodywork

Sam Whisenant    Website, Facebook blogs

Patty Whisenant    Bookkeeping and the power behind the pretender

Bill Whisenant    the pretender, Chassis construction, manifolds, throttle bodies

Leigh Whisenant   Pit bike maintenance, decorroding

Stay tuned for the next escapades involving another Ducati and Nitromethane! 

    

Oh, and by the way this is one Badass Hotrod!

  

Part III Thursday October 7

 The morning showed that rain had visited during the night.  There wasn’t much, but the cooler temperatures of the fall event means that it took a lot longer for the water to evaporate from the surface. 

 Salt is a funny thing when looked at as a racing surface. This being the third time going to Bonneville I had a lot to learn about it.  The first year it was damp and stuck to everything.  Last year it was so hard you couldn’t pound a nail in it.  This year, Wednesday showed us a course as hard as last year’s but rough enough to shake your teeth loose.  Today we elected to run the same course as Wednesday, since we had a new rider and there wasn’t any specific advantage to either side. 

A last minute change to the fuel map which involved taking out more fuel resulted in the motor sounding awful.  Adding 10% more than the base map of Wednesday made for a much happier tone. 

While getting Nick ready to go, I remember how the feeling is when there is absolutely nothing else in your realm of experience and all you can do is wonder what is going to happen next.  Ice racing in Wisconsin is close, but there is a world of difference between looking at a ¼ or 1/3 mile oval and staring at 3 miles of racetrack.  You are not allowed to operate the race vehicles except on the course so there isn’t really anywhere you can practice riding or starting out.   

 We all watched as Nick headed down course.  Once under way, we listened as he went through the gears.  After hearing three shifts I turned back to the Ducati to get ready to go. 

I tried to settle my mind on the task at hand as I rolled up to the starting line.  It takes a lot of effort to keep from jittering right off the seat.  Watching the other lane’s run take off, I checked the engine temperature and realized it needing a bit of a warmup.  After getting the preliminary indication from the starter, the engine came to life and after a few seconds all the gauges showed things as they should be. Oil pressure at 60 psi, engine temp at 21 dgrees C, EGTs balancing out at about 800 degrees and the tach showing an idle of about 2100 rpm. 

At this point there are a lot of funny feelings in your stomach. 

The starter checks your gear and stepping back, waves you onto the course.  Here is where it can get interesting.  The motor sounded good and seemed to respond better than yesterday.  Gotta watch the wheelspin as it can dump you on your butt before you know it.  Once underway, you leave your feet out until the bike has enough forward momentum that it won’t be disturbed by you climbing in.  Once you have your feet on the pegs you recheck the tach, see that you just went by the ¾ mile marker and settle down to business.  As the tach approached 8,000 there was an absence of banging out the exhaust.  Good sign.  Shifting into second as you go by the first mile marker you have to get going.  Shifting at the 1 ½ mile marker into third, you open it up to test the traction which seems pretty good and then shift into 4^th.  The 2 mile marker goes by at about 8,000 rpm and then a shift into 5^th.  It is usually at this point you try to glance at the EGTs and make sure the temperatures aren’t crazy one way or the other.  They seemed to be about 1400 degrees F which is very livable.  I say ‘seemed’ because you can’t spend a lot of time focusing on the finer details at this point in time.  Any other gauge information is a bonus here.  At that point you are wide open and at the three mile mark hit 6^th gear.  As you shift into 6^th the bike starts to vibrate considerably more and you can tell you are going faster than you ever have before. 

This is where you discover that the issue with distortion in the windshield rears it ugly head.  Glancing through the screen or sitting still the ripples in the plastic aren’t really noticeable, but things aren’t sitting still out here at the moment, and you are looking through the screen, depending on it for your down-track view. You are looking through it down track and the distortion makes the side course markers move around, which is very disorienting.  At this point I have to raise my head up to reestablish the perspective as the course markers are going by rather rapidly at this point.  Now you are aware of the absence of the black line because they don’t use the marking dye anymore.  As an alternative you could watch the line out the side of the bike or car and simply follow it.  Personally I never felt confident in that approach to navigation.  Peeking over the windscreen makes the bike unhappy and it begins to weave a bit.  Tucking back down you feel the speed increase and you can’t see much due to the vibration.  Focusing down the course, you hang on just a bit longer and there goes the 4 mile marker! 

Gently rolling off the throttle (no sudden moves going this fast!) you wait until the rpms get down to about 5,000 rpms.  Now you work on timing your exit as those markers are still every ¼ mile here.  Getting ready, the turnout begins as soon as you go past the marker because you are still going 150 to 160 mph and don’t want to collect the next marker with too gentle an arc.  They mentioned green turnout cones but I can’t see the damn things until I am by them, so I just go where there aren’t any foreign objects on the salt.   Rolling off the course you hit the chaff and all of a sudden the noise is huge, like someone doing a drum roll on the bellypan, as you are running across ridges and loose pieces of salt.   Keeping an eye out for the return road, you want to be sure you are past the marker cones so you don’t present an obstacle on the track and stop the runs, (endearing you to everyone waiting in line). 

As you are rolling to a stop you have the clutch in and are trying to down shift and glance at the engine temperature.  A reading of 94 degrees C is great.  Keeping the motor running now allows a brief squirt of power in case you might fall short of the return road. 

You kill the ignition as you approach the marker cones and roll to a stop.  Precise location isn’t important here as there is a mile to work with.  Now you wait.  Your breath is loud in the sudden silence surrounding you.  After the constant cacophony it’s a bit eerie.

Running on the short course, and turning out at mile 2 or 3, you get a chance to watch other vehicles while you are waiting for your crew to come and pick you up.  Out at Mile 5 it gets pretty quiet.  The safety truck rolls up to make sure everything is OK and as soon as you give them the “thumbs up” off they go.  Every once in a while you will see a vehicle go by but it is usually a streamliner or lakester who has just shut it down. 

Now that the run is over you replay it in your head and look the bike over.  Smoke rolls from a couple of places that got thoroughly warmed up.  The exhaust and engine tick while cooling down and the heat wrap has a bit of a tangy odor to it.  You can’t hear your breath so much any more, maybe you’re not panting as much?  You make sure everything is turned off so you aren’t wasting the data recording of the computer.  Leave it on too long and it can begin to overwrite the data at the beginning of the file, destroying important information needed for tuning. 

Another teams chase vehicle goes by, heading down the return road . Another team comes back up the return road after retrieving their driver.  Today it is a rider on a new BMW S1000.  They stop and we chat a bit comparing notes about the salt and how things are going in general.  He was disappointed in only seeing 196mph and asked what I did.  I told him I didn’t have a clue but it felt fast. I couldn’t figure out the GPS watch and let Nick use it as he had to license anyways.  Off they go to try it again. 

The suspense is killing me.

I keep looking back towards the starting line and finally the Suburban heaves into sight.  As they get closer I see Louie bouncing up and down in the front seat.  Through the windshield I see him holding up fingers.  Two oh three.  They all pile out of the truck and when I finally hear it, it is like a big weight is lifted.  It seemed to feel faster than 203, but we loaded up and headed back to impound with the Triumph as Nick had qualified for a record and we were under time constraints here.  You have an hour after you are timed on the course (the time is stamped on your ticket) to get to impound and then another four hours to service the vehicle.   

Nick and I went to the timing slip booth and as it is on an elevated platform, felt like a couple of fledglings waiting for the mother to drop down a worm.  The time tickets look like this.   This time ticket also qualified for an “A” License.  You are then eligible to run between 200 and 249 mph.  That is the second highest license level for competition at Bonneville.  The next license is “AA”.  That is required to run at over 250 mph.  Not an immediate concern at this point in time.    

There is a lot of information on the tickets that can be helpful in tuning, evaluation and strategy.

The Triumph’s list of items to service is pretty extensive. Set the valves, check the plugs, refuel it, major adjust the clutch, in this case re-gear it and check for miscellaneous bits gone walkabout.  It was during this time that a bit of paperwork needed to be taken care of and it kept everyone busy.

After completing the servicing we had to wash off the tires on the Ducati and get the tires inspected.  This was mandated after every 200+mph run due to a few failures earlier this season and last.  That was fine with me as we got a decal out of the deal.  I also found out that as I qualified for the long course with the 177mph run yesterday I was eligible for another decal…cool! 

We rolled the bikes back in the trailer, and after tagging it got ready to go back to town. 

203.41 ….. Yeah!

That made us the first Ducati over 200mph at Bonneville and America’s Fastest Ducati. 

You keep replaying an event like today’s run in your head to try and sort out the details and see where you can possibly improve tomorrow.  Rider’s position, fuel map, gearing, tire pressures, any one of a number of things to try and do better.   

Back to the Rainbow Casino buffet to stoke up and then unwind.  Got another busy day ahead of us tomorrow.   

Part II The Trials continue, Speed Runs Begin: Day 1, Wednesday Oct. 6

Photo by Jim Haraughty

Finally on the salt to run on Wednesday, the rider’s meeting begins the process as it does at most racing events.  It was here I first met Dick Munz, a car and motorcycle collector from Madison Wis.  Running a beautiful roadster he is a veteran of the salt with a number of records to his credit.   

 After the meeting it was back to the trailer and after checking tire pressures on the bikes we brought them to the starting line.  Since it was the first day, nearly everybody was in line to run. 

 

 

Two courses meant few delays in getting a run on the salt in the morning.  In August at Speed Week there are sometimes three courses, which means you get a lot of chances to run down the course even with the larger number of entries.  We elected to run on Course 1 as it was designated as a Short/Long course.  The two different lengths of courses are intended to accommodate the faster vehicles as well as the ones that don’t want or need a 5 mile run.  In the case of a bike or car not exceeding 175mph at the 2 ¼ mile mark (described as “the quarter”) they are designated as “Short Course” vehicles.  They are expected to go no farther than the three mile mark and then turn out.  A short course vehicle can qualify and set a record at the 2 mile mark rather than trying to run under power to the 3 mile point.  That last mile can really take its toll on parts.  The 2 ¼ mile mark also has significance relating to licensing of a rider/driver, but more on that later.

After unloading the bikes it then becomes a waiting game.  At this point it can be difficult to time your psych up (or out).  When a course is used by both long and short vehicles it is difficult to tell which is which, although a streamliner and/or anything with a blower or a turbo the size of a basketball is generally expected to run the long course.  Engine temperatures need to be monitored (too cold and it may not respond well at the beginning of the run, too warm and terminal temps can happen before the end, melting parts), watching tires, checking the wind on the course (to do this, you get on the CB radio and ask “wind check please” to get the wind at the tower around the 3 mile mark) and catching up with people you haven’t seen or meeting new friends. 

 I was fortunate to meet Joe Amo the current class record holder in the Ducati’s class at 252mph.  He has gone 270, so you pay attention to anything said.  You never know what you may pick up.  We got a chance to talk about various aspects of his bike and things he did to overcome problems he encountered when running just over 200mph. While I don’t think the Ducati could go 252 (nor the rider most likely), subtle hints and his experience can provide methods of avoiding potential issues.  Issues at 200+ mph are not good.  His bike had features that are visible and, when explained, make perfect sense.  We discussed questions relating to engine management and the four-dimensional maps used by everyone but us (it seems), bodywork (of course), and other items of interest. 

Joe is an anesthesiologist and when I told him some of the people that helped with the bike worked for the company that makes the machines he uses, another area of interest opened up. I want to express my appreciation to him here for the time he spent explaining things.  Of particular interest was being able to watch him at the beginning of a run to see how he settled into the bikes comprehensive bodywork.  The secret is legs out for a longer time than one might expect and in diametric opposition to the get your feet on the pegs as quickly as possible at the drag strip.  Letting the bike get under way and get stable is very important as with the rake and wheelspin the Ducati is a handful until about 100 mph and spinning up the rear wheel and falling over on the starting line is an embarrassment even the most capable ego cannot endure. 

 The Triumph is ready to go after breaking the clutch loose.  The salt does not offer very much traction, so getting the plates to separate is a bit of a trick.  They finally release with very little time to spare.  Jim sits into the bike.  Nick plugs in the starter and puts a bit of heat in the motor, but not too much, as it is air cooled.  One last look-over and off Jim goes to the starting line.

The progress of the run is broadcast over the CB radio. I don’t get to listen this time as I need to be ready to go, since I am going out next in this lane.  One last check, get the helmet on, the safety tether, be sure all your zippers are up and helmet strap snug.  Checking the engine temperature it is about 30 degrees C, so we wait until the run in the next lane is done, then roll to the starting line.  The starter does a last minute check of the safety gear and verifies that we plan to run on the long course, and then off we go.  Leaving the starting line with your feet out is a bit of a departure as I mentioned earlier, but it seems to help.  The bike needs to have enough forward momentum to not be upset when you start pulling your feet in and squirming around on the seat.  In this bike, we are not airshifting it to try and keep things simple, so second gear needs to be engaged at about 100mph which comes surprisingly quickly. 

The motor doesn’t sound very happy and while shifting at about 7500 rpm I keep looking for a happy zone in the rpm range.  Trying a bit more rpm it pretty much quit pulling at 8,000 rpm and was starting to bang out the exhaust.  Since the exhaust is right by your ear on the left it tends to emphasize itself.  With memories of two manifold explosions last year in my mind I kept looking for an area of smooth running and hoped to avoid a repeat.  I saw the 2 mile marker come up and pass by and held it on until the 2 ¼ mile marker, then decided to roll off and see what could be done.  The inability to pull past what was a very rough area in the power curve on the dyno was lost on me at the time, but we would need to deal with it. 

Photo by Louis Lamore

 

Photo by Louis Lamore

Rolling off the course to the return road was pretty disappointing.  Waiting for the crew to come and pick us up I learned after they got there that Jim’s run on the Triumph didn’t get to the speed we ran last year, meaning we had some work to do there as well. 

The Triumph wouldn’t pull 4^th gear so we added a tooth to carry more rpms down the track. 

The Ducati got a remap of the fuel, taking a bit out of the rear cylinder after a quick phone call to Fred to verify Nick was using the right areas of the software.  The hope was to balance out the EGTs.  It sounded a little bit different (hopefully better) so the bikes went in the trailer and back to the starting line. 

Remember the two courses being there for quick opportunities for runs?  Well Danny Thompson (son of Mickey Thompson) must have decided that the run in his Mustang needed a bit of excitement so at 258 mph the car took off and proceeded to shed parts over a rather large section of Utah real estate.  Fortunately Danny wasn’t hurt but the same can’t be said of the car.  After a 45 minute cleanup (to get ALL the parts off the course) we were back in action.  Just as we started moving towards the starting line Nick’s phone rang.  He answered and immediately handed it to Jim.  By the expression on Jim’s face we knew it wasn’t good.  His Mother had taken serious turn for the worse after going into the hospital and the decision was made to find a plane ticket and, once accomplished, we pulled out of line, got back to the pits, loaded everything up for the night, got back to Wendover, packed Jim up and then got him to Salt Lake City, 90 miles away, in time for his plane.  As we managed to get that accomplished and set off across the salt flats a unique situation developed.

We are from the Midwest so snow can become an issue in the winter, with a scary development being a “white out” blizzard. 

Photo by Jim Haraughty

 

The wind came up suddenly from the south and quickly obliterated the visibility.  A salt “white out” I had heard of but never before had seen was all around us.  The wind was a blowin’ and the semis were a rockin’. 

We got Jim to the airport with time to spare and knew things would be tough for him.  His mother did pass away after he returned home, allowing him to say farewell. 

Nick and I headed back to the motel in Wendover, stopping for dinner and gas on the way.  At the end of a long day we settled in to try and rest up for Thursday. 

Part III:  Thursday October 7

Bonneville 2010: Part I Prep and the Trip

Bonneville 2010     Speed Trials and tribulations

Part I   Prep and the Trip

The first thing I need to do is thank the people and organizations that made this trip to Bonneville possible.  They are:

Team MS with Jim Haraughty  This organization provides funding to allow us to make the trip in order to promote awareness of the fight against Multiple Sclerosis.  We always seem to meet people with an inspiring story and did so again this year with a member of the SCTA timing and scoring crew, Tammy, from whom we were able to draw courage and inspiration.  Also thank you to the many Team MS sponsors.

The crew from Motorcycle Performance:

Fred Weege: Motors, Electronics and EFI tuning

Nick Moore: Tires, suspension and assembly

WJ: answering the darn phone

My daughters Samantha: Website work (including the various social networking formats that drive me nuts), Jacki: Paint and bodywork, including making or remaking parts for both the Triumph and Ducati, Leigh: Cleanup and de-corroding the bikes after the 2009 trip, along with pitbike refurbishing.

Bob Crook and Louie Lamore: Daily lumping of the bikes and equipment on the salt and comic relief.

My wife Patty: Patience and keeping things from completely unraveling

Photos by Jim Haraughty and Motorcycle Performance

Due to the fact that nearly every moment was devoted to working on the bikes that were going to Bonneville, there has not been much at all in the way of updates, blogs, posts, etc. in the last three months or more.  What follows is an attempt to bring things “up to speed” so to speak.

After the results from the 2009 expedition were tallied, several shortcomings were noted and needed to be remedied before setting off in search of speed in 2010.

1.) The Ducati

The first area of concern was the two intake manifold explosions experienced in 2009.  Rupturing the manifolds resulted in temporary hearing problems but luckily didn’t result in any shrapnel, although that was mostly due to blind luck.

The second was that the bodywork didn’t take advantage of the rules enacted for the 2008-2009 season.  The new bodywork rules allowing more coverage to the rear of the bike were a definite factor in the raising of the class record from 219 to 252 mph in one season.

The third was visibility and optics.  Visibility through the windscreen was inadequate to allow a warm and fuzzy feeling once speeds exceeded 180mph.  The vibration of the windscreen coupled with that of the helmet screen seemed to be the major issues.  We had added support braces at the rear edges of the windscreen but those didn’t seem to address the primary issue in a satisfactory manner.  The down-track visibility issues first encountered on the previous outing continued.

Well, dealing with the first issue involved a couple of different routes to take.  The first was to make a stronger intake manifold plenum.  We did this by using a thicker material utilizing a burst panel from Doug Herbert’s Top Fuel car, and reducing the unsupported panel areas.  The second change was to incorporate fuel injection.  While having run mechanical fuel injection before with the Top Fuelers, the turbo EFI was to prove to be a completely different animal.

Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) requires a different set of components than the carburetor we were using.  While there is a pump and fuel pressure regulator involved, the pressures are higher (75psi versus 3 ½ for the carb) and there is more complexity in the plumbing and a hell of a lot more to deal with when it comes to wiring.  This additional complexity led to the decision to build another chassis strictly to allow testing of the platform in an undisturbed state.  The long wheelbase (98 inches) and lack of weight transfer of the Land Speed Racing (LSR) bike caused trips to the drag strip to be an exercise in frustration.  It would spin the tire at half track and spin the tire going through the lights, thus unloading the turbo and learning nothing.  The drag chassis was shorter (76 inch wheelbase) and had a higher center of mass and a different weight bias.

The time spent doing this really ate into the time available for the LSR development.  That is what happens with a small scale operation with limited resources.  You have no choice but to try and kill the project with hours.  Ultimately this drag chassis was to become the dyno mule and didn’t get to the dragstrip in time, but did allow work to be done in the shop and then to go directly to the dyno without having to install the extensions for the long wheelbase bikes every time.

In keeping with the small scale operation, all of the development had to happen constantly, so we jump to item number two, the bodywork.  Last winter a series of photos were taken of the bike with the rider in place.  These photos showed some definite issues with the location of the tail section and the inability to cover up the rider’s backside.  Rather than pare down the rider’s butt, out comes the foam and body putty.  The attempt to build a suitable tail section resulted in a huge piece of sculpture.  It is simply amazing the number of gallons of body filler that can be applied and sanded off before a shape is deemed acceptable.  Equally so is the amount of dust and the mess it makes.  The general shape we hoped for was that of the tail used by Joe Amo, who currently holds the class record at 252mph and has gone over 270 with that same bike.  We used the edge radii of a funnycar’s trailing side front fender openings for the seat area and a maximum   convergence angle of seven degrees to get the shape.  Guy Bartz and my daughter Jacki took over from here.  A coating of tooling gelcoat, then sanding and buffing to the requisite finish preceded a glass party where we were busy covering it with layers of cloth and resin.  After four layers were applied and allowed to set, it was determined that it was too flexible.  This led to another series of layers.  That made it 14 pounds heavier than the original, smaller tailpiece.  A substantial part of the weight was also to the rear and fairly high up, which was a cause for concern.  The question then was whether to simply cut out a section of the tail and re-lay it in carbon fiber, entirely remake the piece in carbon, or run it as made.  The last option won out as we felt the extra 40 pounds of ballast we planned to attach at axle height would help counteract the possible evil effects of the additional weight in that location and we also had no clue as to how it would behave aerodynamically anyways.

Mounting this new tail section didn’t occur until two weeks before we left due to scheduling problems and other distractions, but was surprisingly easy to do before priming it.  While set in place and clamped, the location of the dzus fasteners on the spine could be ascertained by licking the bodywork.  With the resin and fiberglass, that made finding the locations of the fasteners like looking through dirty water (and it tasted a bit like that, too).  Once primed and painted that wouldn’t be possible.  Adding the side props, the tail support and tying it to the rear bellypan made for a sturdy mount.

Additional fairing side enclosure and a full bellypan made in two pieces completed the attempt to close in the aerodynamically turbulent areas that traditionally bedevil a partially enclosed cockpit.  While much of the initial work on the bodywork was completed well in advance of the departure date, the complete set of bodywork was not put on the bike until the Friday before we were scheduled to leave.  The extra clearance needed for a bigger turbo exhaust, handlebars and windscreen clearance were items discovered at the last minute and simply added to the urgency of the situation.  Further trimming was needed to comply with the visibility of feet and trimmed yet again so those feet could perform tasks such as shifting, applying the rear brake and keeping the bike from tipping over while not moving.  More on that later.

One of the areas not addressed was item number three, the windscreen itself, which seemed to be the thickest material and able to accommodate the most instruments at direct eye level.  The other alternatives were 25 to 30 percent thinner material which would seem to be an issue at speed on the trailing edge in an unsupported application.  More on this later as well.

Jumping back to item one, the EFI, work was progressing at an acceptable rate on the drag chassis.  All the accommodations for both mechanical and electronic fuel injection were made in the constriction of the fuel tank.  One of the future uses of this chassis platform will be to develop a naturally-aspirated nitro-burning project.  Thus the fuel tank had to accommodate the higher delivery requirements of nitromethane and the higher number of return-fuel locations.  A gas carbureted setup usually needs one outlet and a vent, EFI needs an outlet, usually one return, a possible return for the pump and a vent.  Nitro needs a BIG outlet, and usually 3 to six returns, along with the capacity to hold up to 5 gallons of fuel.  As can be seen, the construction of a nitro tank is considerably more involved than the usual carbureted or EFI types.  The tank in the drag chassis seemed to take forever, with the internal baffles, the return bungs and planning for the hose routing needed for nitro. While the Ducati doesn’t shake as much as the Triumph or the Harley, the tank also needed to be rubber mounted as vibration cracks and the attending fuel leakage must be avoided at all costs.

The drag chassis construction required a mental shifting of gears, as building a Bonneville chassis requires strength and weight in the right places rather than the ultra lightweight construction needed for maximum acceleration.  Building the Harley earlier this year and then shifting to the drag Ducati took a bit of mental gymnastics.  Moving back over to the LSR Ducati and back did the same.  A quick acceleration to 165 to 175 mph takes a different package than making someone happy at over 200mph for miles at a time on the salt.

Finally it was time to test the EFI on the drag chassis.  To get it to run with the hardware configuration, Fred and Jason puzzled over it and Jason came up with the setup that made it think it was a three cylinder and we ignored the center cylinder.  Simple, eh?  On the dyno and testing showed a drastic lean condition.  The stock Hayabusa injectors appeared not up to the task no matter what the fuel pressure was set at.  The problem encountered with the Ducati platform from the beginning is the abrupt onset of the boost and horsepower.  The addition of over 150 horsepower in about a second and a half makes for a bit of a lightswitch.  Most of the testing on the dyno has been watching the boost gauge so it can be shut off at 29 pounds.  The possibility of engine damage at those boost and power levels is very real, even with the brevity of a dyno pull.   We wanted to be able to test the chassis and at least the ignition side of the EFI computer, so the decision was made to put the carburetor back on it.  The small S&S G series carb could produce 250 horsepower which would be adequate for testing.  Well, disabling the injectors yielded a brief attempt to start the bike and then nothing.  When the ECU was revisited the next morning, the ignition was dead.  So much for testing.

The ECU was packed off to Haltech for diagnosis and service, and work started back in on the LSR chassis bodywork.  Bigger injectors were ordered from RC Engineering and shipped in overnight.  Adapting them to the TL-1000R throttle bodies involved making a few parts and further changes to the plumbing layout.

When the ECU arrived, on it went and back into the dyno.  While working on the fuel and ignition maps, we tried an ignition map that would hopefully give us the benefit of a naturally aspirated 1000cc twin until boost was made and then go into the mode needed to keep it alive at that time.  It was not to be, as the ignition seemed to be confused when asked to do more than stay at a constant timing number.  Changing the air gap seemed to help under some conditions, but ultimately we settled for a constant timing spec and proceeded to work with the fuel maps.  Using the air/fuel sensor got the show rolling and the addition of the EGT converter box allowed a bit more accurate tracking of the mixtures until one sensor decided to misbehave and we wasted a bit of time trying to tune for that.  Ultimately we got a usable curve that while lacking in rpm flexibility could be geared for on the salt and at 256 horsepower potentially could give us the speed desired.

At that point everything was taken off the drag chassis and transferred to the LSR chassis, intake, exhaust, fuel pump, regulator, everything.  The reason for this was that it introduced fewer variables in the tuning equation.

Once tuning began on this combination, things got interesting.  We had switched from GM LS1 to LS2 coils, which according to all the tuner sites on the internet would yield 30% more spark energy.  Good thing, right?  It was difficult to come to grips with the system from that point forward.  At the end of the first day, on the last pull we experienced a slight manifold trauma (explosion) that knocked the burst panel holder loose.  This had to then be full-welded and we started in the next morning.  The lack of consistency in parameter changes and resulting data was disturbing.  Changing an area of the fuel map would give results inconsistent with the same change earlier.  The situation seemed to deteriorate.  The rear cylinder then detonated on a pull.  In the past this had happened with not enough octane.  We had been running C16 in the drag motor and all was well.  C16 in this combination suddenly detonated, which takes no small amount of effort.  After switching back to Air Race it did it again.  We took away timing, bang, added fuel, bigger bang and a water leak.  Put a new head on the motor, and detonated it again.  We were running out of parts and time as it was just over a week to load out.  At this point things were not looking good.  We have hurt more motors on the dyno with this project than any other in the history of the shop and I was hoping for a more linear behavior pattern to avoid having the thing blow up in my face again.

We then decided to put the motor out of the drag Ducati which was supposed to be the backup in the LSR chassis.  Since it was our last complete motor, it was pressed into service as the primary.  Nick and Fred both stayed late, taking one bike apart and putting the other one together.  Something was wrong.  The next day when Fred went to set the timing, the timing would stay where it was set on the rear cylinder, but when set, the power turned off and then back on the cylinder had gone to 8 degrees rather than the 29 degrees it should have been.  The 20 degree spread between the cylinders could explain detonating the rear cylinder.  Puzzling over this we were unable to get any answers from anyone else out there.  Evidently no one else has tried to run a 90 degree V-twin with one of these ECUs.  It should just be the front two cylinders off a Chrysler V-8, but evidently electronic and mechanical logic must take different paths in the universe.  The next step was to try and decide what to do.  All that was left was to use the Dyna Ignition from last year and see what happened.  Usually the Dyna coils have a ferocious amount of RF noise that raises hell with the dyno computer 8 feet away, much less the ECU on the same bike, so it was a pleasant surprise when the bike started right up and idled nicely.  Revving it up, the EGTs rose coincidentally, a heretofore unknown occurrence since installing the EFI on either bike.  Sleep was a bit easier that night.

Going into the dyno the next morning, testing began.  A bit gingerly I might add as we had already blown up two motors and an intake manifold and I had no idea what I was sitting on that day.  Rowing up through the gears, we were limited to testing in 4^th gear because of the 200mph limit of the dyno software.  We started out near 250 hp and struggled a bit with the fuel map as it seemed unusually touchy and we were very nervous about breaking the last motor.  Fred worked with the map and we were able to see 280 hp.  It was at that time we realized that the chassis was driving the front end so hard that it was rubbing the rear tire on the dyno’s decking.  Crank the bike back so it didn’t rub and 301.8 hp.  The testing involved a rather loud bang and a bit of fire out of the exhaust at 8,000 rpm, but Fred was able to add a bit of fuel and that became less noticeable.  Two pulls more in that range and we decided to quit there as we had no knowledge of how long the motor’s fuse might be at that horsepower level.  We figured it would be better to blow it up out on the salt rather than the dyno the bike went back to the fabrication area for fitting the bodywork.

On Friday night the holes all still lined up, but we hadn’t put all the bodywork on the bike at the same time.  Excitement reigned as the elephant took shape.  Soon it was discovered that the handlebars didn’t quite clear, nor was there enough room to easily get one’s feet in and out of the bodywork.  More about that later.  Well out comes the cut-off wheel and sand paper and away we go.  Later on, much later on, the handlebars could go through their 15 degrees of swing and a reasonably speedy exit could be made from the footbox area.  Tucking down behind the windscreen could be done with a slot to look out between the tachometer and the EGT gauges, similar to what we had last year.  The lower, more rounded plenum offered less chance of bruising the sternum than the first manifold.

2.) The Triumph

After setting the record in 2009, it was a bit of a challenge to determine what could be done to improve the performance of the Triumph considering the limitations of the engine itself and the budgetary constraints.  Racing the Triumph is a bit like juggling boxes of mason jars, not a matter of if, but when. After reassembling and servicing the bike it went on tour to the Triumph USA’s national dealer convention and then a stop at a couple more spots to be shown around.  The overall condition of the motor was surprisingly good and at that point the possibility of changing fuels was explored.  We took the S&S carb off the turbo Ducati and fiddled the jetting to accommodate a 40% nitro mixture and began preliminary adjustments.  There is quite a difference between gasoline and 40%.  The injected Funnybikes we ran and the B Fuel Harley all ran 92 to 94% nitro, but that was deemed a bit stout for the Triumph.  Without a place to do much testing and a fear of breakage, we elected to speed the blower up 16% and stay with the gasoline used before.

We went back to the Mikuni carb and made some bigger jets which covered that aspect of things.   The extra blower definitely changed the timbre of the exhaust and produced 16lbs. of manifold pressure as opposed to the 12 seen before.  One last leak-down check, set the valves and clutch change the gearing to allow a bit more speed we theoretically should be able to carry with the additional power from the faster-spinning blower and we were ready. True to fashion, once on the dyno it broke the fairing bracket and windshield in just two pulls.  Some things never change.

3.) Load Out and on the road

Saturday was the beginning of load-out with Bob and Louie at the fore.  The spares, while starting the packing two weeks before, hadn’t been completely organized yet and so we began by loading the bikes themselves.  These things are no small trick to move around, but the Triumph feels like a dirt bike compared to the Ducati.  A steeper steering head angle and lighter weight even with the supercharger and ballast made the Triumph the easy one.  The Ducati, on the other hand, with a 45 degree rake, low center of mass, and considerably more heft is a pig until 100 mph even without a full tank of fuel and 115 lbs. of ballast. The new rear door ramp we built was a big plus here.

Once the bikes were in the trailer, the Triumph was fairly straight forward, tying down like last year.  The Ducati, once again, proved the challenge; something to do with all-encompassing bodywork covering up the tie-down spots or something.  A bit of fiddling and we were able to tie down the bikes securely for the trip out west.  Considering the likelihood of construction and bad road conditions, you have to plan for the worst.

Next was finishing up loading the spares and supplies.  There are over thirty two boxes just for the Bonneville trip.  This harkens back to the Top Fuel days when it took about the same amount of stuff to run one bike at an event.  The spares and supplies list is two pages of 12 point type, single spaced.

Now the support equipment.  This involves a pit bike (we have to get a faster one for next year as a trip from the pits to the starting line is 4 ½ miles, and on a Spree that takes forever. Next up is Jim’s Generac generator, air compressor, EZ-up, ballast box, toolboxes and spare engine for the Ducati.  The Triumph is all hand built and we do bring along pushrods, lashcaps, gaskets, and a set of pistons, but if it gets beyond that, unfortunately the budget says no.

Riders’ gear takes up no small amount of space with the full leathers, boots, gloves and at least a helmet apiece.

Finally, at the end of Saturday the trailer is pretty darn close to done.  The test drive is down to the Blue Moon Bar for a Slimey Crud breakfast Sunday morning, courtesy of Tom Schmock and then out to the Slimey Crud Run.  At that point you open the trailer and hope for no surprises.  All seemed well and after a bit of schmoozing, back we go to drop the trailer and pack.

Monday morning brings the sunshine, Jim Haraughty, Nick Moore, Bob Crook, Louie Lamore, and Bill.  Hooking on, check the lights, one last look around the shop to see if there was anything blatantly lying out to be left behind, then into the truck and on the road.  Once we were under way I immediately fell asleep and that led to a trip south on 81 instead of staying on 151.  I wondered how we got onto I-80 so quickly until I looked at the map.  For me the trip is a direction I can understand.  Get on I-80 and take it until the sign says “Bonneville Speedway”.

To be able to afford the trip to Bonneville each year, we can’t stop on the way there or back for an overnight. It is a slog to put us there at the entrance to the salt by Tuesday morning, but off of I-80, past the truckstop, around the bend (free camping during the events) and on to the entrance.  The sun was just coming up and until you have a chance to experience the lighting and shadows of a Bonneville sunrise, well you just have to do it.

A quick spray of Salt-Away to try and forestall the adherence of salt to the vehicles and away we go to the pits.  The sheer scale of the course is hard to imagine until you go, but the distance from the entrance onto the salt to the starting line is often 3 to 4 miles.  The pits start another 3 to 4 miles further and extend for 2 miles alongside the course.  Plenty of room to stretch out.

Another aspect of Bonneville racing that is difficult to understand and absorb at first is the friendliness and camaraderie amongst staff and racers alike.  Everyone is there for the same reason….to go fast and return.  I expect things are a bit more pressed at Speed Week in August when there are 500 to 600 entries as opposed to the 125 – 150 normally associated with this event, the World Finals, but it is pretty much the same staff and often entrants at both events and as well as El Mirage, another SCTA event location.  The SCTA maintains their own website SCTA.com and there are quite a few others devoted to Salt Flats and speed trials such as Landspeedracing.com, Landracing.com and others.   It harkens back to the environment of racing 25 to 30 years ago where it wasn’t about the money, but doing your best and occasionally helping a friend in need.

Pulling into the pits we immediately met up with David Pilgrim, his wife Debbie and the two Carls, his mechanic and spotter.  We first met them in 2007 and true to form, David has provided invaluable help in navigating the various aspects of salt flat racing.  His advice on the licensing and various aspects of the event have helped immeasurably.  If you Google him you will see he has set many records with Harley Flathead and Knucklehead racebikes, and also with a Corvette that has gone 265mph.

After getting the pits set up,  it was off to tech for the bikes, riders and the riders’ gear.  Specific requirements for safety gear are in place at Bonneville and it can be a bit of a challenge to meet those requirements.  First off, there can be no perforations at all in the leathers or gloves, because of the possibility of fire.  Most leathers and gloves today are perforated for ventilation.  These panels, along with the nice stretchy non-leather ones need to be removed or covered over in non-perforated leather.  Alexa’s Spyder Leather Works modifications have held up well and with the right gloves we went through tech rather uneventfully.  Once a set of leathers passes tech, there is a medallion that is riveted in the shoulder area to designate them as approved.  I had a new Arai helmet to try this year, but the old trusty HJC lid went through tech as well, getting the stickers.  Boots of the conventional roadrace variety will be acceptable, but none of the Simpson driving shoes will fly any more.  Sort of a shame because you can feel a lot more with the lighter weight shoes and space is a bit limited in the bodywork.

The Triumph passed tech with flying colors, the extra end on the battery box was made to satisfy a note made last year in the vehicle’s logbook.  We were supposed to have photos of the bikes each year they are run to document any changes, but so far I have been remiss in that area.  Must make a note to self about that.

The Ducati, because the class record is over 200mph, gets looked at by two tech inspectors.  Doug Robinson was again on the line for this.  This process is also called scrutineering.  Basically they go over the same checklist you are sent with your entry and include extra attention to tires as they have been a source of some issue in the last two years, when the A series bikes all started running over 200mph, some in excess of 270mph.   The list, while somewhat intimidating the first time through, makes much more sense if you sit down and go over it one item at a time.  Attention to detail is the key, and an extra pair of eyes on inspection is just fine with me as we do the same thing back at the shop before any bodywork goes on.  The possible results of having a component shift or fall off can result in the chassis being upset or even possibly running over a part with a potentially disastrous result.  A source of pride for me and the guys at the shop is the bike going through tech the first time.   It’s fun to go fast but even more fun to be able to do it again (and again if necessary).

We loaded up the bikes after tech and set off to the pits to get things ready for the next day.  This consisted of gathering anything that could blow away or get hurt by salt water and putting it in the trailer, locking it all down and heading into town to eat.  The Rainbow Casino has a phenomenal buffet and is the place of choice to feed the crew.  While it is a bit pricier than other spots, there can’t be any complaining about not getting enough to eat or the quality of the food.   Race crew travels and works on its stomach.  That is one thing we learned from running a Fueler and working for other teams.  There usually isn’t time to eat during the day so you stoke up at night and in the morning.  Carbs and protein.

Back at the motel we ran into Lew Terpstra and his buddy from Virginia whose name escapes me again.  I used to pride myself on remembering things like that, but with advancing age and decrepitude I have to settle for what’s left.  Lew is a member of the Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang whose history and exploits have been chronicled in the indie movie “American Café”.  It can be great to see a friendly familiar face out there, but when you screw up everybody back home will know about it.  It was sort of different to see a couple of senior members of the gang motoring about in a new Challenger.

Part II   The Trials continue, Speed Runs Begin

The salty dogs chase their tales: Thursday’s child

THURSDAY

It was still dark when the team assembled in the motel lobby.  A few other teams had members gathering for breakfast and getting ready to head out to the salt for the first day’s running.  Everyone was a bit nervous with anticipation and uncertainty.  This is a common thread throughout racing, and the only relief is to put a wheel on the track.

In the truck and we began the daily routine we would follow the next three days.  The speedway access road is a string of taillights and marker lights of the waiting vehicles, since you can’t get on the salt before 7 a.m.  Once the gates are opened, it’s three and four wide across the salt heading for the pits.  The sun coming up offers a truly unique and beautiful backdrop with the sunrise over the mountains to the east and the stark lighting of pink on the rock outcrops to the west.

photo by Gary Ilminen

photo by Gary Ilminen

The rider/driver’s meeting was first on the agenda and it was there I first met Dick Munz.  I had heard of him around the Madison Wisconsin area for many years but our paths never crossed.  He is a successful real estate businessman with a penchant for things motorized.  His collection included a roadster out on the salt as well as many unique two and four wheeled vehicles back home.  After the National Anthem and the prerace prayer it was off to drive the course after the rookie meeting.

It was while going down the course we realized how good the salt really was.  It was said to be as good as some had seen in 30 years.  There were none of the holes that were there in 2007 and it was so hard we couldn’t drive nails in it to hold own our drop cloth in the pits.  In the middle of the course between Mile 2 and Mile 3 there was some loose stuff, but it sat on top of solid salt.  All we could do was shake our heads and go “Oh my God!”  Another excuse for poor performance removed.

Looking down the track

Unloading the bikes and verifying their running at the 38 degree temps is a part of the routine that can be interesting, considering all the testing was done at 60 to 70 degrees at the shop.  We saw 24 degree temps coming over the mountains so it was a good thing we had antifreeze in the Ducati.  Firing up the Triumph was always an adventure with the 20/50 oil giving a 180 psi. oil pressure spike before the relief valve kicked in and the oil started to thin out a bit.

We loaded the bikes back in the trailer and headed off to the starting line.  This is another thing that takes a bit of work, the loading and unloading, that is.  Here we are out on the salt and the chase truck has to find two motorcycles over a 6 mile span, load them up and head back to the impound area if a record has been run.  If it isn’t a record run you then decide whether to go to the starting line if a little work is needed or the pits if a lot is needed to be done before the next run.  That is the reason for the ramp door on the trailer, so we don’t kill the chase crew after loading and unloading two bikes up to four times a day.

Once in line for staging which is the lead-in for the starting line you have a chance to get out and meet with people you may not have seen for a year and meet new and different individuals.  At this event there was only the one long course owing to the fact that most of the salt flats were under water the Sunday before.

Normally there is a long and a short course for the fall event and two short courses and a long for the summer Speed Week event.  The single long course made it more difficult to make a lot of runs because the streamliners that normally use the long course take more prep time before a run and even though some run near 400 mph, the time to run the entire course, slow down and exit the course takes quite awhile to allow for a safe process.  The short course is for use by vehicles running under 175 mph and/or licensing runs.  This group using the short course can have its own challenges as far as timing.  You can have a rookie rider who turns out (or the wrong direction), doesn’t get to the return road to clear the course, falls down, etc.  To correct these deficiencies is more than just yelling at someone because there is usually a mile or more between race officials.  It is sometimes hard to at first to comprehend the scale of distance.  This is shown by the extensive use of CB radios by the race officials and crews.

As we approached the starting line, it was time to unload the bikes.  One of the things unique to Bonneville is the rule that specifies the race vehicle will only be operated on the racing surface (meaning the course out on the salt).  Thus there is no riding the bikes or driving the cars in the staging lanes or in the pits.  They have to be towed everywhere.  We unloaded Gary’s Magna, then the Triumph and then the Ducati.  Final fuel levels and tire pressures were checked and then the riders suited up.  Moving forward we were approached by the SCTA safety crew and at this time we were checked for helmets on and strapped, tether kill switch hooked up, sitting on the bike before startup and tech medallions on leathers.  Ooops, remember earlier when Gary didn’t get his?  Evidently they had decided to use engine seals instead and Gary hadn’t gotten one and he was immediately shuffled to the side and sent to Tech to get his seal.

Gary

Well, that left Jim to run and then me.  As the cars ahead of us left on their runs, the tension mounts.  You are always looking at the bike for a loose this or a wiggling that.  It is a studied, practiced cool and casual you see in a crew chief as he accompanies the vehicle to whatever starting line it is.  A jittery crew chief can spook the rider or driver, making them wonder what is wrong with the vehicle and disrupting their concentration.  Speaking from personal experience now and in the past, I am as nervous walking Jim up to the starting line on the Triumph as I am getting on the Ducati the next bike after.

Bill and Jim

Ready to run

Having seen the car before leave we pull up on the line.  We are again greeted by another SCTA official, this time the official starter.  He rechecks the helmet security, tether attachment and asks the rider how he is feeling.  A few casual words from him or her (a lady starter also working the event this time) and they then step back to monitor the other vehicle on the course.  It seems like hours while they check the down-course progress (or lack thereof), and that the vehicle is safely on the return road intact (not leaving parts on the course).  A quick reminder to flip your shield down and then the same motion a flight control officer gives the planes on a carrier and off you go.

Jim moved away and after second gear looked a natural on the bike.  Then he started moving to the left.  He had mentioned that was his plan, having seen the loose stuff between Mile 2 and Mile 3, but I didn’t think he was going that far to the left.  We listened to the radio and loaded up the starter cart as they said his exit speed at Mile 3 as 119 mph.  Not what I wanted to see but we could discuss it when we picked him up.

Now it was my turn.

The car in the lane next to me left on his run and I didn’t realize it was Mike Cook, an organizer of this event and of the previous week’s private meet where Chris Carr went 367 mph in the BUB streamliner.  He was a long course car and I started everything up way too early.

By the time it my turn to go I had the engine temp up to 83 degrees C and I was wound pretty tight as well.  Taking off I didn’t clear the motor out and it nearly died and was never very happy taking throttle.  Chugging along I plugged it into second and it showed a bit of life.  This bit of teasing went on in third as well.  A bit of misfire followed by a bit of  promise.  I could see the 1 mile marker go by.  Realizing that I had to make 175 mph by the 2 mile marker I got a bit more adventuresome with the throttle and looked at the EGTs (exhaust gas temperatures).  They were showing about 1300 degrees which was within acceptable limits, but not making any boost.  I pulled in the clutch and hit the throttle a few times to try and clean it out and then rolled it back on.  A few bangs out of the exhaust and it started to run again, albeit poorly.  By this time I could see the 2 Mile marker approaching and knew something had to happen.  I rolled further into the throttle and it rolled past the marker shooting ducks.

I then looked at the GPS and it showed way below what I needed and in the true fashion of a die-hard I was sure I could salvage something of the run, so I jacked the throttle wide open and was rewarded with a VERY loud bang.  I was a little surprised by this and wasn’t quite sure what had happened.  I looked down and the entire left side of the intake manifold was folded out about an inch along the top edge.  I opened the throttle just to see what might happen (not the brightest move in hindsight) and to my surprise it relit and started to run again.  I looked back at the EGTs and the needles were past the end of the scale, covering up the “Made in USA” area which should have indicated molten, so I shut it off and rolled over to the return road.

Bob and Louie rolled up and we loaded up the Ducati after quickly surveying the damage and went to pick up Jim.

The pits and the black line

Jim was waiting down track about a mile and a half and we loaded up the Triumph and went back to the pits to unload the Ducati.  After doing that we realized we had better get to Impound as we had to be there within an hour after the run on the salt was finished, his run being the first leg of a record.  At a speed of just over 119 mph it wasn’t what I wanted to see, but we knew we were coming out a bit light on horsepower.  The bike had worked as expected with no surprises in the chassis and all the parts were in the motor.  The only vibration casualty was the shift light pill that had popped out and was in the belly pan.

We checked into impound and received a card with the time we had to be done with the bike and gone.  You are allowed three hours to service any vehicle after a record run and that is it.  The vehicle then sits on the salt that night and is among the record run parade at 8 o’clock the next morning.

We started servicing the bike, checking oil levels, topping up the fuel, setting the valves, clutch and checking for other missing parts.  An allen screw at the front of the chain guard was the only apparent casualty and we replaced it.

It was at this time that I looked over towards tech and noticed a tall blonde next to a Hayabusa.  If you have been following motorcycle speed runs for the last two years you should know who Leslie Porterfield is.  If not, look it up.  I was able to get her autograph for my girls on a course map and we talked about my girls working on the bikes.  A very pleasant lady to talk to.

We went about regearing the bike as it wouldn’t pull the gearing used on the first run.  The decision to go from a 31 to a 35 tooth rear sprocket necessitated adding a link to the chain and the air compressor just wasn’t up to the task, adding a lot of generator noise and time to a normally simple project.  It was during the servicing time that I felt a tap on my shoulder and a request for safety wire and pliers as tech wanted pinchbolts wired (sounds familiar).  I did have to look a considerable distance upward as Leslie is in fact very tall.  A short time later I’m back up to my arms in Triumph and her bolts are done.

After it was all said and done we wrapped the Triumph in plastic and left the impound area with thirty minutes to spare.  I wondered how the bike was going to take being abandoned and all alone on the salt overnight.

Gary had made his first run and was rewarded with a 72 mph blast and didn’t get far enough off the course, earning a comment or two.  Once again ,the scale of the place take some getting used to.

We talked to David Pilgrim again and found out he had just gone 262 mph in his turbo Corvette on his own 236 mph record he set when we were there in 2007.  They were busy finishing up servicing the car and not much time for chatting.  He did lend me a small stick welder with aluminum rods that unfortunately was beyond my abilities to try and deal with the Ducati.

David Pilgrim's corvette

Gary was the next to last vehicle down the salt and after a bit of frustration at waiting in line, got to make another runs and went over the 100 mph mark on the salt.  Congratulations Gary and Jackie, (his wife)!

Back to the pits and the Ducati.  The initial damage estimate was accurate as the manifold had split down the top seam on the left side.  My ear was still ringing from that and after the manifold was removed we set off in search of a TIG welder in the pits.  Well I found a trailer with a TIG welder but no argon (the bottle didn’t get loaded). Another trailer left theirs home for this trip because they had to pack quickly to get here.  The third possibility had just blown up out on the salt and packed up and I saw them disappearing into the sunset.  I called the local auto parts store and was put in touch with Kip who said he had burned up his TIG welder (I never found out how he did that) but he could MIG it and had just fixed two gas tanks that day.  The deal was struck and he took the manifold, promising to call when it was ready.

This left me time to try and figure out why it blew up.  I surmised the ignition quit due to a component failure so all the components were replaced.  Pickup coils, ignition coils, spark plugs, the works.

Well, we packed up the trailer and after talking to Rick Yacoucci (who holds more records than a vintage music store) concerning the profile of the front fenders and windage succeptibility, we got a phone call and went into town to meet Kip. Delivery right to the motel lobby with a smile and a reasonable fee to boot. MIG welding aluminum is very difficult and while Kip’s welds were strong, the airtightness couldn’t be verified because nobody had plugs big enough.  A slight leak in the manifold would cause a leanout that could lead to another rupture.

Not knowing what to expect, we stopped at the local parts store and tried to buy a fiberglass kit.  Well, Rick Dorfmeyer’s crew had bought all of them because they had to lower the back of their bodywork to conform to the 40 inch maximum height.  After looking all over Wendover, and picking up a 2-part epoxy called “Goo” this led to a trip back out to the salt where they generously allowed us to borrow fiberglass resin and scissors (more items on the packing list for the future).

After dinner out came the sandpaper, acetone and ultimately the “Goo”.  The bathroom fan labored mightily and eventually a satisfactory sealing job was done.  By morning it was ready to go, and so were we.

Next time: runs and spins

*All photos courtesy of Bob Crook and Gary Ilminen

Adventures with oil pressure

I think the Triumph is trying to make me crazy. After closing on Sat., I was running it to check on the fuel system and the loss of oil pressure. Adding the extra discharge hole in the carb and enlarging the existing one helped, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough.

The oil pressure was again at 50 psi, enough for the crank to live but not enough for running with a load. I opened up the accelerator pump orifice and rechecked the running….better but still not enough. A couple of ignition timing changes didn’t seem to make a difference either. The oil pressure was a couple of pounds lower.

I thought this might be a good time to check the blower belt tension and since the motor was warm, I made certain the tension was on the snug side of spec by tightening it up slightly. I ran the motor again and damned if it didn’t start leaking out of the back of the primary, near the sprocket shaft.

I drained down the primary to the level plug and loosened the blower belt and after cleaning it all off ran it again and it quit leaking. All I can figure is that the tighter belt deflected the crank and caused the seal to not keep oil and/or crankcase pressure in the motor, although the outer crank seal didn’t leak (Japanese seal?).

At this point I checked the flow into the pump through the line and then removed the screen over the inlet of the line. No improvement. I took out the pressure relief valve and increased the tension on the spring, but no help there. At that point I took off the timing cover and re-evaluated the oil pump.

The pistons looked a bit more scored than I remembered them and there was a fiber in the check ball area of the pressure side of the pump. I went to the box of parts from the other motor and compared the pumps. The old parts box pump looked better and after cleaning, I installed it.

After start-up I watched the gauge go to 105 psi, and then the pressure relief popped off and the pressure stabilized at 90psi. At this point, the throttle response seemed the best it had been yet. So now we are going to enlarge the original discharge hole, add another, and watch the blower belt life at the reduced tension to in turn reduce crank deflection.

Why oil pressure and running may or may not be related makes as much sense as blower belt tension and a clutch shaft oil leak. Ya gotta love it! I think I will move the tank up to right below the pipes and carefully heat shield it to increase the head of potential pressure at the oil pump, and special care will be needed to deal with the cap at that point.

Cheers!

Bill

Driveway Test

The driveway test didn’t go as planned.

The transmission doesn’t work. The oil pressure is low. It won’t take full throttle.

Still, you have to admit she looks pretty good out in the daylight.

–Sam

Progress on the Supercharged 1966 TR6 as of 1/5/09

After seeing the Discovery Channel’s show on Bonneville last night it got us revved up enough to provide a long overdue update on the Bonneville projects.

First, there hasn’t been any progress on the Ducati.  The realization that there is a desperate need for electronic fuel injection became apparent after the trip to Byron Dragway, but the comprehension of and the loading of tuning parameters into the Microsquirt has thus eluded us.  If you know anyone who has used one of these nifty little units on a 90 degree twin, please let us know as we can sure use some help with it!!!!  The high fuel consumption of a mechanical fuel injection system would cause too great a late-run weight imbalance (inducing wheelspin) to allow that to be used, thus relegating us to electronic fuel injection or blow-through carburetion (an equally mysterious but in my mind roulette-wheel type of tuning).  Once again, the electronic devotees out there…..Help!!!!

Well, things have continued to be a challenge on the blown Triumph front as it seems this bike is insisting on being dragged, kicking and screaming, to the starting line.  The decision to use a conventional front end to keep in the “retro” motif has caused the bike needing to be raised 2 inches to maintain a relative balance and some weight bias adjustability.  This necessitated a lower triple tree made by Guy Bartz to be used to keep the hike in height to just 2 inches.  It also allowed the use of the beautiful aluminum unit in place of the stock SV-650 cast steel unit (what were they thinking?).  The rear end also needed to have the axle blocks flipped over as well.  The initial design of the chassis was also allowing for the 190mm tire to be the shortest tire, as all the drag racing slicks tended to be taller, causing the initial location to be the lowest possible.  The Ducati, on the other hand was never intended to be at the dragstrip so the 200 rear tire was expected to be the tallest.  Go figure.  An upside-down front fork would solve this problem, but we also have kept the right side shift on this project as well, keeping the schizophrenic nature of the beast intact.

The motor, being a 1966 vintage also has the delights of Whitworth, British Standard, and OBA threads.  In case you didn’t know, the British are the only people that came up with a more disparate and eccentric manner of bolting things together than the U.S.  In many instances the threads are 26 threads per inch which doesn’t coincide with anything.  Even the wrenches have issues as they are designated by the size of the bolt threads they are to fit, not the size of the bolt head. You need the British tool set, the U.S. and Metric wrenches out all at once to expect to get things done this century.  It is trying Fred’s patience, I can tell.

Reversing the cylinder head to allow the rider to sit down in the bike also requires a different set of cam timing specs.  Luckily about 26 years ago, a former employee Allen Jelle, did a reversed-head Triumph while he was here.  He was gracious enough to sell us the bottom end, and help with the intuitively conflicting cam timing.  AJ’s front-engined blown Desoto-powered dragster is a thing of beauty, so he also has a vested interest in this project.  A certain restraint is needed to keep from blowing everything to pieces via blower overdrive and/or nitro percentage in both the Desoto and our bike.

The design and manufacture of the blower/fuel pump and ignition drives is started, and will hopefully be done in the next two to three weeks.

There is a general shaking of heads when this project is viewed by the rest of the world it seems, but just watch the Discovery Channel program on Bonneville or pull out your trusty copy of “The World’s Fastest Indian” and you’ll understand.

Until the next “milestone” (millstone?).

Cheers!!

Update from 9/10/08

This is the latest in the installation of the TR-6 motor in the frame.  The cylinder and head are upstairs having the pistons fitted, valve guides installed and the decision being made whether bigger exhaust seats are needed for the considerably larger inconel valves.  The delicate balancing act between how much power is needed versus how much can be produced before the head splits and/or the cylinders are knocked off the engine cases comes into play.

This bit of mental math usually causes Jim’s (the owner) eyes to roll back in his head.  Keeping the engine heat manageable is part of the reason for the big exhaust valves.  The effect of the big exhaust valves upon driveability (that is surprisingly important at Bonneville) is somewhat mitigated by the ability to change blower drive speed, and percentage of nitro.  The engine heat buildup will also be more of a factor with the reversed head.

I will need to take a page from the Britten design book that made use of conduits and ducting to manage heat and feed air in the engine bay of the legendary V-Twin roadracer.  If we have opportunity to do a billet head, the stability at elevated temperatures is so much better, the only heat consideration at that point will be the under-seat temperatures (aka “nut roaster”).

Some attention to the design issues of the early iron Hemis is needed to try and avoid certain flaws in the valve train longevity choices as the run-time of this combination will ultimately be much longer than a quarter mile, and while the valve train survived three miles at 8,000 rpm the first time, the pressure loading on the intake side and the heat loading on the exhaust side will be considerably higher, and survivability is a must.

The assembly of the first real bottom end will begin next week and we hope to have the frame out of the jig and fitting the wheels and forks in time to show it at the Slimey Crud Run Ocober 5 here in Madison.  An intergrated oil tank/rear bulkhead along with the fuel, battery and varuous ancillary devices are yet to be done, so stay tuned as the work continues.

Cheers!

Bill