This whole discussion has only served to confirm my belief that the Salt
Flats, and Maxton, and El Mirage/Muroc serve as a test bed for the most
inventive minds in racing today. The challenge of taking anything faster
than someone else with parameters that are fair (for the most part) is the
goal. How you achieve it is up to you. Whether Don Vesco with his 3500
horsepower helicopter turbine engine goes over 417 on the salt later today
... he should ... he has solved recent problems with aerodynamics, intake
ducting, salt destroying the bodywork behind the wheels, drive shafts that
twisted over 1/4 rotation from one end to the other, differential gears that
had to be cut from the hardest steel they could find, shifting problems,
driver air supply problems, on and on and on. This on a car that has set
records in the past with other power plants ... and failed to set records
with several other power plants. Betty Burkland says running a streamliner
is finding the next problelm and fixing it before something else goes wrong.
BUT YOU HAVE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS. That is where the most inventive minds
meet the challenge. If you run nitrous to cool the intercoolers only on a
350 cubic inch, 296 mph Firebird, or fog it in on a 106 mph 50 cc
motorcycle, you are proving you have found the answer to that particular set
of problems before anyone else has. You tried and it worked. NASCAR puts
me to sleep.
To quote Hot Rod Hundley "Ya Gotta Love it Baby!"
Pardon the soap box, I'm heading for the salt. See ya Dave Haller.
Wes
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