RE: JCB Dieselmax breaks the record
Discussion
There is a picture of the future of JCB at:
www.worth1000.com/emailthis.asp?entry=128482
You know they want to build it
www.worth1000.com/emailthis.asp?entry=128482
You know they want to build it
I was there.
I was out on the Salt Flats for the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) Bonneville Speed Week and JCB were having a hard time. There wasn't any animosity caused by the Brittish vs US attitude that some have assumed. Most of the other competitors, even the grassroots teams, felt bad that the tremendous effort of the JCB team was failing to capture a record. They obviously had the hardware and knowledge to achive a top speed. On the last day of SpeedWeek the streamliner made a very good qualifiying run (over the existing record) in the morning and backed it up with a record run (second required run for the record) in the afternoon. The few teams left were very congratulatory.
JCB had rented out a hanger and a runway at the Wendover airport, an ex Air Force base just a few miles from the Salt Flats. Every night the team brought the car to the base to continue preparing it for a run at the record. We were having SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) races at the opposite end of the taxi way. Seeing the car just a few hangers from us every day was inspiring. Seeing the team tirelessly work on the car was even more inspiring. In addition, after the SCTA event was over, JCB arranged with the US Govt, the BLM (Bureau of Land Management - aka National Park Service)to stay on the Salt Flats and have the FIA time them for an official World Record. The results are history.
If you ever get the chance to come to Speed Week I highly recommend it. While something this big doesn't happen every year, there were almost 500 teams vying for records this year. The creativity in Land Speed Racing is very intertaining and if you ever see it live, you'll catch "Salt Fever" and succumb to the thoughts that YOU could field a land speed car.
I was out on the Salt Flats for the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) Bonneville Speed Week and JCB were having a hard time. There wasn't any animosity caused by the Brittish vs US attitude that some have assumed. Most of the other competitors, even the grassroots teams, felt bad that the tremendous effort of the JCB team was failing to capture a record. They obviously had the hardware and knowledge to achive a top speed. On the last day of SpeedWeek the streamliner made a very good qualifiying run (over the existing record) in the morning and backed it up with a record run (second required run for the record) in the afternoon. The few teams left were very congratulatory.
JCB had rented out a hanger and a runway at the Wendover airport, an ex Air Force base just a few miles from the Salt Flats. Every night the team brought the car to the base to continue preparing it for a run at the record. We were having SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) races at the opposite end of the taxi way. Seeing the car just a few hangers from us every day was inspiring. Seeing the team tirelessly work on the car was even more inspiring. In addition, after the SCTA event was over, JCB arranged with the US Govt, the BLM (Bureau of Land Management - aka National Park Service)to stay on the Salt Flats and have the FIA time them for an official World Record. The results are history.
If you ever get the chance to come to Speed Week I highly recommend it. While something this big doesn't happen every year, there were almost 500 teams vying for records this year. The creativity in Land Speed Racing is very intertaining and if you ever see it live, you'll catch "Salt Fever" and succumb to the thoughts that YOU could field a land speed car.
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