BONNEVILLE: CHASING THE 300MPH CLUB

Bonneville is a place ruled by numbers. Whether it’s the length of the course or the speed you’re trying to hit, the displacement of your motor or the jetting of your carb; numbers drive everything on the salt. The magic number this morning was 314.511 – the speed (in miles per hour) which the Dauernheim-Biglow-Davis AA Gas Lakester team (aka Team 608) needed to beat to become inducted into the 300mph Club.

The team’s driver, Don Biglow, has already earned his way into the Bonneville 200mph Club, scoring the exclusive red hat as his trophy. The thing is, now he wants a blue one.

Blue hats are a bit more difficult to get, as you have to achieve a speed higher than your class’ current post-300mph record. In the case the AA/GL division which Team 608 competes in, that’s 314.511mph. To give you an idea of the number of blue hat-inductees, the Bonneville record book has three and a half pages of members in the 200mph Club while the 300mph Club takes up less than half a page.

Still, being in the 200mph Club is nothing to scoff at. It’s just that salt is addicting, and given the opportunity racers will always keep pushing for more.

Don’s steed is this Gas Lakester, powered by a 582ci Chevrolet V8 motor.

The Lakester was designed and built specifically for this task, and he knows it well. Don’s been into the high 200s and knows the car has more to give.

But he also knows that the salt can be fickle, and the timing and conditions must be perfect for him to get his blue hat.

Of course behind every great driver is a great team. These guys are called to the salt from New Jersey every year.

Fortunately, they let us tag along for a run this morning –an event that turned out to be so much more epic than we could have imagined.

This was the highlight of our weeklong adventure to Bonneville, so we decided to share it with you guys first.

Our morning started early, meeting the team at their pit to witness everything it takes to get a car down the course at Bonneville.

The guys got right to work, first putting the car in the air to check that the tires were the same circumference, to avoid any pulling as the car rockets along.

Next they fired the engine for one last check that everything was working correctly.

Don jumped in and blipped the throttle while eyeing the gauges. The crackle of a big race engine is a great way to wake up in the morning!

In short order the car was loaded onto its custom-built trailer and we were headed to the start.

It’s first come first served out here, so there’s always a sense of urgency to get in line.

Once we were there things slowed down a bit.

Don changed into this driving suit…

… and took a minute to ready himself for the task at hand.

I would imagine I’d be pretty jittery if I were about to strap into a land speed car, but Don’s been racing for 40 years and was calm as can be.

In addition to making the final preparations with the car, the crew also helped the driver into his HANS device and helmet.

They stood by as he squeezed into the tight cockpit…

… then gave him a hand with the restraints.

Once Don was strapped in there was nothing to do but wait.

We made small talk and watched the other cars and bikes take off.

The car inched it’s way up to the start. To be honest the wait could have been much, much longer but since these guys are running in the 300mph range they get to cut in line.

Another critical task for the crew is keeping the driver cool once he’s in full race gear. An umbrella is an absolute necessity.

I guess it just feels like a long time when you’re anticipating a potentially record-setting run.

Once they were up front the crew started the car using quick connect battery cables and the push-truck’s battery.

A mean sounding engine always attracts bystanders, even if it’s just at idle.

The starter came over and gave Don’s safety equipment a very thorough check. I was impressed by the professionalism and concern for driver safety.

At last he was off. I snapped this photo then ran to the chase truck so I could get a ride to the end of the salt.

The owner and builder of the car, Bob Dauernheim, was at the wheel. As we chased Don we listened to his progress over the radio. When we heard 299mph at the four mile mark things started getting exciting!

Don had five miles to make his run, then two more miles to slow down, so it took several minutes for us to get to the end of the course. We came across a few other teams as we looked for the #608 Lakester.

We finally found him, with Larry clicking away.

Larry had jumped in our rental car with his 400mm lens to get some shots of the car at speed.

We were hoping to see the parachute come out, but on a course this long it’s tough to tell when and where the driver will pull the lever to slow down.

So we didn’t get the parachute shot we planned for, but Larry’s position gave him the chance to capture what would normally be a solitary moment before the chase truck arrived.

Don took a little rest on the back tire…

… then wrapped the spent parachute around that fantastic fighter jet-style wing.

Once the crew jumped out of the chase truck they started helping with the car…

… but Don couldn’t just stand there and watch.

He took the lead and got the car loaded back onto the trailer.

As car guys on the younger end of the sport, Larry and I really look up to veterans like Don and Bob. These guys have such a drive, one that I hope I can hang onto like they have.

In his seventies he’s still out here going 300mph on the salt chasing records.

Once we got back to the pits the team immediately tore into the car…

…while Don studied his time-slip. 299mph at the four-mile mark was his strongest pull yet, but the salt was rough at the end and he had to shut the car down. If conditions were better he feels he could have hit the magic number – 314.511mph. Last we heard he’s going to try the other long course tomorrow morning. The car is running great, so it’s really only a matter of track conditions at this point.

The blue hat will be his, the salt just needs to let him know it’s time.

Words and additional photos by Keith Charvonia

Aston Martin Vanquish Wheelsandmore

Wheelsandmore has recently unveiled a performance upgrade kit Lamborghini Aventadorthat pushes its power from 690bhp to 792bhp and now they’ve turned their attention to something a little more sedate.

Although the Aston Martin has only just come onto the market, the German aftermarket specialists have already produced a kit that betters the performance of the factory machine. The main feature of the kit is an upgrade to the 6.0 litre V-12 engine that now produces 613bhp and 710Nm of torque. All they’ve done to gain this power is remap the ECU and add a set of butterfly valves to a new sports exhaust package. You also get forged alloys finished in matte black which are wrapped in 265/30/21 Continental Sport Contact 5P tyres at the front and 325/25/21 Continental Sport Contact 5Ps at the rear.

Wheelsandmore hasn’t given any performance figures for the kit but the factory built car accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 186mph, so these are the figures they have to beat. We’re expecting a sub 4.0 second sprint to 62mph time and a speed close to 200mph but can’t confirm without test driving the car.

Aston Martin Vanquish Wheelsandmore

Aston Martin is spending this year reminding everyone that 2013 is its centennial year by releasing special editions and with stunts like the recent one in Dubai where a Aston Martin Vanquish was airlifted to the top of the city’s largest hotel, so it makes sense for firms like Wheelsandmore to get some exposure by producing a kit for the Vanquish. But as with many of these aftermarket kits for super cars we can’t see many being brought by Aston Martin owners.

from EUROCARBLOG

Jones Customs’ Green Genie

We love a good ebay find, but this one was a lot more interesting than most, and led it us to hooking up with Antony Jones of Jones Custom Cycles in the South of England. The bike is an unsusal hybrid, the donor being a 1981 Honda CB 750 wearing a 1971 old style tank, but the rest of the bike is made up of bits of Harley Davidson.

Ever since I was a kid I have loved customizing anything and everything. I had bikes when I was younger then got into building hot rods for myself, then marriage/mortage/kids kinda take over so just had to be content with stock sports bikes, then in 2007 I was watching an episode of biker build off which featured Russell Mitchell (Exile cycles) and it got my creative juices flowing again, so with that, I started building my first full, ground-up custom bike.

Once I’d finished that I wanted to do another and then another, so thats how Jones Customs was born in early 2009, although my taste in bikes has changed since then. I love building custom bikes no matter what make, although the majority I build are sportster bobbers – but I really dig what the Japanese shops are building, like Crazy Orange and Brat Style.

I thought I would do a mash-up of a 1981 Honda cb750 with a 1971 Honda CB tank and everything else pretty much Harley Davidson; the wheels/brakes/forks/yokes /handlebars & controls, seeing as I always have loads of Harley parts in the workshop.

I especially wanted to use wire spoked wheels as opposed to the horrible comstar wheels that the Honda comes with. There are a few nice trick custom parts used as well, like the Exile Cycles internal throttle and the tiny Anti Gravity lithium battery, as I like to keep my bikes as minimal as possible and hide as much of the electrics ass possible.

It’s really interesting to see the Harley Custom aesthetic applied to a modern-retro Brat Style build. It adds an unusual edge to this build the otherwise looks like a run of the mill CB750 custom. Nice work, Ant. Thanks for sharing and good luck with the sale on Ebay.
See more of Ant’s bikes at  Jones Customs.

from The Bike Shed

Pete’s Magneto

This is Pete Thompson’s third build so he’s clearly got the hang of it by now, as this lovely CB650 shows. The black and gold pinstripe paint is a classic look but it’s been done beautifully. The bike has also been put together with a very close attention to detail and with everything done properly, but it’s Pete’s back story that really brings all this oil and metal to life…

“I started riding in my mid 20′s but with the advent of my daughters birth and the need to buy a dryer for her diapers, I sold the bike. It was some 30 years later before I got back to riding but when I did it was love all over again. Garage builders have been my inspiration and I marvel at their creativity and design aptitude. I taught Industrial Arts (metal shop, graphics, and woodworking) for 10 years at a public high school so I appreciate good design and technical work.

This is now my 3rd build. It’s taken over 2 years but it has been a true labor of love. I don’t claim to have done all the work myself since my buddies have been invaluable in helping me complete my vision of Magneto. I’ll be 71 in a couple of months and this is what keeps me young.

Magneto started as a red 1980 Honda CB650. It was rusting out on a back street waiting for the junk yard. I know it’s not the popular 750 or 550 but that made the challenge even more fun.

The cruiser frame has been altered and reinforced to accommodate the café seat and racing function. Weight has been significantly reduced and CR 29 racing carbs with velocity stacks installed, as well as performance mufflers and ceramic coated headers. Aluminum rims with SS spokes replaced the original steel rims and spokes. Progressive front fork springs and piggy back rear shocks complete the handling package. Many other pieces were fabricated and a number of parts brass plated to add to the aesthetics.

I anticipated it would take 4 to 6 months to complete my vision of what a 1980 CB650 should have looked like in 80′s. Of course nothing is quite that simple and 2 plus years later I’m still tweaking it. Magneto is a blast to ride and the building process has provided a great way to meet new and interesting people. Thanks for taking the time to meet Magneto.

Thanks for what you do Dutch. I have met so many great people because of my love to ride and build so I hope others will find this journey as rewarding. Know that your work helps bring like minded people together to express themselves.”

Not sure we deserve any praise as it’s Pete who’s done all the hard work – he even wrote the story, so all we had to do was share. Thanks for sending this lovely bike in, and we hope you build many more and keep inspiring the rest of us. I hope we have half the talent and energy that you have as you enter your 8th decade of life!

via The Bike Shed