Fear and Loathing in Bonneville (My Trip to Speedweek)

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An example of salt build up on the underside of the car.  Corrosion is always an issue and hours will be spent after the event to remove as much of the salt as possible.
Since the car easily hit a traction limited 183 plus mph in a practice run, Chuck decided to make a longshot try at the record which was set at 200.76 mph at the previous years' Speed Week. To make an attempt at the record, the fuel tank must be drained and confirmed as empty by the officials.  The tank is then sealed and filled with official spec fuel.  It is a pain but it prevents tampering the fuel with oxygenating compounds which would be an easy way to illegally gain power.  Sean's spam can has no offical function in this shot, he just put the can here for luck.
The driver safety gear is pretty stringent.  You must wear SFI 20 stuff so it is all amazingly stiff, thick and uncomfortable.  The odd thing is SFI 20 suits are all two piece.  You would think a one piece would be safer.
As most of us had to go back to work Monday, Sean Rossi was instrumental in helping keep things on track.  He was at Bonneville helping the whole time as was Ben Dias.
Chuck strapped in an ready to go.  The driver's position is pretty restrictive.  The driver cannot move much being secured by a NASCAR style full containment seat with floor to roof side nets and center net.  The driver also wears a six point harness and arm restraints.  The most deadly crash in LSR racing is a high speed barrel roll and the safety equipment is all focused to protect the driver in this sort of worst case scenario.
Annie speaks to Chuck before the start.  The rules say you must be ready when you are 3 cars back in the line up.  It takes a while to get the driver all buckled in so this is a good rule.

 

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