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In the impound area area you are allowed to work on your car for a maximum of 4 hours that day and 1.5 hours the day of your next run. The car cannot leave the impound area once it enters. We debated whether to turn up the boost to try to hit 200 plus mph on our back up run or not. In the end we decided to stay on low boost and be conservative to get the record for sure. We were confident that we could go much faster. Somehow, during all of the electrical wrestling, our data logging system quit working but after reviewing the in car camera tapes we discovered that Chuck had short shifted into 5th in an effort to stabilize the bucking car. The short shift left the car without enough torque to pull the gear causing the engine to bog the last few miles of the course. The in car tape also revealed the vicious twitching that Chuck had to deal with and his close call with spinning out.
Chuck and I discuss the setup for the next day. We calculate that my mistake made the car run 7 percent too rich and probably cost about 40 hp. Even though I messed up, I saved the engine from making a run too lean which could have been disastrous. Going at wide open throttle for 5 miles is one of the most brutal tests of a racing engine. We also make a bunch more suspension adjustments to keep the front of the car down and the rear up. We are confident that were are going to go much faster tomorrow even on low boost. The plan is to go out on low boost to get the record, then get back in line at higher boost to attempt to break 200 mph.
Another day gone by…
Feeling positive we can relax into the night. It's so beautiful to camp out on the playa surrounding the salt flats.
Jeff with his ever present beauty lotion. At least we think it's for dry skin…
The rules let the cars attempting to back up their record runs to go out first thing in the morning when the air density is the best. We must be at impound at 6am and are allowed 1.5 hours prep time before we get in line to run. We are scrambling in the pits at O Dark Thirty to get everything we need to the impound area. We discover that the alternator has been unplugged during the trouble shooting session and the car has been running off the battery during the last run! This makes for a scramble to charge the battery. We also have to clean the plugs, set tire pressures and service the intercooler water tank. The 1.5 hours disappear quickly.
We tow the car to the starting line as the sun rises. On the salt the rules say that all race cars must be towed into position. I am not sure why that's a rule but it probably has something to do with preserving the salt or the fact that most LSR cars don't run fans.
It's hammer time!
Chuck waits for the go signal on the line.
