The hurt motor on Tuesday prompted an engine swap to the larger cubic inch Caddy mill, and a whole new class, AA/BGS. Removing and replacing an engine on the salt is a difficult task, even with a stripped down streamliner, so Wednesday morning found us still with quite a bit to do before we could run.
The talented crew was undaunted, and not only was the new engine fitted, but the gas and brake pedals were moved to give Amir more room and there was still time to do an interview with a reporter from the Salt Lake Tribune!
Just as the car was getting buttoned up to head for staging, dark clouds piled up overhead and it began to rain. Amir and Kenny spent the time rehearsing the run and discussing driving technique, and as quickly as the weather moved in, it was gone, and the sun was back in force.
Attrition has taken its toll on the Bonneville racers, and the line at staging was short and quick. There’s still some amazing cars running and driving, and there’s no lack of surprises. We even saw a Ferrari Enzo in the tech lanes. Amir might have to bring the F40 out to hold his record!
Speaking of records, the new SpeedLiner engine had a conservative tune, so the 344 run didn’t exactly have the crew jumping for joy. Still, it beat the old AA/BGS record we set in October 2009, and the Speedliner is back in Impound until the back-up run.
Wednesday night was the 200mph club banquet, and along with the new 200mph inductees for 2009/2010, Kenny and Amir were recognized for their 300mph runs. Amir had the whole audience in stiches during his acceptance speech, and Kenny had quite a few jokes of his own. If this racing thing doesn’t pan out, maybe they can start a comedy act.
The weather is a full blown thunder and lightning show this morning, but if/when it clears up, we’re going to hit it again with a more aggressive tune on the big engine and see what happens.
