The Aftermath of the Dynamometer Disaster The Red Baron was tied down, thrown on its side, and revved way beyond its limits when it was mistakenly shifted from 2nd gear into 1st, rather than 3rd, during an acceleration run on an inertial dynamometer in the post-season of 2017. In the aftermath, we stripped the motorcycle … Continue reading The Aftermath of the Dynamometer Disaster
The Red Baron is back at El Mirage!
It was a successful, fun, and exhausting day of practice at El Mirage! Smitty and I were "back home" at El Mirage Dry Lake with The Red Baron today! We had the nearly-pristine lakebed to ourselves, and there was a gusty cross-wind that rose with the heat. It was above 90-F by the time we … Continue reading The Red Baron is back at El Mirage!
Performance Testing with a Power-Absorber
After the reverse-shift pattern dynamometer disaster and rebuild efforts we decided to conduct future performance testing ourselves. Smitty created a power-absorbing unit that uses a spare rear wheel attached to a large brake assembly. To gather engine performance data, the operator needs to balance the force of The Red Baron powering the rear wheel with … Continue reading Performance Testing with a Power-Absorber
Practice at El Mirage with the Mighty Mouse
Now that Smitty has achieved his land speed record at Bonneville, he is looking forward to being a crew chief as I become the primary rider for The Red Baron. It's my turn to wear a leather racing suit in the heat! We drove out to El Mirage Dry Lake on Monday with Smitty's other … Continue reading Practice at El Mirage with the Mighty Mouse
Bonneville Day 8 NEW RECORD
For the second day in a row, on the last day of the event, Smitty and I left the motel in Wells, NV at 4:15 AM to drive for an hour to the Salt Flats. We also lost an hour changing timezones. On the salt, we hitched the Pathfinder to the trailer in the impound … Continue reading Bonneville Day 8 NEW RECORD
Bonneville Day 7 “Qualifying Day”
After waiting in line ALL DAY yesterday, we decided it would be better to let a few people pass late in the day to ensure we would have cooler conditions today for the air-cooled motor, and Smitty. We left the trailer in line overnight and returned the next morning. We left our hotel at 4:15 … Continue reading Bonneville Day 7 “Qualifying Day”
Bonneville Day 6 “In line”
Because of salt conditions, every vehicle attempting a record was running on the same course: the 4.0-mile "long" course. In previous years there were four separate courses (7-mile, 5-mile, 3-mile, and a rookie course) but a wet winter and continued mining operations made this year difficult. Check out Save the Salt to see the good … Continue reading Bonneville Day 6 “In line”
Bonneville Day 5 “Rookie Rumble”
After waiting three days for the salt to dry sufficiently, we are finally racing! Smitty is a "rookie" rider at Bonneville so we began at the 1.0-mile rookie course. We ran an oxygenated gas, chosen to make up for the loss of ambient oxygen due to altitude, which turned out to be less than ideal. … Continue reading Bonneville Day 5 “Rookie Rumble”
Bonneville Days 2, 3, 4 “Hurry up and wait”
Saturday morning began with the driver's meeting. I got my first glimpse of the massive scale of Bonneville Speed Week with all the participants -- drivers, riders, and support crew -- all gathered together. It felt like a reunion of speed-chasers! (This is also my first event as an official Gear Grinder!) We spent the … Continue reading Bonneville Days 2, 3, 4 “Hurry up and wait”
Bonneville Day 1 “Technical Inspection & Registration”
Soggy Salt Flats We arrived to some soggy Salt Flats on Friday after rain on Thursday... racing delayed until at least Monday... Technical Inspection & Registration The Red Baron made it through technical inspection with flying colors! The newest addition is the alcohol-and-water anti-detonation injection (ADI) system that can be used as needed for cooling … Continue reading Bonneville Day 1 “Technical Inspection & Registration”