The steam car was a big topic on landracing.com. They broke a record set in 1906 by a Stanley Steamer. 109 years is a long time for a record to stand. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8209288.stm>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8209288.stm
They set the record on Edwards Air Force Base. How some Brit got permission to run there while that area (Muroc Dry Lake) was closed to SCTA after 9/11 and hasn't been opened since kinda boggles the mind.
The Brits made a lotta noise about bringing the car to World of Speed last year. Supposedly they missed the boat (literally) and then they were gonna run the car at Speed Week, but didn't show...and now 3 weeks afterward they show up at Edwards. Hmmm.... Makes ya wonder if there was something about the car that wouldn't have passed tech and they probably wouldn't have liked having to go home and come back the next year when it was all fixed.
Along that line, one of the big things that was a hot button at Speed Week was aluminum wheel/tire setups. There are several small streamliners that run billet aluminum front wheels with no rubber at all on 'em. Several advantages: they don't blow out, go out of balance or wear the tread off. They've been running 'em for years...at least 5 that I know of. I once asked a builder what kinda tire he had on his front wheels cuz it looked real strange. He told me it was Rustoleum. They just painted the "tread" surface black. But this year one of the inspectors demanded to be present whenever one of the liners ran just to make sure the aluminum wheels weren't digging big grooves into the salt. It's kinda funny cuz the push trucks and the big liners/lakesters are so much heavier and the wheelspin off the line tears things up much worse than the aluminum could. To my knowledge no damage was ever detected, but I guess the inspector felt pretty important, being called to the starting line whenever one of those cars ran.
I'm gonna head out either Saturday afternoon after shooting the car show at Hill Air Force Base or early the next morning for the "BUB Motorcycle Trials" which starts this Sunday. It'll be the first time I've been to that meet...and I'm the "staff photographer" for landracing.com. Which means that every once in a while I edit some photos and take 'em to the guy who runs the site. Gonna be interesting cuz I don't know all that much about bikes.
I've got a rough draft of some "quick picks" from Speedweek here:http://www.chevyasylum.com/lsr/bsf2009/sw/pix/ I gotta polish it up tonite and get the Concours photos done tomorrow.
I never seem to find time to be bored. Ray At 02:21 PM 8/26/2009, you wrote:
Notice the "New" MINI and read about the NEW Land Speed Record for a Steam Powered vehicle. Old record set in 1906.Enjoy. John W ---------- Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:07:40 +0000 From: autoweek@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To: marce.weibel@xxxxxxxSubject: Mini reveals coupe and roadster concepts, and Toyota works on a two-door Prius, in News Brake for Wednesday, Aug. 26<http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo1>HOME | <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo10>LATEST NEWS | <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo11>VEHICLE REVIEWS | <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo12>RACING | <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo13>SUBSCRIBE | <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo14>CLASSIFIEDS<http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo15> [] Wednesday, August 26, 2009 <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo8> [] ----------<http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo8>Mini reveals coupe and roadster concepts, and Toyota works on a two-door Prius, in News Brake for Wednesday, Aug. 2608/26/09, 3:46 pm etIn News Brake: Mini will show eye-catching coupe and roadster concepts at the Frankfurt motor show, Porsche has a new 911 GT3 Cup racer, and Toyota may have a two-door Prius up its sleeve . . . But Wait, There's More!...<http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo8>[] <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo17> [] <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo17> <http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo18> []<http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBKlZWpAGmKL2AfOUcZBybkAtUZ/awo21?EMAIL=marce.weibel@xxxxxxx>CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address.Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.
