I got to go to Bonneville, "Grumpy Old Men" I thank you!!

I just had to post here on this thread to thank all of you that encouraged me to keep trying to find a way to get to Bonneville. I did not book a flight or hotel rooms for me to make the trip alone.
I contacted some friends that had connections with teams that were going to Bonneville. I was waiting for the word from three different teams that somebody might have to bail out of the trip. If so, I was in and I would share driving and expenses and help out with whatever was necessary. I didn't really think that I was going to get to go and expected that I would spend my vacation working on my funny car instead.
At the last minute I got a call, "You are in" and you have to leave the day after tomorrow from West Virginia. I threw a bunch of drag racing tee shirts, jeans, shorts and simpson crew shoes into a suitcase, jumped into my Chevy Tahoe and drove to Pittsburg Pa. to meet up with my friend Ted Brine. Ted is the guy that hooked me up with the ride. The next day we took the 134 Fuel coupe to the flashlight drags for display and met up with Jim Senkewitz. Jim was the track announcer for Pittsburg International Dragway until it closed and now announces at Pittsburg Raceway park.
Jim and I later drove to West Virginia to meet up with Joe Law and drive to Bonneville in his Motor Home.
Joe Law is a 25 year vetran of SCTA racing and a former NHRA drag racer. Joe was a NHRA champion in A/Dragster and AA/Gas Dragster in the sixties. He quit drag racing in 1970. He has set many records in SCTA with roadsters, lakesters and streamliner. He is still in the SCTA record books with his "Grumpy old men" entries.
For me to hitch a ride to Bonneville with him is like going to Indy with Mario Andretti !!! Joe enabled me to ride along with an SCTA race director who took me out to the timing booth in the middle of the course. I got to go on a couple of rescue missions when a lakester spun out at 204 mph.
I was signed on to a crew of a lakester that went over 300 mph. I didn't work on their car but I got to wear a red wristband that enabled me to get into restricted areas. The whole two weeks was fantastic and I can not express enough, my thanks to Joe Law for making it all happen. They may be "Grumpy old men" but they are a lot of fun!!
I s****ed some salt out of the wheel wells of the motorhome and brought it home. I took eight rolls of film home and I earned my Bonneville Speedweek Teeshirt!!
Thanks Guys!!!

 

Sounds like a great time. The events that led to you getting there are interesting and I am glad you made it to the salt.

 

You say that like you wont be back. I bet you will....

 

Sounds like a dream come true. Good for you. Now, about that eight (8) rolls of film? Your either giving your age away or your a professional photographer. Either way, like to see some pictures.

 

You had a blast, good deal!

I have to go soon, maybe in 2015, is it the same time every year?

Bob

 

good story, it proves that if you want it bad enough, you can find a way to make it happen.....

 

It was good to see you out there Goldy. JC

 

Outstanding - a true "hot rodder" getting to the Mecca of the sport. Does not get much better than that. And, to hook up with Joe, Jim Senkewitz - just spectacular. Waiting to see the photos!!

 

Hey, and Joy said - "what about the dinner I made for Goldy in Pittsburgh - and the fresh linens on the bed in the guest room"!!! (-: Next up - Epping, NH and we'll participate in the "cacklefest"!

 

Ted; Joy is exactly right !! It is just a car guy thing, I get so excited about the car stuff I forget to mention the wonderful hospitality that you and Joy provided, Joe Law and his wife provided and Jim Senkewitz and his wife provided for me. Without all of this help, the trip would not have happened, PERIOD!!!! Please thank Joy for me.

 

Film is the only way to do it right.

Spike

 

Good for you! I love Bonneville!!! I've gone the last 3 years and don't see me not going for the rest of my life. I've made friends with people from all over the world. In fact next time you go make sure you go to the HAMB BBQ. Great people from all over the world as well...

 

OK It has taken awhile but here we go with the pictures.

This picture is a must for any first timer on the salt. I am on the left, next to me is Jim Senkewitz the announcer for defunct Pittsburg Int. Dragway and now Pittsburg Raceway Park. The two guys on the right are 25 year vetrans on the salt known as "The Grumpy Old Men" Their fastest of many records is 365 mph in a blown gas streamliner. Joe Law on the far right is the driver and owner. We drove across the country to Bonneville in Joe's Motorhome. Awesome trip!!

 

We looked out of the windshield for days driving across the country to Bonneville. Joe Law sits on the right, taking a break from his turn driving. He wears the blue hat, which he has earned by setting a record over 300 MPH.

 

This is what you see when you first drive on to the Bureau of Land Management at Bonneville before you get to the area called "the bend in the road" where everybody camps out. It is like a dry lake bed, the salt is a few mile away.


forty four square miles of salt, you can see the curvature of the earth across the vast salt flats.

 

I remember my trip to Bonneville in 98'... My wife wasn't too excited, until she got there!!!! I could hardly drag her away every day we were there!

That's great you got to go with some Veterans of the Salt!

 

I did not miss first two days of speed week that are technical inspection. This is where you get to see the cars inside and out. The inspection requires the body panels removed so that you can see all of the inner workings of the car and how it was built. Even in the pit area, while they are being worked on the cars may not be torn down as far as they are in tech.

Here is a vintage Studebaker powered by a Ford flathead.


Another cl***ic Studebaker powered by an early Hemi.






A streamliner with body panels removed for tech inspection on Thursday.


A modified roadster going through tech.


Are there any Top Fuel Hemi fans out there!!

 

A belly tank type lakester gets looked over by the tech crew.

 

And i thank you for the neat pictures. Especially the last one of the 7800 A/BFS. Bob had the second fastest car out there. But very few seemed to notice we were there. So thanks.

 

Rich, The #7800 A/Blown Fuel Streamliner was one awesome machine. I was all over that thing during tech inspection. I am sure that it was more than noticed, any real professional racer would definitely have his eye on that one. What did it run on the salt? I was out on the starting line for days watching the cars start. But, unless you have a portable radio to hear the announcer, you don't have a clue what kind of number the car runs.

 

That car will surprise some folks in the near future. Gman and crew are good folks.........they fed me late night food and beer!

 

It surprised me. I thought he would go near Speed Demon. Not hardly.

 

How fast did "Flashpoint" run down the course?

 

On the first run on the long course Bob went 264 in the 2 304 in the 2 1/4, 313 in the 3, 340 in the 4, 369.163 in the 5 with an exit speed of 382.689. After having trouble keeping it out of the markers all week, on his last run he went 364.030 in the 4. Picking up 24mph over the first day. But went off course in the 5 showing 392 on the logger. Another 3/4 mile and he would have had a 400 mph time slip. How do you like that big blower. 18:71. 60 psi boost. Who would have thought the motor would run fine all week with no repair needed.

 

Yea, I was looking at that blower but I didn't realize it was that big. I thought that PSI blowers were radical with 50 psi at the hit! That helix blower is awesome @ 60 psi. !! Thanks for the report on the performance, that is real impressive.

 

I loved this Model A compe***ion coupe

 

Model A Ford 5 window coupe body, "B" size engine, Blown Fuel Compe***ion Coupe. Reminds me of Art Chrisman's Coupe from back in the early1950's, but with 60 years of technical advancement.

I took the picture as the coupe was being pulled into the tech inspection area.

 

When my son Kenny was about four years old I stuffed away for him a 1932 Ford five window coupe body. It had been laying in a guys yard for years and I swapped a 1932 Chevrolet sedan, complete roller, for the Ford body. Each year I would buy parts for it for Kenny at Christmas and birthdays. I bought Kenny an original ch***is, a dash board, chromed dropped axle ***y., chromed spindles, a complete Early Chrysler Potvin front drive blower ***y.etc. etc.
Now Kenny is 33 years old, some of you may know him from us running the Good Vibrations Funny car together and he is gbones 32coupe on the HAMB.. We have been building the 32 coupe for a couple years now and it will be a Cl***ic Blown Fuel Altered for land speed racing by SCTA rules. This is why I paid so much attention to Tech inspection on these cars, so that I would learn what it takes to build it properly.

Here are some pictures of 32's that I took during Speedweek at Bonneville.



Injected Ford Flathead engine with ARDUN hemi heads.


slide bar at bottom to move picture over

 

More 32 Ford Coupes.