Learning by doing is a good thing because it moves
you forward. Knowledge can be acquired in various ways, but one of them is
definitely; practice. So even if we only got one chance to race this year
(and a couple of test races down the rookie race lane) we got a deeper
understanding about Landspeed racing in general and Speed Week in particular.
We had the time to get to know other races, while we
all waited for the racetrack to dry up and we experienced how slushy the salt
can be when the weather gods is against you.
People who
really knew, explained how the Bonneville Salt Flats dry
up every spring, how it differs between the years and how the flats gets a
hard raceable salt surface. Finally, we got a little bit humbler. At least when it comes
to reaching +200mph on the Salt.
To reach our goal, a lot of stars needs to be in their right position. The race car must work perfectly. The tow truck must be perky and all drivers needs to be cool, focused and happy and in addition, the race track needs to be better than good. Then…
Nevertheless, at some point in time we pulled up the 449 Amazon on our trailer...
...and headed out in the Wild West. As usually, new places was found. Places like Ely where hotels like Hotel Nevada, provided a nice atmosphere.
After a couple of days in epic landscapes, we were back at Erik and Ruth's Place in California. We met Nisse The Camtwister and his team and we all had the same task. Wash, clean and fix technical problems and pack.
Cleaning strategy after Bonneville Speed Week:
Clean rigorously. Crawl under the vehicle. Start all over again. Repeat the proceedure five times, minimum. Spray the anti-corrosion fluid of your likings in all cavities.
When the race car and our Suburban finally were nice and shiny, we cleaned up the electical system as well to avoid future race disturbance.
Eventually everthing came to a happy end.
The Salt Slush Racing Team got more experianced. The 449 Amazon is better than ever and Anders, Eriks and Ruth's son got a Salt Slush Tee.
And yes, there was a really nice after race party too!
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