[Land-speed] Another dream?

[Kirkwood]

That summer in 2006 had quite a bit of excitement. Before that time no
diesel had ever broken the 300MPH barrier. On one hand you had the JCB
Diesel Max. A multi million dollar publicity and marketing effort by a
British manufacturer with all the best engineering, manufacturing, and
computer horsepower we can only dream of and Andy Green as driver. On the
other hand you had a single handed, retired (70 something) engineer from
Montana with a little (C motor) Cummings trying to be the first to go 300
MPH. Roy Lewis had gone about 270 something (I can't remember exactly) the
year before. During the early part of the week JCB had continual problems.
They had software that wasn't communicating correctly, turbos out of sync
with each other, etc. They waited in the long lines only to have to abort a
run part way through. They moved to the Wendover hanger so they could work
on the car and even used the taxi way to try and sort out issues. Everyone
knew JCB would go 300 that week. It was only a matter of time and who would
be first! The JCB was a AA, two motor streamliner. It wasn't about a class
record but rather which country would break the diesel 300 first. Roy had
made an earlier run that was just under 300. I think it was Monday or
Tuesday that Roy qualified over 300mph. Everyone was pulling for him and he
backed it up with a 306 average the next day. Two days later JCB ran 317.
The next week at the FIA meet they went 350ish. Roy had been working toward
that record for 4 years. There could be no greater contrast between
vehicles. One man's ingenuity and resourcefulness vs. a high powered
manufacturer with the best resources money could buy. They were both winners
in their class. It is the technical diversity, the creative ideas and
talent, as well as the respect, and friendliness, that Makes Speed Week what
it is.