[Land-speed] Worlds Fastest Sunbeam - The Rest of the Story, Day 3, Wednesday, Part B

[Larry Mayfield]

  Wednesday, Part B

That way they launch a long course car and as soon as it clears the 3 
mile, they launch a 150 car. and they bounce back and forth that way to 
keep things going.  Well, things start to go funny.... we put in 40 
pounds of ice into the intercooler and start setting up the laptop. It 
did not want to talk to the tweecer!  After rebooting and turning the 
A9P on and off, it did start and I set it to data logging.  As soon as I 
see tha data logging is stable and is continuing, we close the laptop 
and put the aluminum tonneau on. My good friend Dale Pulju is in charge 
of getting me geared up and into the car and locking down teh tonnea 
cover. We have an extension power cable from the push truck to the car 
to power the laptop during the long wait times. It just takes data until 
the motor is turned off at the end of the run.  Now I get into the 
car...can you say oh boy?  I squirm into the roll cage, wiggle my butt 
into place and Dale puts the belts on. Lemme tell ya, When Dale pulls on 
the belts, you are definitely part of the car.  Ahh, but here is where 
the fun on this run begins.... I had reinstalled the full diameter 
steering wheel I had used some time ago because I had installed a 
steering ratio reducer and it was a bit oft set.  I figured that it woul 
allow me to make easy turns. This was the first time for the ratio 
reducer.  Well, the big steering wheel caused me no end of grief, lol. 
First, my left hand was trapped under it and I could not move it far 
enough to get it into position to put my hand on it at the 10 o'clock 
position. Push up to the line where Dale tells the starter that we are 
just making a check run to about the 3 mile to make sure nothing falls 
off the car, that the steering works, and the new fuel system works as 
well and oh, the intercooler keeps the air cooler.  So there I sit when 
the starter comes over, Monty,  and chats with me, pulls on the harness 
and tells me to start the car. I do, and he oints down course. I slip 
the shifter into 1,2,3 position and off I go. With my gas pedal foot 
trapped behind the freaking gas pedal.  and then I find out that, crap, 
my brake foot is also trapped behind the brake pedal.  Crap! On course 
at an idle... Folk were snickering and making fun, lol, I learned later. 
My good friends, lol.... I did managed to get both feet in some position 
to mash things and off I finally went. It was that large steering wheel 
that caused the problem I had prevented my legs from any movement at all 
because it was right on them.  Well, we made our check run at something 
under 150 mph and turned off and went to the return road. My friend Tom 
Shannon who is a course worker came over and asked if it was ok and 
handed me a bottle of water. Helped me get then booties off. Handed me a 
hand written timing slip telling me what I had managed.   I think he was 
giggling but I can't be sure. But, thanks Tom!   Back to the pit. 
Changed that steering wheel to the butterfly one I had been using. Also 
added 15 degrees up angle to the spoiler because it was twitchy out 
there on the course even at 150 or slower.  Snugged the car down for the 
night.  Took the printer and lap top back to he hotel where I made a 
change to the spark table.  I had modifiedd it ut for some reason, some 
of the cells I didn't change were pretty high spark for the modest load 
I was seeing. Made those changes and we headed out to supper and early bed.

Wednesday was finally done and I was still alive, lol as was the car.....