El Mirage land speed time trials June 2022

Mike Kaehny is the record keeper for the SCTA dry lakes land speed time trials. This was a function that my father, Wally Parks, was responsible for in the 1940s before becoming Editor of Hot Rod Magazine and then founding the NHRA. I know that he would be very proud of the men and women volunteers who keep these records. Thank you, Mike, and all the other motorsports record keepers who keep our history alive. For additional history on land speed racing, write to me, and I will send you a free copy (Word Doc) of my father’s story.

Richard

Impound Insights for the SCTA El Mirage Meet in June (2022)

The folks who decided to attend round 2 of the SCTA racing season were greeted with windy and hot weather on Saturday for inspections, and race day wasn’t much better. The 45 entries made 42 starts, and 1 round of racing was completed before the race was called just before 10 am. If you’re wondering why there was a shortened event, it was decided to preserve what racecourse is left to have official races later in the year. What I mean by “official” is that one round of racing must be completed in order for the race to be considered an “official event.”

The fastest car of the meet was the Empire Special entry at 255.180 mph, and the fastest motorcycle was the Kacey Bear Racing entry at 216.104 mph. On to the records… Mark Vigeant got things started on the car side with a 150.509 mph pass in the Rice Vigeant Racing, Honda-powered K/BFL. Team McLeish Datsun entered a Datsun B110 in the I/BGCC class, and Derek McLeish stood on the loud pedal long enough to produce a 166.978 mph record against the 140-mph minimum. Joel Wirth drove the Empire Special entry and nailed down a clean run that produced a 255.180 mph record in the B/BGMR class. He bumped his record from May and set fastest speed of the meet using Chevy power. Scott Goetz laid down his self-proclaimed “best pass in 20 years” while behind the wheel of the Aardema Braun entry in the D/FL class. The 241.768 mph jaunt down the lakebed was made using Chevy power. Well done, Scott! The Calloway & Warnock entry in G/GR had Troy Glenn in the seat for the second time this season. His 153.035 mph run was good enough to bump his record from May. The yellow ’29 uses Honda power for motivation. And to round out the day on the car side, we had Peter Hendrickson sail through the lights at 193.436 mph on a 190-mph minimum. The Montana Dodge Boys entry in XXF/BGL uses Ardun power.

Motorcycle time: The Kacey Bear Racing entry in the 1350/M-BF class had John Noonan in the saddle, and he ran the Hayabusa to a new record of 216.104 mph, which was also good enough for fastest motorcycle of the meet. Brian Rochlitzer grabbed a bit of El Mirage horsepower and used it to push the record in 175/M-F to 104.674 mph. The Dugan/Rochlitzer entry runs Honda power. Kat Diamond rode the Kat Diamond KIYO entry in the 175/M-G class to a new record of 105.657 mph using Honda twin power. The final rider to make an appearance was Ralph Leclerq aboard the Team McLeish Honda entry. Ralph managed to hold on long enough to run 82.706 mph for a new record in the 175/M-PF class using Honda power.

There will not be a July meet again this year. The consensus is that there is simply not enough good real estate to run on and what there is needs to be preserved for the final three events of the season. The next scheduled meet at El Mirage will be on September 11, with technical inspections held on Saturday the 10th. Before we meet again on the hallowed ground of El Mirage, we will gather for Speedweek on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The annual celebration of speed starts on August 6 and runs through August 12. Until then, take care and keep it between the lines.

Mike Kaehny, SCTA Record Certification Officer