2011 LSR - Getting Ready for a GREAT new season

Hi Folks,

Credit Britt Grannis for getting me started in this Land Speed Record stuff. He not only informed me about it, but also helped me get my '59 KG coupe ready for the September '09 events at Bonniville. That year was almost a bust, but in 2010, I finally got into the swing of things.

Also credit Burly for his encouragement - and pretty much all the VW folks who've attended the 2009 and 2010 Bonneville World Of Speed events; you've all been great to me, very helpful in every way, and fun to be around.

(You can read up on my team's 2009 efforts here: http://ghiacoachworks.com/share/denzel_lsr.html)

This year I hope to cure a basic problem: Gearing. Back in '09, I was still very unsure what my engine would do and what the CD of the KG was, etc, however, best back-of-the-envelope calculations said "the lines cross" at not less than 112, and more like 118 mph. Now, having not only run with two seasons behind me and having put the engine on a dyno in Salt Lake City, those numbers seem very realistic, if not even a bit modest. If I could only get up there, mid 120s seem plausible.

The challenge for me this year is to solve the gearing issue.  In short, the first year I had engine issues mostly due to running out of time before race-day - and I nearly didn't make it racing at all! I got the engine issues behind me during the off season last year and proved it out on the salt - not to mention the dynamometer readings! ...I won't give specifics, but lets say that this engine puts out more HP than any published Porsche 356 specification short of the 4 cam series, and substantially more torque. As a practical matter, the engine was still pulling _very_ strongly through the traps, but not increasing in speed enough.

"I hit a wall."

I probably added 18 miles per hour in fourth - not enough for my taste, but it was enough to get to 105.777 and that was enough to win the year's"36 Hp Challenge Top Speed 2010" award. Still, it's frustrating to look at the tach and see the engine below peak HP  and just _know_ it's got a lot more in it.

I'll probably want to get into a discussion about gearing ideas at some point but for now, my question is simply:

Well, folks, what are _your_ challenges for this season?

Best wishes for a great 2011,

Richard

"Remember, keep the shiny side up, rubber side down, and your foot in it."