Original Post by Burly Burlile - 36hp Challenge Mailing list
G'day Challengers
The weather continues to plague the final land speed racing events with the World of Speed, World Finals, Mike Cooks High Speed Shootout and the October El Mirage Dry Lake events all being canceled. Fortunately, with the advent of mile events around the U.S. under the auspices of the East Coast Timing Association (E.C.T.A.) in Ohio, and the Mojave Mile and Magnum in California have provided venues for the VW Challengers to exercise their mounts and test this years tuning improvements. And yes, some new 36hp Challenge records were set at both events. Below are the results for the VW racers:
E.C.T.A. at Wilmington, Ohio (September)
1. John Finn 113.4644 84 Rabbit 8383 G/GSS 2000cc Turbocharged WC
2. Tom Bruch/Gaylen Anderson 128.9398 69 Ghia Coupe 9031 NA36 1378cc Turbocharged 36hp
NEW 36hp Challenge NA36Ghia Record Brukrasa Single Port
Tom entered the car and engine combination in three different E.C.T.A. classes in which it met the rules and after making three
separate 128 mile per hour passes with his 36hp engine Ghia, he had put his name in the E.C.T.A. record book three different times.
Below are his new E.C.T.A. class records:
128.9398mph HBGC Record Under 1500cc Blown Gas Coupe(all makes of cars!)
128.1686mph H/CBGC Record Under 1500cc "Classic-pre1981) Blown Gas Coupe(all makes of cars!)
128.2782mph NA36 Record E.C.T.A. sanctions four individual 36hp engine classes for Volkswagens
They include SS(Stone Stock 36)
K36(vintage supercharged 36)
DSS(dual carburetor 36)
and NA36(turbocharged 36)
3. Bill Hatfield 114.272 99 Mexican Bug 2007 DSS36 1602cc Dual Weber 48 IDA Carbs on Wolfsburg West D/P Heads
NEW ECTA DSS Record
Running revised cylinder heads and carburetors tuned by his new crew Bill just missed beating the DSS36Bug record he currently holds by less
than 1 mile per hour.
4. Barry Jecewski 78.7953 74 Super Beetle 9200 G/GRS 1585cc Big Block with a single 2 BBL Weber Carburetor
5. Steven Jecewski 77.1870 74 Super Beetle 9200A G/GRS 1585cc Big Block with a single 2 BBL Weber Carburetor
This was Barry and Steve's first land speed racing event with their beautiful red Super Beetle. Improvements are already in the works for 2014.
MOJAVE MILE/MAGNUM at Mojave, California (October)
1. Dick Beith DNR 68 Bug "Bugliner" 3601 150 Club 1585cc Big Block Turbo F.I. Intercooled
Sadly Dick was just 20 miles short of Mojave on the treacherous Tehachapi Pass when the transmission went out in his tow vehicle keeping
him from being able to race at Mojave. He indicated he will return to Mojave for their spring event to tune the Bugliner for next years USFRA
World of Speed event at Bonneville.
2. Juan Cole 87.4 65 Bug 617 SS36 1192cc Stone Stock
Bonneville Herbie
Over the winter Juan rebuilt his 36hp engine and made gearing changes in the transmission (watch for a future Challenge ENEWS with ALL of the details
on the upgrades which allowed Bonneville Herbie to set the new Stone Stock 36hp Bug record. These changes allowed both Juan and his racing partner
Bryan Houston to set and then reset the record in Herbie five times running with a strong tailwind on the Mojave Magnum one and one half mile long track!
3. Bryan Houston 88.4 65 Bug 617 SS36 1192cc Stone Stock
Bonneville Herbie on a 1 1/2 mile track and up to 20 mph tail wind
4.Bryan Houston 153.6 70 Ghia 643 BB 2287cc Big Block with Dual 48 IDA Webers
Late Night Aircooled on a 1 1/2 mile track with up to 20 mph tail wind
5.Matthew Kenney 80.4 64/74 Beetle 621 "1" Club 1192cc Stone Stock 36hp engine
Air Cooled Research on both the 1 and 1 1/2 mile tracks
Driven to and from race 180 miles each way (way to go Matthew! ! ! )
Car features 74 Super Beetle curved windshield body fitted to a 64 standard beetle chassis
and front standard beetle clip. Improved aerodynamics allowed the SS36 engine to exceed
his best Bonneville speed by five miles per hour.
Matthews story: Got in at about 8-ish, we left Mojave a little after 5. I feel like I've been driving all day.......oh wait.....I have been driving all day! My ride for the car didn't pan out so we did plan "B", I drove it there (it's only about 180 miles) with my wife following me in a rental car with all my stuff for the car. I did about 60 to 62mph all the way there at about 32mpg (24.5 venturi). We all got through tech that evening. After the morning briefing and track drive we were all off and running (Brian, Juan, and myself). Unfortunately Dick didn't show with his car.........I really wanted to see it run! I started with just the mile run instead mile and a half to see where I wanted the tune.....I had left here tuned for 750ft, Mojave is at about 3000ft. I finally got my 80mph on the one mile and moved over to the one and a half, those lines were moving faster to get to the starting line. Juan's first pass on the one and a half mile run was over 85mph! He was very happy. I think Brian's first pass on the same track in the Ghia was 127(?) I think. I just could not get more than 4200 rpm out of the car on either track, which is about 80mph. Later in the day the wind changed enough to make a side sheer and not a direct tailwind as it was first thing in the morning.......the last couple passes I really felt it. It was a really good day out even with the wind. It struck us kind of strange that more of the street rod types were not there, although the motorcycle crowd had it dialed in (one woman did 243mph on her bike). For a first time deal for me I thought it was a good venue that was well organized. We finished the day with the drive home at about 70-72mph after I stuck my flat lander jets back in the carburetor. My first four runs were at the one mile mark. After the tune felt right, I did the one and a half thinking I'd do a better time. About the same top speed depending on the wind, so no real big difference (I thought there would be a difference too). With the seven runs I did I now have a list of about a dozen adjustments to make to the car and drive train so it was well worth the money and time spent. I really liked the digital final speed readout that you could see from the pits.
6. Juan Cole 153.2 70 Ghia 643A2 2287cc Big Block with dual Weber 48 IDA carburetors
Late Night Aircooled on a 1 1/2 mile track with up to a 20 MPH tail wind
FOOTNOTE: Mike Cooks "High Speed Shootout" (in September and again in October)
This event following the rained out World of Speed was also canceled after two additional subsequent delays where they had hopes the water on the course would dry. Sadly, continuing rainstorms hit the salt flats and prevented their ability to provide the 400 and 500 mile per hour streamliners a safe nine mile course from which to make any passes. Since a five mile track was available, the Volkswagen factory backed Car & Driver Magazine entry driven by Tony Swan and built by Richard Holdener, was allowed to make tuning runs and saw a top speed of 165 miles per hour. This was not last years Jetta Hybrid but a new production based race car using the new Beetle TSi platform with a 2 liter turbocharged engine running in G/BGC.
Commentary:
After the Mojave Mile and Mile and a Half event, the question was asked about the various length courses the 36hp and VW Challenge speed records are taken from. Essentially, the length of the track, like headwinds and tailwinds, are not considered even though they can have an outcome on the top speed that goes into the Volkswagen Land Speed History I maintain. Dick Beiths original records were set on three mile tracks so we do not differentiate on the length of the track. 1/2, 1, 1 1/2 and 3 mile are all legal as long as the event is overseen and timed by a sanctioning body using timing light equipment with paper read outs. No GPS!
In reality, it is impossible to factor in all the minute variables that separate one race from another even though I routinely receive requests that a specific category be added based on this fact or that feature. These records are just a carrot. The real reward is you achieving your personal best or PB speed with your Volkswagen and then reaching forward to improve upon your VW's speed at the next event. If you beat a previous top speed, that just makes it all the sweeter.
Over the next month three more land speed events will occur. The Texas Mile is this weekend and the final SCTA El Mirage Dry Lake event and Australia's Snowy Mountain 1000 will both take place in November. If you are racing, race safe and if you are not, please try to attend as spectators to support you local racers.
Until then, for the fun of it, that is the Challenge!
Burly
Burly Burlile
VW 36hp & BB CHALLENGE
Volkswagen Land Speed Racing Historian
Society of Land Speed Racing Historians