"Like riding on the moon"

[California98Civic]

Says the owner of the 1968 Sundowner Corvette bonneville LSR car: "The body looks swoopy but it's not and a lot of lead is distributed throughout the car to keep it on the ground at over 200 mph."

If he is serious, it seems some more aeromods would be smarter than weights, which slow him down on acceleration more than aeromods would. Or maybe weights are better than aero to reduce lift because the goal is top speed and most lift-leduction would have a drag penalty reducing top speed capability.

'Like riding on the moon': Welcome to the fastest place in the world - CNN.com

[Vman455]

I'm surprised he doesn't have an airdam. That's an easy drag and downforce double whammy.

[freebeard]

The link took me to an article about two women, a photographer and a motorcycle racer, that leads with a picture of Bombshell Betty. The most awesome straight-8 on the planet. It's airdam is pretty aggressive, it's like a locomotive cow-catcher.

Bonneville is like being on the moon, it's really a whole different world.

Valerie Thompson

If you've been there you know how it's true, it's an optically different environment where you can go snow-blind. Or you can see for miles and miles and miles.

I assume the Corvette is the one that floats to the top in Google Images. The lack of add-ons may be due to class restrictions. Here's a decked out Corvette.



Weight isn't a handicap at Bonneville. The salt is a high rolling-resistance, low friction medium.

[California98Civic]

Link still works for me. But here is a different shot of the same '68 Vette. In this pic just getting underway at Bonneville. I actually was there once, with my daughter, in 2012, for World of Speed. Met a few EM memebers there. I have a bunch of pics you might like in an album on my profile page here at EM.

[P-hack]

very neat special purpose ride there.

Originally Posted by freebeard

class restrictions.

that is probably a factor,

lots more details on this clickfest article

Forty Years of Fast : page 6 | Issue 93 | Corvette Magazine

1/2 ton of ballast, and if they have most of it up front it will not only help keep the nose down, but will make it more aerodynamically stable in general (cg in front of the cp and all that)

[freebeard]

Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - freebeard's Album: bonneville

I get it now. It's the same article, but your discussing picture 8 of 14.

[California98Civic]

Yup. Nice pics in your album too. I remember some of those cars... got a shirt from the Blackline Racing team (the VWs) at a BBQ too. They cancelled all the races this year, I think. Salt is too thin. Not enough safe track.

[aerohead]

I believe that he would be allowed,under the rulebook, to do some alterations just for safety's sake.And they WOULD lower the drag.
The 'naked' '68 Corvette is around Cd 0.49 with the headlights retracted,and Cd 0.501 with them up.
Two years ago,the C-5 Corvettes were measuring over Cd 0.31 @ Darko and were going airborne at 210-mph if they went sideways.(nice full gainer in pike position!)

[freebeard]

They cancelled all the races this year, I think. Salt is too thin. Not enough safe track.

It was cr@p the year before (too wet):


California is going to need saltwater desalination to meet their needs. They will produce millions of tons of salt (per year? per week?) they have no use for. All the fracking oil trains taking out oil to China could haul salt brine back uphill.



Coroplast —on the Moon!