Bonneville 2013
Let me say for the record that I hate writing. Even the necessary emails that I have to do on a daily basis are
often arduous for me. That said I do feel like I have a lot I want to share and
that I’m way behind so let me try to catch up a bit here. First Scott Kolb has resurrected
his long dormant blog about the 125cc partial Streamliner. Go read it. it has a lot more pictures of the fabrication than I will post here and Scott's description of the process is a great way to get an understanding of just what went into building his bike and you can read about the full streamliner he has in the works. His bike has been the
inspiration for my bike he first built it and went to Bonneville in 2006. It is his bike you see in these pictures and it is Team Kolb that is the team I've gone to Bonneville to support
(2010 and 2013). Since 2010 Scott has held the record for the Special construction
(frame) Partial Streamline (body), normally aspirated, Fuel 125cc. Since 2010 Hence the
markings on the side 125cc APS-AF. That record was 146.72mph and still stands. Prior to that he has held 125cc records since he first set foot on the salt in 2006. In
February of 2011 we got the chance to do wind tunnel testing at one of the A2
wind tunnels in Mooresville NC.
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| Also setting the record for worlds most meticulously applied graphics! |
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| Scott, Andrew and I go over the Sponsorship Graphics |
That was an incredibly educational experience
and provided a huge amount of data that we used to make improvements to the aerodynamics
of the bike. We weren't able to make it to Bonneville in 2012 for financial
reasons but this year we did make it due to a large part Scott’s determination
and a most of the expense coming from Scott personally. With the improved
bodywork and a new motor we were hoping to significantly increase our record.
Scott decided to run in the AG class this year as the record in that class was
significantly lower than our previous speeds so it was an easy target relatively
speaking.
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| The only person at the event lighter than Scott, Aden tries on the bike for size. |
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| Tech Inspection is a game of"What will they object to next and why they are wrong". |
Our real goal was to have the updated bike see the kind of speeds we
calculated it should be going (we believe 170mph+) which was significantly
faster than what we were running in 2010. In 2010 we felt like the bike never
reached its potential mostly due to traction issues but the improved aerodynamics
we hoped would help with that. Unfortunately
this year the bike arrived at Bonneville bit under prepared and so quite a bit
of time was spent during the first days getting the bike ready for tech.
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| At the starting line wait for our turn. The People who volunteer at the event are always great to talk to while waiting |
When
we finally got through tech after fixing a couple of objections from the
inspectors there were only 2 days left to racing. We had some electrical issues
that showed up at the worst possible times limiting the number of runs we ultimately
got to do but all in all it was a success and Scott set a new record in the
125cc APS-AG Class (spec Fuel) of 149.907mph.
Also along for the ride this year was a film crew directed by noted photographer Jason Brownrigg. you can see he and his crew in some of these pictures. Jason is filming for a pilot for a TV show he's pitching that will showcase various american motor sports and their participants. You can check out the segment on Scott and the Bonneville effort here: http://vimeo.com/69919930
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| Launch! |
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The real reason we go is for the amazing sunsets.
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| Steering Detail |
More info on Bonneville, Bub Speed trials , dates, rules, and the current records for various classes can be found here: www.speedtrialsbybub.com
