Mike Cooks 2009 land speed Shootout SEPT. 21-25

The Mormon Missile name is a tribute to the historic Mormon Meteor car of David Abbott "Ab" Jenkins. In order to build Lynn's new diesel streamliner, the team had a simple design criterion: create a chassis to hold a Duramax V-8 in the most aerodynamic shape possible. They ended up with a chassis that places the engine in the center of the car driving the rear wheels, and putting the driver in front of the engine. Powering the car is a highly modified 6.6L Duramax V-8 diesel. Lynn used a Duramax in his last car and was happy with its performance. So it was an easy decision to use it in the Mormon Missile. But, unlike the old car's Duramax that used stock internal components, the new engine was built with substantial internal modifications by Curtis Halvorson.

6L Racemax The engine uses a twin sequential turbocharger setup that provides a burst of top-end power to propel the car through increasing aerodynamic drag. The charged air is cooled using two intercoolers; one large aluminum unit that sits in the valley between the cylinder heads, and another that cools air between the two stages of turbocharging. Because airflow is limited underneath the body, both intercoolers use chilled water to cool the air.

Updates for the 2004 Bonneville season.

The E-Z-Hook Streamliner is running in the 1350cc Motorcycle Streamlined Blown Fuel Class, and currently holds records in the 1350cc Streamlined Motorcycle Fuel Class at 294.855MPH, 1350cc Streamlined Motorcycle Gas Class at 285.747MPH and the Streamlined Motorcycle Blown Fuel Class at 332.410MPH

NEW! 9/6/06 - Sam Wheeler made one way pass at the BUB International Speed Trials at a speed of 355.303MPH. Sam was unable to make a return pass for the record due to a front tire failure. The front tire started to deteriorate at about the 4 mile mark due to loss of tire pressure. At the 6 mile mark the tire finally came apart, Sam tipped on his side and slid approximately 2/10th of a mile. At this time it is unclear why the tire lost pressure.

Sam is currently making repairs to the body work and searching for a new tire manufacture to supply high speed tires to withstand speed of 400MPH

DENIS MANNINH BUB LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN

Article Comments MORE IN FLAT TRACK >>

We caught up with Carr yesterday as he checked in with us at the conclusion of BUB Speed Trials, and talked about this year's week of two-wheeled action on the salt.

CN: How did your runs go this week?
Chirs Carr: I did one run today and I did one yesterday. I did a 351 yesterday which was my shakedown run. They were great runs. Before yesterday I hadn’t ridden in 14 months on the motorcycle and we went 351 off the trailer and backed it up with a 355 today. We aren’t in position to chase the record just yet. It’s obviously not an easy thing to accomplish. So we’ve got some work to do. But we’re encouraged that the record will fall.

But we still had the same issue and then we had our other problems as well. So it’s back to the drawing board for a while. Whether it’s two weeks, two months or two years, we don’t know. But we feel confident that we’ve gained enough data to learn from. Not only me as a rider, but for the team, as well. We’re headed in the right direction.

And I hear you had a small fire onboard during your last run?
Yeah, but there were no major issues. I wasn’t in any real danger or anything like that. It did affect my parachute so the slowdown did go approximately a half-mile beyond the 11 (mile marker) into ungroomed salt. I didn’t crash the bike or anything like that but we did suffer some fire damage on the decel of the run. But we stopped without wrecking. No damage done to me.

You didn’t ruin the paint job, did you?
It bubbled up the tail pretty good. [laughs] The bike still looks almost new, but it’s got a lot of fire retardant on it right now. We melted some wiring in there and we had some parachute issues because of the onboard fire. The bike has some stuff that needs to be repaired. Hopefully we’ll be ready in a couple weeks for the private meet. (Carr is referring to the Top 1 Oil High-Speed Shootout scheduled for later this month.)

Tell me about the new tires you’re running.
They are Goodyears. They’re made specifically for land-speed racing. They held their air and they didn’t chunk. In fact, after two runs, they still had the nipples on them. So the tires are solid.

To set a new record, don’t you have to break the existing one by at least one percent?
That used to be the case years ago, but the FIM, you just have to beat the record. Because timing equipment today is more sophisticated and much more accurate whereas 20 years ago it wasn’t the case. So they had the one percent rule in place just for margin of error. Nowadays, the margin of error is much narrower. So the one percent rule has been abolished at least as long as FIM is concerned. That’s my understanding.

Back in 2006 when the 350 mark fell, everyone was already talking about the 400 mph mark. How far off do you think that is?
I think reaching that 400 mph mark is a little bit more elusive than anyone – including myself – was anticipating. From my personal standpoint, my outrun in ’06 was fairly easy, considering. And I just experienced in the last two days some very difficult 351/355 runs. So 400’s a ways off. That’s going to take some time. It’s going to take some real good fine tuning. It’s going to take some really good engineering, and it’s going to take a lot of courage to be very honest with you. Yes, ultimately I’d like to see the 400 mile mark drop and I hope to be the one to do it, but I’m not in a hurry to do it.

But there are changes that we’ve made to the motorcycle since then and we are a little better. We have more power. Our aerodynamic package is better. But the course conditions weren’t quite as good. So we have to weigh all that out. We’re going to have to creep to 400. We’re not going to jump to it.
The thing I’ve told to a lot of people is that we’re not in a hurry to go fast. And that’s kind of a hard thing for some people to grasp. But at the speeds we’re going, the smallest mistakes are very, very drastic in repercussions and we’re hoping that we’re keeping our mistakes at the very minimum at the moment. We’re going to try and take our time to go the speed that we need to go to hold on to the land speed record.

Check out www.worldsfastestmotorcycle.tv for a day-by-day recap. Also, go to www.landracing.com for a complete listing of the times run at this year's BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials.

The current world-record setting BUB streamliner, the “#7” sponsored by Drag Specialties & Parts Unlimited, is so named because it is the seventh streamliner Denis Manning has designed and crafted. The streamliner features numerous engineering firsts, including a 3000cc, 425hp engine purpose-designed and built for land speed racing. Says Manning, “The goal is to continue developing and testing the #7 streamliner. We hope to retain the record at the next BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials. Our dedication and hard-work paid off this year. I have no doubt next year will be just as exciting.”

Look for Mike and his jet bike to run at Bonneville this summer.

Salt Addiction Mike Charlton Jet Bike

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Gillette Mach 3 Challenger team. (Richard “Rocket Man” Brown is in the white shirt.)

In 1999 Richard “Rocket Man” Brown and his team crossed the pond from the UK to compete on American soil. What was unique to their effort was the use of three hydrogen peroxide hybrid rockets which powered their motorcycle streamliner, the Gillette Mach 3 Challenger.

Richard’s propulsion-powered vehicle shot across the desert floor like the rocket it was. I remember the ground trembling beneath our feet and this thunderous roar echoing off the mountains. It reminded me of a jet fighter making a low pass just off the deck - the sound or real horsepower.

The Gillette Mach 3 Challenger undergoes wind tunnel testing to insure stability and aerodynamic efficiency.

It could be said that Richard’s machine technically wasn’t a motorcycle. A motorcycle by definition - pertaining to land speed racing, must have only two wheels which lay down a single track, and utilize a motorcycle engine. The latter, a hydrogen peroxide hybrid rocket hardly fits the bill as a motorcycle engine.

Richard wouldn’t be the first to run an unorthodox powerplant. Jim Feuling’s three-wheeled motorcycle streamliner attempt also netted a single run average over 332 mph, but he was powered by an automotive engine. Art Arfons, creator of the Green Monster jet powered cars which competed head to head against Craig Breedlove in the '60s, also built a two-wheeled jet powered streamliner. He later redesigned it into a four-wheel configuration after suffering severe handling problems.

The Bub Seven streamliner utilizes a unique engine configuration; a one-off V4 powerplant that many argue is not a motorcycle engine. You’d be hard pressed to find one at your local motorcycle dealer or any dealership on the planet.

Mike’s fire breathing big rig is a definite show stopper.


Regardless of engine classification, bragging rights for the fastest two-wheeled machine is the common goal. With that in mind, there’s a new kid on the block eager to throw his hat in the ring. Mike Charlton is in the process of building his own jet-powered motorcycle streamliner. He already campaigns a jet-powered big rig at select drag meets along with a blown V8 powered drag bike that burns rubber the entire length of the strip!

Mike’s dad was a big influence, taking him to the drag strip at an early age. While most kids were reading comic books, Mike had his head buried in Hot Rod magazines. “I remember the first time I saw the jet cars run I knew what I wanted to do.”

I asked if there were many roadblocks to running his machine at Bonneville. He’s been told by some that he couldn’t run a thrust-powered motorcycle. Also, his specially prepared billet (tireless) wheels have taken issue with others. And, he’s been denied entry into the Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials. None of this seems to dampen Mike’s enthusiasm. “Right now I’m talking to someone else. Make no mistake, we will run at Bonneville.”

I wouldn’t bet against him…

Mike and close friend Roger Kilian pose next to their creation.

“We plan on attempting to set the unlimited motorcycle land speed record, the emphasis being unlimited. I don’t understand an unlimited class set at 3000cc. I have the utmost respect for all the guys going after the wheel driven record: Denis and Chris, Mike and Rocky, Sam Wheeler and for sure Max Lambky. The four-wheel record has not been held by a car engine since the thirties or forties when they started installing aircraft engines. Sooner or later the motorcycle two-wheel record will be held by a thrust-powered vehicle. I believe Richard “Rocket Man” Brown and Art Arfons gave us a glimpse of that.”

I guess you could say Mike’s knowledge of jet engines and how they work comes from the school of hard knocks. “I bought the engine for the truck from a construction company. It had a burned “hot section”. I purchased a book from Tim Arfons and read it and went to work­a lot of trial and error. I became friends with Tim who is probably the most knowledgeable man on land speed jet engines around.” He also gives credit to Art Arfons and learned a lot from his two-wheeled attempt.

The engine, a General Electric J85 turbojet, is capable of 4500 lbs of thrust with afterburner, which is the equivalent of 8000 horsepower. Military jet fighters and civilian passenger jets share the same engine.

On a lighter note, Mike asked Tim Arfons how big he should build the fuel tank for his two-wheeled jet powered racer. “One gallon,” was his reply. He said that’s all you need before it falls over on its side. The voice of experience also has a sense of humor.

“I know there are more talented builders and drivers out there but you will be hard pressed to find two more determined people than myself and Roger.”
Look for Mike and his jet bike to run at Bonneville this summer.

The world's first hydrogen fuel cell powered landspeed streamliner.

The Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2, nicknamed “La Jamais Contente” in tribute to the first vehicle to go faster than 60 mph (100 km/h) in 1899, will establish a record for an Hydrogen Fuel Cell Streamliner in Bonneville Salt Flats this coming September.

This ground-breaking vehicle is designed and built entirely by Ohio State University students with the guidance and support of OSU faculty and industry sponsors.

http://www.osu.edu/features/2007/bullet

Oh! And this one too. Geroge Poteet piloted the Turbonetics TNX-115 Ball Bearing powered V8 through the 5 mile course at an average of 394 mph and an exit speed of 401 mph. The D/Fuel Streamliner tremendous torque was being generated by the Kenny Duttweiler built powerplant.

Hellfire Engine Specs:
Engine Builder - Kenny Duttweiler
5 liter, 299 cubic inch V-8
Projected 2,200+ HP - 10,000+ RPM
Dart Iron Eagle Block
Dart Little Chief Cylinder Heads
Turbonetics 115mm Billet Turbocharger
Jesel Valvetrain
Crower Crank & Rods

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www.hotrodhotline.com, www.landspeedracing.com

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