June 2, 2024

So, notice something different about my website? Yup, changed the color of the header and footer to a shade of green. Thought with effort being made to convert to H2, a color change is appropriate.. We are still working on getting resolution of all the technical issues for making the conversion. We only have one big issue to resolve, the is on board storage tanks. the H2 needs to be stored at 10,000 psi in order to get sufficient energy to make a run. While that pressure sounds like a bunch, it is normal for the industry. The small area we have for the tanks complicates the issue considerably but we are homing in on a couple of solutions. Hope to have a handle on it in the next couple of weeks. As you can imagine, there are a lot of issues, big and small necessary to accomplish the conversion, but we only have one left! Hope to have an update shortly and plans made for moving forward. Stay tuned.

February 2024 Update-Hydrogen possibility!

I’m missing Bonneville……

I have been thinking about Bonneville the last several months, it will be 3 years this coming September since we were last there. As I mentioned in my last post, I have retired from driving but that should not negate us from continuing to participate, and enjoying the “Bonneville experience”. The car is in storage, along with the trailer and equipment in Nevada. When we last loaded it we were planning on racing that summer/fall but the weather did not cooperate and the racing surface was not conducive to high speeds.

So, what I am considering is converting the engine to run on hydrogen, H2. I have pondered that possibility for several years but just never was properly motivated. It seems since we have been running a gaseous fuel, CNG that maybe the conversion would not be too difficult. There are certainly issues to be considered that could complicate the matter, or it might be relatively easy process. The biggest issue is H2’s tendency in internal combustion engines to backfire when converting from gasoline to H2. The solution is to provide direct injection and a change to the camshaft timing specs. However the current camshaft is specific for CNG (a gaseous fuel) so it may not need changing. We currently run a port injection configuration and converting to direct injection would be a major undertaking and I am not sure the heads would accommodate the modification necessary. I have contacted several folks with experience with H2 in a ICE and have asked for their advice on these two issues.

There are some other considerations that will need attention. The on board fuel tanks and regulators will need to be changed. H2 fuel is stored at 10,000 psi, geeze! However suitable tanks and regulators are available commercially. We also will need to find a fuel supply. There are no H2 retail refueling stations anywhere close to Bonneville. But there are suppliers that could deliver a cascade storage supply to the salt. Fuel lines would need to be upgraded to rigid stainless steel and some sort of safety/leak detection system would need to be installed. Finally, the Motec engine controller would need to modification for it’s setup parameters. Not of this stuff would be deal breakers.

I am not yet certain we will proceed down this H2 path but giving it serious consideration. I have discussed the matter with the crew and they all like the idea and are wiling to continue offering their help and expertise. As far as a driver, if we proceed I will start an search for a qualified (younger) driver.

Depending up the complexity of the conversation, it is possible we could got back to Bonneville this coming fall. If for some reason that is not possible, then 2025 would certainly work.

One of my frustrations with running CNG is that the FIA does not recognize it as a fuel category when certifying world records. However they do recognize H2 internal combustion engines as a category. There are a number of specific classes, however there is only one record in the books. BMW set a class record of 189 MPH in 2004. After doing some calculations and running a computer simulation for the car, it is reasonable to expect we could run approximately 225 MPH with only 375 HP, 750 HP would get us 300+ MPH. Currently, the CNG setup is producing 1600-1700 HP. Seems like we would heave a go0d shot at setting the H2-ICE world record.

As I mentioned, not yet certain we will head down thus path but certainly giving it some serious consideration.

More later….

IT'S TIME

Well, I have decided it is time for me to hang up my helmet! I have been thinking about when would be a good time to stop driving and with the cancellation for the events at Bonneville the decision was easier. I will be 79 when the next racing season rolls around, it is time. I had been pondering the decision for a while. My plan last year was to run the WOS event, hopefully make some decent runs, maybe touch 400 but that diid not happen as a result of my running over a mile marker and timing light. I decided to repair the car and take another stab at it this year. The wet salt this year scuttled my plans.

I am not sure how Bonneville will figure into my future at this point. I started building my first ‘liner in the late 70’s and it as been the one constant in my life since. I have met a lot of interesting people, made life long friends and experienced the highs and lows of racing. I have benefited from having a terrific family and friends that have helped me along the way and served as my crew. I have been a very lucky guy.

I hope to continue my involvement with Bonneville in some way, just not sure what that is at present. Of course I will have to make a decision whether to continue running the car with another driver or just leave it in my shop to polish occasionally and remind me of what a great adventure it has been.

Thanks to you all for your interest and support over the years.

More later…..

June Update

We are planning on attending the Bonneville World Of Speed meet September 9-12. Will arrive on the salt the 7th. Latest reports from the salt are pretty good, “smooth and firm” for 8 miles! We will fire the engine and spin the driveline in the next couple of weeks to make sure we don’t have any issues with those components. Do not expect any problems. After that, a little “race prep” and we will be ready to load.

More later……

May 2022

Finally finished the rebuild of the damaged nose belly pan and nose with a coat of red paint last week. The repair turned out pretty solid and paint better than I expected. Pictures before and after in the Gallery. Only need a little race prep, check the engine tune and we will be ready to load. Tentative plan is to attend the WOS, we will make a firm decision after a visit to the salt in early July.

February 2022

We (Ellis, Ron and I) did the chassis setup yesterday. Took 11 rounds of adjustment to get Ron “happy”. We probably have as good, maybe better setup than any in the past. 

All that is left to do is paint the nose where the damage was done and do the final race prep. Paint will happen in a couple of months when the weather warms up a little. I expect Ellis and I will make a quick trip to bonneville late june or early July to assess the salt condition. Depending on how things look, will make a decision as to August or September. At present there is no water on the salt and it appears to be pretty dry, all good signs.

More later.


WOS 2021

Well Bonneville 2021 not so hot for us this year. First day did not get to run, several incidents on the track caused delays and then the wind came up in the afternoon. Saturday we did make a run, just a shake down to check out the rebuilt engine, new parachutes and numerous other tweaks. However I hit a timing light, battery and mile (4) marker at around 280. Did just enough damage that we could not repair on the salt so we threw in the towel for 2021. The car performed very good and all the modifications/upgrades worked perfectly. Just a bit of racing luck got us. The salt this year is as good as I have seen in many years, hope if holds for 2022. More later….

July Update

The car is finished and ready to load. We are feeling good about all the work, modifications and numerous tweaks we have made. Latest report on salt conditions as of this am, “5 miles smooth and hard as a rock”. I will provide one more update after we are loaded and ready to head for Bonneville in early September.

Latest Update

We have sent in our entry for WOS 2021. We will be on the salt September 8-13. We have finished the final systems check of the engine and drive train last week. The engine was started, brought up to operating temperature and the transmission shifted through the gears. No Leaks! We are in the process of recalibrating the chassis setup which involves ballasting the car to full weight, placing it on corner scales and checking for balance and ride hight. Still have to install the chute auto deployment sensors after we receive the latest updated devices from 2GIG Engineering. The only remaining task is to wash and wax the car. We will be ready to load in a couple of weeks., just a bit early. Hope everyone has a great summer and we will see you on the salt!

Fall Update

My fall update. Once agin our racing season was not! But we are looking forward to 2021. The World Of Speed meet is scheduled for September 10-13, we plan tp be there! We have continued to do some minor work on the car. I decided to check the CV joints (there are 8 in the drive line) and found a couple there were probably Ok but not perfect. They have been replaced and the other six were checked for proper lubricant. Hoot has been working on a test gizmo to simulate the car functions for testing the chute auto deployment system. The system also shuts the fuel and ignition off in the event of a problem and I am slow to get on the buttons. I have added a couple of pics of the rig, it is pretty cool and typical of Hoots “engineering”. He brought the test rig to Sparks this summer and we were able to dynamically test (driving the freeways) the auto deploy system and it all works as planned. 

On another note, I had another “tune up” recently. As mentioned in a post early this summer I had a hip replacement. The recovery went extremely well and I am 100% recovered form that episode. However old age and a bit of abuse over the years resulted in me having lower back pain and numbness in my feet and lower legs. So, back to the hospital for a little surgery to fix that issue. Happy to report all went well and on the road to recovery. Expect to be back to 100% totally by the first of the year and ready for 2021 racing.

JUNE UPDATE

Howdy, 

Thought I would provide a little update on our plans for Bonneville. Looks like Speedweek is a “go” at this point. The SCTA has secured all the permits necessary and with appropriate covig guidelines will proceed starting the 8th of August. The USFRA has a monthly meeting the first of July and hopefully we will know the plans for World of Speed after that meeting. Sept 11-14. We plan to attend that event. Assuming the reports are positive we will make a quick trip to look at the salt conditions early July. At this point things are trending positive. I will post an update after our reconnoiter trip.

The car is ready, just a few minor things to do. Hoot is planning to be here in the next couple of weeks to test and checkout the chute auto-deployment system. Expecting he has resolved the gremlins that bit us last time around.

On another note, had a little maintenance on the driver (me) last Tuesday. I have been gimping around for the lsat few months and after evaluation it was decided I needed an upper ball joint on my suspension (hip) replaced. All went well, in and out the same day. Took a stroll around the hospital in the afternoon and they booted me out after that. Pretty amazing process. I am walking with a cane and expect to be 100% in 4-6 weeks. Just in time with a little cushion for Bonneville.

More later….

Race Dates, mark your calendars!

Speedweek Aug 11-14

World Of Speed Sept 11-14

World finals Sept 29-Oct 2

No guess as to which one we will shoot for. Will take a look at the salt in June.


September Update

We have decided to pass on running the WOS for this year. Susan and I made a quick visit to Bonneville last Sunday (850 miles round trip). Conditions are not terrible, the primary issue is the shut off area being rough and wet. We are going to wait until next year and hope for better conditions. Looking forward to 2020.

July UpdateWe

We have completed the rebuild of the car except for a few minor things. We expect to fire the engine in the next couple of weeks and being race prep and setup. We will be attending the World Of Speed meet September 13-16. I have added a few pics to the Gallery of the engine rebuild along with a couple of pics of some new crew members. The salt flats are looking good at this point, surface appears reasonably smooth, temps in the mid to upper 90”s for the foreseeable future. Hope to see you on the salt.

2019 SPRING UPDATE

We have completed most of the engine work as well as a number other improvements to the chassis and car in general. The heads are getting a new set of exhaust valves and springs, should be completed and back on the engine in a couple of weeks. New chutes are in production and we expect to have them by the first of June. Final assembly of the car by mid July and ready for tuning. Pretty excited about the overall number of tweaks, repairs and improvements. The car will go to the salt it the best condition that it has been in.

The salt conditions are looking promising.The winter water had gone away last week and things were looking good. However wet weather in western Utah has put the racing surface back under a couple of inches of water. Not a big deal at this point, still expect a lot of drying weather between now and the fall.

We plan to visit the salt in late June to check out conditions. As we get closed to a race date will post more info and updates.

The Latest

After several weeks of looking at broken parts and chasing replacements, following is the latest update on the engine. The number two crankshaft rod journal was damaged but it is repairable and is in process. Two new rods on order, the remaining six with be sent in for reconditioning. Four new pistons (only needed two) being made to match the set. Will install new rings, rod bearings and main bearings. The heads look to be in pretty good shape, but will have them freshened up. We toasted the four CDI coils on the right side as a result of a small oil fire, will replace them. Waste gate monitors need replacement as well. Other than some wiring, and hoses nothing else needed. Really surprised we did not do more damage. 

 

The parachutes have had hard use and we blew a panel out of the main so will get new Kevlar chutes made. 

 

Plan to have it all back together by early summer and will return to the salt at either Speedweek ot the World of Speed. 400+ is certainly within reach.

 

More as we progress…..

WOS After Update

After returning to Sparks we removed the engine and pulled the pan to see what the damage looked like. The good news is, while we pitched a rod the damage is not as bad as it could have been. We have stated on our to-do list for 2019 and plan to go back to Bonneville next year. Hoping the salt is as good as it has been this year. More later…..

WOS After

Well, we had some good and some not so good runs. The first couple of runs on Friday we had some minor electrical gremlins. Saturday was very windy in the afternoon and we did not try anything serious. Sunday started to be a very good day. We ran a 370 mile, 380 exit and 382 peak speed. We ere well over the old record in our class so went to impound to prep for the back up run. Unfortunately we developed and ending problem and had to abort the run. That issue also ended the meet for us. Not sure what the problem is but will start to work on it later this week. We were happy to make the early run and confirm the car is clearly capable of running over 400 mph. We have numerous pictures posted on my personal Facebook page as well as the Lessman Racing Facebook page. Stay tuned to the 2019 plans.