When it looked like we were in the eye of the storm on Friday, the wind gusts had calmed down to only 7-8 MPH crosswinds, and I decided to hurry up and get in line. This photo is me staring at the drops on the windshield and the windsock trying to figure if we would run at all.

There were very few racers lined up, so we had no trouble getting out on the course.

The run was going smoothly, albeit I had to steer to the right the whole time because of the crosswind - until I got between mile 3 and mile 4 when a gust crossed the race course and blew my nose over 90 degrees. The video says I was going 213 MPH at this time.

I counter-steered, and as the car came back to point the right way, pulled the chute to stop the spin and straighten me out. It worked perfectly and what could have been a very big deal ended harmlessly.

Its quite a video tho, and I will put that one up as soon as the record run video is done.

 

Great Job~! the salt can be one unforgiving um.... environment. Now that you are home make sure the car is completely disassembled, & cleaned as salt will be in in every nook and cranny..... the longer the wait before the cleaning the more damage done. most parts will need to be completely stripped down and refinished. Ufortunately 3-4 back to back trips to the salt will render most cars into a relic, and the tow vehicles have shortened life as well.

 

Great job Carl!! I cant believe the weather! what a bad deal for you , but certanly you can leave knowing you gave it a great shot. 216.6mph is huge! 16 more MPH would be easy without the issues with the weather and your splitter digging in. fix that and 240mph!!!

 

Carl,
Great job!
What an experience, looks like you learned a lot this year.

I always look forward to your 928 events.

 

Easy is not a word I would use for this. You are kidding yourself if you think that extra 16 will be easy.

Well done Carl.

 

Ha ha...that is exactly what I was thinking to myself when I stopped in there to watch in August!

I had no idea. I think its one of those, until you have been there type of things.

And great pics and write up, thanks for sharing. -Ed

 

Actually the hard work was all done for the 216. I suspect Carl has already made the tweaks and hit 232 in his head on the way home..

 

Thank everyone, thanks a lot.

Charley is right - I already have the motor for it we now know.... so we already have the rear traction problem "solved" in our minds any way :-) Going to a wind tunnel in North Carolina in November while we are on our way to the National Porsche show at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 5th.

We will test our theories there and try to get this *** end to squat like we want it to at speed.

 

You mean...in text in an online forum...it'd be easy.


Next year will have different challenges..it'll never be easy, or you'd be doing it already too.

 

Thank God we think its easy at all. Wonderful, stupid, ignorant human optimism.
If we knew the truth at the start of a project, we would never even try. :-)

 

Nice Job Carl!

You've basically had to theorize and make educated guesses regarding all aspects of this project, from the supercharged stroker mill, to the suspension and chassis mods, to aero package, etc. I don't think there is one part of this 928 that you haven't had to rethink and re-design to make it a contender for this record.

And while all of your past driving / racing experience, engine building and chassis fabrication experience may have helped get you to a finished product, the bottom line is all that once on the salt, it was all untested as it was designed to be used (including the driver )

Personally, I think you're crazy, but I'm very thankful that you are crazy in a 928.
Thanks for pushing the boundaries and risking harm while the rest of us get to watch from the sidelines and enjoy your accomplishments from the safety of our own homes.

Glad you stayed safe and driver and car made it through in one piece.

 

Wow. Thanks Adam!

Thanks to all for your support and kind words.

I will see what I can learn in the wind tunnel in November (it will be nice to finally get a Cd on this car) and then make the "we are going back next year" decision.

 

Been following with much interest and congrats on your success and look forward to video. I was thinking of taking my car out to the salt's when done ......now a smooth road looks a little more predictable. The aerodynamics you where changing to find a proper balance I found interesting since I noticed at 160 and above with a 996 RUF Aero which I thought was to high in front was incorrect and dropped enough at high speeds to rub my wheel liners.

 

When we get to the wind tunnel I think we will be surprised how much the rear squats at speed. I rubbed my rear tires on the upper fender well too.... we will be limiting rear suspension travel next time.

 

Given the high weight of the car and high spring rate on a rather uneven surface perhaps the shocks are not capable of controlling the movement. Using suspension stops means no suspension when it hits the limit or basically an infinite spring rate. Might work in a straight line but horrible in any kind of a turn. Would also stress the chassis as the frame becomes the spring because something will flex !