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Author Topic: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !  (Read 30622 times)

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #50 on: September 06, 2016, 06:47:03 AM »
Another factor is that the SCTA,
who runs Speed Week at Bonneville,
requires special leathers,
calling for NO cooling vents, and NO
cloth panels – which means that
modern, “off-the-rack” road-race leathers
may not pass  inspection.

 
It also means that I sometimes must spend the
whole last day in a “fitting,” where I show my “special”
riding position to the “leathersmith” and he makes
the leathers fit “tight,” for least wind resistance.

 This year, the fit was a BIG problem……

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #51 on: September 07, 2016, 04:53:41 AM »
My Leathers fit VERY tight,
and I am sure the wind resistance was minimal. 

On the other hand, I could NOT change
 my position on the bike. 

AND, the position I had was WAY to far forward,
putting too much weight on the front forks.

The immediate result was that the bike was all over the track,
and I could hardly get the bike to go straight ! 

The other situation was that I spent three (3) miles
at about 65mph wondering if the next bump was
going to put me on the salt !


Offline Stainless1

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #52 on: September 07, 2016, 09:43:40 AM »
Just got to hate leathers that shrink over time like that.... I think it is the exposure to the salt  :hys:
Bonneville 200 MPH Club
245 MPH Turbo Busa Powered Lakester
208.959 MPH NA GSXR 1000

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #53 on: September 08, 2016, 07:55:19 AM »
Just got to hate leathers that shrink over
time like that.... I think it is the exposure to the salt  :hys:


Yes........

Or, in my case, SALT PORK..........

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #54 on: September 08, 2016, 07:56:34 AM »

Later, in impound after the first run, I
noticed that my partner John had dropped the
front forks to suit his smaller and 50 pounds lighter build.

With me on the bike, it looked to have NO rake or trail……………….

The next morning, with GREAT trepidation, I
donned my back-up (NOT custom made, and a lucky-eBay – find)
leathers and tamed that bike to a howling 64 mph return run,
and set my FIRST EVER Bonneville record below the national speed limit.

(Friday morning, it is back to the salt
for the next race.

Your service may be interrupted......)

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #55 on: September 08, 2016, 08:43:27 PM »
Interestingly, my “down” run
was a solid 65 mph,and the return
run was a disappointing 64mph.

That may not sound like a big deal,
but at Bonneville, records change hands
with less than a 0.010 mph speed difference.

Offline rotts4u

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #56 on: September 12, 2016, 09:13:47 PM »
I could read Scott's stories all day. There has to be a book if not a docu-drama mini series on his life. I turn on TV and there are shows on Tiny houses, Kids in Tiaras and their fanatic moms, Honey Boo Boo, etc yet nothing on this amazing individual and his life.

Please keep this going Scott, its very interesting for me an others to read about your early life and racing. I only met you in 2002 so before that all I knew was that the record books I had seen had your name in them many many times.


Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #57 on: September 13, 2016, 03:49:52 PM »
I could read Scott's stories all day. There has to be a book if not a docu-drama mini series on his life. I turn on TV and there are shows on Tiny houses, Kids in Tiaras and their fanatic moms, Honey Boo Boo, etc yet nothing on this amazing individual and his life.

Please keep this going Scott, its very interesting for me an others to read about your early life and racing. I only met you in 2002 so before that all I knew was that the record books I had seen had your name in them many many times.

Thank you, E Don !

(I plan a section on "Motorcycle Racing things that made me
a Better Person" and Don's story will be part of that, so stay tuned !)

I am now in the public library in Wendover at Bonneville,
the better to use a land line.

We raced to a 289 mph top speed into a 14 mph
 headwind yesterday with out new sidecar rig. 

That makes us the fastest sidecar in history,
and optimistic about 300 mph later this month, at the next race.

Spent this morning meeting folks associated with the TRIUMPH
 land-speed-record bike, being driven by GUY MARTIN.

GUY is a smart man, but I needed an
English-to-American translator,
which Guy had with him.

Spend a further 2 hours familiarizing myself with
the bike mechanicals, and now feel quite
comfortable around the cycle.

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #58 on: September 13, 2016, 03:55:00 PM »
(Back to the "slow" bike...................)

Consider that, as speed increases,
so does the wind resistance, but in
greater proportion than the speed. 

That might mean that, had I been on
 one of our 250mph turbo-Hayabusa bikes,
that the LEATHERS ALONE,
could have made a 5-10 mph difference.


 

That’s a lot of wasted horsepower !

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #59 on: September 16, 2016, 11:38:32 PM »
Last week, I hung around with the
“First Lady of Bicycling at Bonneville.”

She set the new BICYCLE record at Bonneville
with an amazing 147 mph for the full mile
(in this case 3 to 4) on her FIRST RUN.

The rest of her meet was largely
a disappointment, but they did
get a lot of media attention.

I had watched Allen Abbot set the (then)
men’s record in 1973, and he showed
up to be part of the festivities…….

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #60 on: September 16, 2016, 11:55:42 PM »
Consider that, as speed increases,
so does the wind resistance,
but in greater proportion than the speed. 

That might mean that, had I been on one of
our 250mph turbo-Hayabusa bikes,
that the LEATHERS ALONE, could
have made a 5-10 mph difference.

That’s a lot of wasted horsepower !


Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #61 on: September 17, 2016, 01:39:09 PM »
Back to Speed Week, and the "Little Bikes."

I then, with a little more experience under my belt,
was able to notch a 2nd record, at about the
same speed, 64+ mph...........I was on a roll !............

On the third record, I found I had been WAY over-confidant.

I hit a small pot-hole, and the bike jumped sideways
hard enough to tear the sole off my racing boot...........

But another record was gloriously set,
the third in the 64mph range...........

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #62 on: September 17, 2016, 05:14:03 PM »
(sorry, just can't resist !)

Guthrie-Levie Racing
DOMINATES
Land Speed Racing !

Guthrie-Levie racing
Is the first and ONLY
Racing team in LSR to have
over-250 mph speeds
on 2-wheels, 3-wheels and 4-wheels !

JOHN LEVIE  in 2016 at 289mph on 3-wheels

Dean Sabatinelli in 2010 at 269 mph on 2-wheels
Shane Stubbs in 2009 at 265mph on 2-wheels
Scott Guthrie in 2004 @ 251mph first on 2-wheels

Scott Guthrie at 258 mph in 1992 on 4-wheels

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #63 on: September 18, 2016, 09:56:20 AM »
Quite proud of this..........

​​​​​​​​​​​​
3412  GUTHRIE LEVIE RACING
RIDER:   JOHN LEVIE

SCS-BF 1350 CC

DOWN RUN:  266.460MPH
RETURN RUN:  280.600MPH
HIGHEST SPEED AT EXIT:  289.750MPH

NEW RECORD
273.530MPH

This was the fastest
record of the meeting,
CARS INCLUDED !

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #64 on: September 19, 2016, 09:29:42 AM »
Little bike again..............


The 4th record was yet another droning 64mph,

but we were learning !

That fourth record was up to par,
at around 64 mph, with no problems, and...............

I think I was adjusting to the power and handling of the beast................

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #65 on: September 20, 2016, 06:23:02 PM »

Interestingly, records three and four were set with
no changes other than removing the fairing.



So yes, since all four records
were in the 64mph range,
it looks like the fairing was,
 aerodynamically speaking,
 worth NOTHING.


Actually, the fit of my leathers made more difference in
the speed than the WHOLE FAIRING and WINDSCREEN !


Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #66 on: September 22, 2016, 09:05:26 AM »
After John set "fast time of the meet," at 242mph, we decided
to have a little fun, and "bookend" John's "fastest"
time with the "Slowest" speed of the meet.

The administration was initially unimpressed
with the idea, but "track time" was more
available this late in the week.

Many of our competitors had either blown their engines,
or had set all the records they could.

 Also, the track condition had scared a LOT of folks off.

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #67 on: September 24, 2016, 02:35:30 PM »
Racing at Bonneville is almost universally
about holding the throttle wide open,
and going as fast as possible

In MY dubious case, I was trying
to go SLOWER than anybody in the SCTA
(Southern California Timing Association)
had ever gone

The speed to beat ?...

The venerable 19.9 mph of the
powerful "Saline Visine" team of France,
set with their electric Paris moped............

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #68 on: September 26, 2016, 02:39:36 PM »

I attached a sidecar to the thing,
and I wobbled down the track
as slowly as possible...............


Never having tried to go slow at
Bonneville before, I almost over-shot
 the mark, but was able to make a
last-minute adjustment
in the final 1/4 mile,
to clock 19.8 mph.............

Victory was in sight !............

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #69 on: September 28, 2016, 10:15:32 AM »
AND, BTW, this bit about losing records
by small amounts is far too real !

Until this year, we held a decent record
in the 1000cc class at 230.711 mph.

It was broken in August by another
team going 230.719 mph.

We had LOST a world record by 0.008 mph.

Eight THOUSANDS of a SINGLE mph………..

Offline FlaminRoo

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #70 on: September 28, 2016, 03:41:51 PM »
at those speeds .008mph equates to 1/8"   :lol:
« Last Edit: September 28, 2016, 03:47:42 PM by FlaminRoo »
First Australian to ride a motorcycle 200mph at Bonneville,,

Offline Stainless1

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #71 on: September 28, 2016, 08:43:24 PM »
now there is an idea in the making Scott....
Wheelie through the first light but have the front down for the last one... a 5 foot advantage in the mile...  :shock:

So now all you have to do is talk one of you riders into trying it  :hys:
Bonneville 200 MPH Club
245 MPH Turbo Busa Powered Lakester
208.959 MPH NA GSXR 1000

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #72 on: September 29, 2016, 08:27:52 AM »
now there is an idea in the making Scott....

Wheelie through the first light but have the
 front down for the last one...

a 5 foot advantage in the mile...  :shock:

So now all you have to do is talk
one of you riders into trying it  :hys:

And we KNOW which one it will be........................[/b][/size]

Offline joea

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #73 on: September 29, 2016, 04:37:22 PM »
that 1000 cc record was seriously soft as they come imo...

but on this years salt...that speed is very commendable..!!
ex busa owner
not worthy

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #74 on: September 30, 2016, 10:11:08 AM »
Before embarking of the 2nd record run,
I checked in with the race director,
and he offered his blessing......

with the understanding that this foolishness
would only be tolerated ONLY once more.

I returned to the start line the next morning.............