16 August 2006

BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS - UTAH

Time: 22:15 (US)

Temperature: 31°C

Location: Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

After the disappointment of yesterday’s run the team worked late to make and fit a balance pipe between the two engine intake manifolds. Focusing on the importance of getting the engines up on to boost quickly, the warm-up procedure used by Ricardo in its test cells was adopted for the race car.

To load the engine Andy Green drove the car against the brakes after the push-off until the exhaust temperatures exceeded 400C, so forcing the turbos on to boost. The significance of this is that it is a reproducible procedure so can be used consistently for every run.

Six runs this morning on Wendover airfield tested a number of different start procedures to enable the optimum to be established; this procedure was then adopted for the further six runs this afternoon. In all these runs both engines come on to boost simultaneously. This is the first time since the car ran on the 22 July at RAF Wittering, that the engines have been syncronised.

Bonneville’s long course was closed this afternoon due to high cross winds, frustrating, as the team wasn’t able to confirm that the airfield results transfer to the Salt Flats. That will be left tomorrow.