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Australia Recap

Since 2018 we have tried to run at Lake Gairdner four times.

In 2018, our first venture here we had some teething problems but set the current record of 345 mph. Les Davenport drove the car and made four runs but never made it to the lights with both engines running. Long story and not worthwhile writing as there is more to the story than that. So, after that adventure we went home and reviewed the event and made the required repairs and modifications, and all is well.

Fast forward to 2020. Valerie Thompson became our driver. After some test runs at Bonneville, we loaded up and shipped to Australia. The shipping went well and after a week or so all of the crew were ready to get on airplanes and head down under. Woooops. Covid 19 showed up on the screen, and everything went upside down. The few of us who were in Australia scrambled to get out while we could. One crew member was in the air and when he landed, he stayed in the airport and rebooked immediately and got out. Everyone made it except for the containers and car. It was a nightmare. Finally, a year and a half later the equipment returned. No damage other than to the wallet. $$$$$$$

2024 and Valerie was no longer available, so a new driver was engaged. He was from Australia and had assisted us in the past while we were there. Some adjustments were made to fit the new driver. No runs were made in the US as the time frame didn't allow it. I had procured Brad Anderson billet blocks and Stage V CNC special heads with Hogan manifolds, and those were installed prior to shipping. A bit of a learning curve on those and currently they are "0" time race ready and in the car. Everything was a GO and two days before the event a freak thunderstorm took a portion of the road out that leads to Lake Gairdner. What??? The containers were repacked and we made a case to the government to extend the permits to facilitate running in 2025. At the last moment the permits were extended and everything moved ahead.

2025.. The containers had been stored in a warehouse during the 15-month period. We arrived early to prepare the car. The warehouse that was provided was very comfortable. A week's work with several new crew members and a few of the storage glitches were ironed out. Everything is loaded and ready to be picked up by the haulers.

The hauler did his job, and the containers arrived with no damage to the salt flats. Everything went well and the crew was getting better every day. Our new driver needed to update his license as he hadn’t driven in several years. With everything in place, we are “good to go “. Not a cloud in the sky, but the wind is blowing 30-40 mph, and it changed directions from time to time. We prepped the car and waited. Several days went by and I decided to put the car in line and hoped for a break in the wind. A few entries made runs, but the cross wind was enough to keep me from doing that. A few hours later there was a minor change, and I decided to allow the driver to run a couple of miles at light throttle to get a feel for the car. I did some chute manipulations and did get a bit of information on the new Kevlar low speed chute drag number.

We ran three runs at low speeds, and I was feeling confident that the new Brad Anderson/StageV combination was OK. We serviced the car and were ready for a bit longer run and while I was in the truck charging my phone, I thought I felt an earthquake. Well, not an earthquake, but the wind made a statement, and 50-70 mph gusts took our kitchen and dining room tents and made them scrap in a matter of several minutes. Anything that was not really secured went away at a rate that was too much to imagine. The DLRA associations tent and equipment was devastated and the event was over. Three runs with a fast time of 281 at idle throttle position was the total run time. Less than 55 seconds per run and our crew picked up the equipment and reloaded for a trip back to Adelaide.
Stay tuned for "The best is yet to come".
Marlo - March 21st, 2026

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2022 - Recap of the last of the three toughest years...

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Follow this link to view Australia Slide show