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Just recently a lady from the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association told me that karts and minibikes had to run on a separate two mile course from now on. I don't think that's a long enough straightaway. If any of you know how to get back on the long course, please fill me in.
bill

So Bill
Are you thinking about trying to make a run on the salt ?

Brian- Ive always wanted to run on The Salt. I would not want to make the 2300 mile trip from NY,though, unless karts and minibikes could get onto the long course and are taken as seriously as they once were. I think that with only one drive ratio, the long course is a must.
bill

I think Vince Hughes has been out there. I know Mike Clements ran a enduro with 4 engines. If I rmemnber right it went @ 130 MPH & he could not run faster as he got tire spin. Might have been air under the chassis or something.

Rob- I remember that run. It was quite a few years back. Mike somehow squeezed four 10 HP Tecumseh

engines onto an Emmick, two on the side pads and two on a fantail that he added. The only engine mods he did were to make billet con rods and convert the carbs over to alky.
Mike tried ratios taller than 2:1 to take advantage of the mind numbing torque that must have caused the wheelspin you mentioned. He said that it took six guys to carry the kart around.
Mike's two way average was almost 145 mph, a four cycle kart record that should stand for many years to come. That's something to really be proud of.
bill
P.S. Thank you for your tip about the reducer bushings to center the Tillotson carbs. I had to use these bushings in the mounting holes of two HL's that happened to be oversized like the big ones. These nos HL's came from the guy who bought the Power Products and Clinton inventory in Brooklyn. Can you believe - a kart shop in Brooklyn? Luckily, a piece of hydraulic tubing was found that already had a .265 id and a .325 od.

Bill,
Since you like the Salt, have you seen the movie, "The Worlds Fastest Indian" Staring Sir Anthony Hopkins??
It is a really good Biography movie about a Brit who makes his own engine parts, including pistons he makes from melting down Chevrolet pistons and machining them, to modifying an Indian motorcycle for the Flats.
It was always his Dream to run the Flats and the movie goes through his ups and downs of achieving his Dream.
I suggest everyone taking the time to watch it.
I thought it was really good.
Good Luck.
Rick

Rick- I don.t know how many times the movie was seen, as we have the dvd, which is the second most frequently borrowed item that we have, by the way. It rekindled my passion for Bonneville. I've even become the movie's trivia king in our area. Producer Roger Donaldson's piece at the end was equally outstanding, as he quickly shows a very strong grasp of the technical- "The overhead valve conversion that Burt did was no mean feat" etc. etc. Possibly a little bit of Ford piston also found its way into Burt's pour, but, alas, no Mopar.
The most frequently borrowed item? My homemade Mac special tools.
bill

This is one method to prevent the wheelspin issue on a Bonneville kart, another that would help is all wheel drive.
A kart I've wanted to build for a long time is a four wheel drive kart powered by a small turbine similar to the STP turbine Indy car concept.
I think a Sundstrand starter motor from an F-15 would work dandy with the exception that they cost about 65 grand and the last time I checked they were still classified equipment.

Tom, you might get lucky and find one of Turbonique's little gas turbines. They sold them in the early sixties to install in your trunk for an extra 300 H.P. They drove the rear wheels. There was a kart running on the strips in Central Florida back then with one on it. They made the mistake of running mag dragster front rims on all 4 corners. It was a little hard to drive! Bet there are some still in guys' garages... TJ

I personally have seen 2 of those Ted but the guy didn't have any fuel controlls. Problem is they were bomb's.