Alfa Odyssey at Bonneville - Days #1 and 2

[DBesic@domain.elided]

Friday - 8/13/99

Driver, owner and crew arrive in the afternoon without incident, but "Bonnie" 
is missing in action.  At 6:00 p.m. the tech inspection tent closed and we 
still have no car.  By 10:00 p.m., our anticipation was quickly approaching 
panic mode.  After a dozen frantic phone calls, Richard Kreines,  "Bonnie's" 
owner, was able to locate the transporter stranded at a truck stop 95 miles 
east of Wendover.  Mike Besic, Alfredo Giallanzo and myself raced out to find 
the transporter, mortally wounded with a broken axle, and the truck's driver, 
contentedly watching TV in the all-night food mart.  After recruiting some of 
the local talent, the rear axle of the trailer was welded and by 4:30 a.m., 
"Bonnie," driver and crew were safely tucked in bed at our motel in Wendover.

Saturday 8/14/99  Day #2 

 7:00 a.m. came REAL early.  We arrived at Bonneville Speedway to set up our 
pits but could not get over the surreal environment of the Salt Flats.  Pool 
table-flat whiteness as far as the eye can see in every direction.  Depth 
perception is completely lost.  Mountains that look like a short hike are 
actually 50 miles away.  Very, very strange.  If that wasn't enough, 
Bonneville Speed Week attracts the oddest collection of cars that you will 
EVER see in one place at one time:  '32 Highboys with blown flatheads, 
diesel-powered streamliners, a 1933 Desoto with blown Straight 8 Chevy 
flathead, a 1943 International semi-truck with quad turbocharged V-16 Detroit 
Diesel, a '53 Studebaker with 355 ci Winston Cup engine, etc..  When we 
showed up with our screaming yellow Italian sports car with a blown 
4-cylinder.... well, we fit right in.  After the car was prepped, we went 
through tech inspection with flying colors.   Although the "Tech Nazi's" were 
very thorough, Bonnie only got 2 "gigs" - lack of SFI rated roll bar padding 
and a drive-shaft loop, both of which were easily corrected.  Registration 
came next, then the mandatory driver's meeting and the rookie driver 
orientation.  The learning curve is VERY big at this point.  
    At 1:00 p.m. we were ready to start with Mike's first licensing run.  The 
SCTA people had instructed all rookies that their "competition privileges" 
must be acquired in stages:  less than 125 mph; 125-150 mph; 150-175 mph; and 
on up in 25 mph increments.  On Mike's very first run, with Bonnie running 
with the blown 1470, we clocked a respectable 130.746 mph which qualified him 
for class "D" -125-150 mph.  Very cool.  
    Fuel, head bolts, lug bolts, tire pressure, blower belt were checked and 
double-checked.  At 3:00 p.m., we were ready for our next run.  We were ready 
to challenge the record of 145.546 mph in H/BMS.  Mike, however, was not.  As 
the driver was going through the gears at the beginning of the run, Mike 
inexplicably shifted from 2nd to 5th, causing the rpm's to drop so 
drastically as to abort the run.  Oops.  Was it a rookie mistake?  sloppy 
shift linkage? or just brain fade?  
    We immediately got back in line for the last run of the day - just before 
dusk.  Although the Alfa was running great and Mike was mentally prepared, 
Lady Luck was avoiding our camp as SCTA's clocks malfunctioned and Mike got a 
"No Time." *@#!!

More to follow......

Darren Besic

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