Project 64

Many of you will have heard already - Bonneville Speed Week 2015 has been cancelled.

We first heard murmurs of poor salt conditions once the Mini was at Auckland Airport. It did sound positive though - there was a strong indication the the short courses would run, enough for us, because ‘slow’ cars like ours aren’t allowed to run on the long courses. The Southern Californian Timing Association, who run the Speed Week event, sent out a survey team to the Salt aiming to make a decision around July 20th. They decided that due to a combination of lack of usable salt in good condition (due to a covering of silt as a result of a mudslide when the lake was full of water some months ago) and other areas that were still wet from recent rains that the longest track they could offer was about 2.25 miles long - not enough to run an event. To their credit they have been very proactive in keeping racers informed and offering alternative events. Their approach has seemed very measured and they have shown a great reluctance to cancel.

There are a number of land speed record events in the USA each year, although none have the kudos that Speed Week has, especially for Kiwis.

Our main constraints when considering alternative events were:

[1] Availability of team members (event dates);

[2] Length of the course/track (we need 3 miles minimum);

[3] Duration of the event (we need more than 1 day of racing);

[4] Likelihood that the event would run (many have similar problems to, or are at Bonneville);

[5] Sanctioning by an official body to enable official records to be set (SCTA, ECTA, FIA, etc.).

In the end we have investigated the following events as possible alternatives:

Sun Valley Road Rally, July 24 - 25, Sun Valley, Idaho, 3.2 mile tarseal course (too soon for us to attend and not sanctioned);

Mojave Mile, August 8, Mojave Airport in Mojave, CA, 1 mile tarseal course;

El Mirage, September 13, course is closed (wet);

World of Speed, September 12 - 15, Bonneville Salt Flats, same courses as Speed Week - will know if running at end of August;

Mike Cook’s Bonneville Shootout, September 17 - 21, Bonneville Salt Flats, same courses as Speed Week;

Ohio Mile, September 26 - 27, Wilmington, Ohio, 1 mile tarseal course;

World Finals, September 29 - October 2, Bonneville Salt Flats, same courses as Speed Week;

Mojave Magnum, April 2016, Mojave Airport in Mojave, CA, 1.5 mile tarseal course;

The most promising event was the World Finals at Bonneville - a scaled down version of Speed Week, to be held in late September or early October and run by the same sanctioning body, the SCTA. This event is run on the same patch of salt as Speed Week so there is a very real risk that the tracks may not be fully functioning by time of the event. In addition to this two crucial members of our team, Bryan and Nelson are unable to leave their business at that time of year as it is their busiest time preparing racing engines. They are also not available for any of the other September dates.

The other events are either too short for our vehicle to reliably gain top speed, too short in duration for us to have time to get the car tuned and running well, unsanctioned, and/or at the wrong time of year for all crucial team members to attend.

This leaves us in a position where Speed Week 2016 is our current best bet. The current thinking is that the car is best left in secure storage in Los Angeles until then. We realise that this will be disappointing for everyone who has donated to our Give a Little campaign. We think it is important for you to know that all the funds raised so far have been used in the building, preparation and shipping of our Mini to the USA and that we fully intend to race at Bonneville Speed Week in 2016. We do not intend to let anyone down.

I guess the key message we want to send here is down but not out. We still have what should be a mightily fast car - our motors are developing an extra 66HP - now 350HP compared with 284HP in 2012 and we still have the will to go back and finish what we have started. The overwhelming response so far from those we have talked to has been humbling in it’s support.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. I’ll keep in touch with any updates. Thanks again for your support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Mike Wilson

+64 21 149 7047

projectsixtyfour@gmail.com