Friday morning dawned dry and bright with just a little cloud cover to keep the really high temperatures down for a few hours at least.
We headed out to the now sparsley populated pit area to check the car over and begin preparations for the clean up.
First order of business was to remove the bonnet and see if anything looked amiss.
The datalog from our previous run showed that the turbo boost had dropped off towards the end of the run.
A self dis-assembling exhaust explained all of that, although it certainly put up a fight when it came to re-assembly!
Once this was all complete we sped off to the start line to get in one run.
Surprisingly, there was nobody there except for a few bored starters. The early morning record runs had been completed with a fair degree of success and the next two hours were available for anyone that wanted to qualify for a record.
As quick as possible we stuffed Ian in the car and sent him down the track.
It had been suggested before the run that as this was the end of the event and quite possibly his last run that a little bit of showboating off the line might amuse the last remaining spectators.
With a fair display of sideways action and dramatic wheelspin Ian managed to get it all straightened up and pointing in the right direction by the time third gear was required and off he went over the horizon.
Slightly disappointingly this run only peaked out at 181.546 mph although the last three miles were very consistent over 181 mph.
The exceptionally bored and tall marshall that patrols the 6-7 mile markers was very pleased to have some company for a few minutes until the crew arrived.
Not happy with the top speed, we rushed Ian back to the start line for what turned out to be the final qualifying run of the event. In our haste to get the car ready, while Bruce instructed the ECU to supply the engine with even more boost, the parachute packing did not go according to plan.
Once we were on the line, all of the safety pins in the fire extinguishers were removed but as the ‘chute pin came out, so did the ‘chute itself!
A quick repack and once again Ian was off.
Despite 100% throttle for the majority of the run and a failed GPS speedo we were willing Ian and the car to go faster on this run.
Alas 180.209 mph was the peak recorded speed.
Still, there was time for some ‘arty’shots down at the now very empty ‘quiet’ end of the course
The final shot is the base of the world famous floating mountain.
We have now returned to the relative civilisation of Pinon Hills and are packing the car and motorcycles to return home at both Bruce’s and the shipping companies leisure.
We will produce a round up in the next few days with a bit more detail on some of the highs and lows of this years excitement.
