{"id":114166,"date":"2014-09-29T03:42:55","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T10:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bangshift.com\/?p=114166"},"modified":"2014-09-29T03:43:31","modified_gmt":"2014-09-29T10:43:31","slug":"action-gallery-race-report-ecta-september-2014-steam-motorcycles-nascar-legends-big-speeds-big-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bangshift.com\/general-news\/event-coverage\/action-gallery-race-report-ecta-september-2014-steam-motorcycles-nascar-legends-big-speeds-big-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Action Gallery and Race Report: ECTA September 2014 – Steam Motorcycles, NASCAR Legends, Big Speeds and Big Fun!"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Words and photos by Doug Gregory) –\u00a0<\/strong>Oh my\u2026.what an event!!!\u00a0 Records seemed to be falling like raindrops on this nearly-perfect fall day.\u00a0 We showed up a bit late after working a couple issues with the car.\u00a0 This was to be the furthest we\u2019d driven it, one-way, since the previous summer.\u00a0 I replaced the pan gasket the night before and while getting things ready this morning I found a couple bolts missing.\u00a0 We\u2019d been driving the car so much this summer and into fall I hadn\u2019t done my regular <\/span>nut&bolt<\/span> check in a good while.\u00a0 Once I replaced the two missing bolts I went around and tightened stuff up and there were plenty of things that needed at least a quarter-turn.\u00a0 That done my 14yr-old son (Taylor) and I headed for the highway.\u00a0 The trip was mainly uneventful except for seeing a sweet C10 we\u2019d <\/span>taken<\/span> pictures of and been in awe since the NSRA Nationals back in August.\u00a0 <\/span>Its<\/span> one of the few LS-swapped vehicles I really like.\u00a0 We hope to shoot a bunch of pictures soon and get the details to pass along in a feature article.<\/span><\/p>\n

I digress.\u00a0 We could see right when we drove in the event was well-attended with the staging lanes looking full of all manner of machines.\u00a0 Once parked we set out with cameras clicking while wandering up through the rides awaiting their turn at the track, maybe a personal best, or even perhaps a new record.\u00a0 Again I marvel at the diversity of people, backgrounds, <\/span>types of vehicles and their individual approaches to making speed.\u00a0 <\/span>Its<\/span> what I believe drag racing once was and still is if you look for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The guy running things inside the food trailer said he runs chump car stuff and we talked to him for a good bit.\u00a0 See, I like the people side of all this stuff.\u00a0 <\/span>Its<\/span> so much better to hear the story behind the car and the efforts\/history that put them here today.\u00a0 He asked me what I thought was the most-interesting thing I seen today.\u00a0 <\/span>Hmmm.<\/span>\u00a0 Well it would have to be this streamliner that hadn\u2019t even made a pass.\u00a0 It hurt some gears and they were scrambling to get it all back together so they could make a run.\u00a0 The power plant and drive system are some of the wildest things I\u2019ve ever seen.\u00a0 The motor was a 16-port, twin-cam-headed, fuel-<\/span>injected\u00a0 Ford<\/span> 2.3 backed by a transaxle.\u00a0 The transaxle had two axle stubs coming out that fitted big cogged belt drive pulleys (think blower drive) that in turn spun two axle stuff with similar pulleys affixed and the rear wheels attached to that,.\u00a0 There is no differential.\u00a0 Inboard discs on this rear axle-stub drive system.\u00a0 It all seems so very complicated and yet off-the-scale cool.\u00a0 Lots of other neat stuff there, but this one definitely topped my \u2018interesting\u2019 meter.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are so many cars to cover it seems like I could go on for pages (and believe me \u2013 I <\/span>CAN do that), but the folks who run <\/span>BangShift<\/span> might not let me take up pages and pages to describe EVERYTHING.\u00a0 Still, I\u2019ll hit a couple more just for fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s the pale-yellow <\/span>Stude<\/span> sporting <\/span>a\u00a0 massive<\/span> turbo and an LS under the hood.\u00a0 <\/span>This <\/span>fella<\/span> comes in, pull<\/span> the mirrors off, bolts a <\/span>Kirkey<\/span> set in, attaches an air dam, plugs in the chute then runs TWO HUNDRED and SIX miles an hour\u2026..!!!\u00a0 That\u2019s 206mph in a car that after this process was reversed left the facility pulling its own utility trailer\u2026!!!\u00a0 That\u2019s tuff stuff right there folks.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the highlights of most people\u2019s day was likely rooting for the steam-powered motorcycle.\u00a0 Yes, I said S-T-E-A-M.\u00a0 The driver is a boiler-maker by trade and setup a 2-cylinder, heated by kerosene steam-powered rocket ship.\u00a0 We heard that the record for a steam motor cycle was likely the longest unbroken record in all of land-speed racing.\u00a0 True or not, most of us thought that pretty likely and hoped to see <\/span>something good out it.\u00a0 On the first run we witnessed the announcer (That would be Brian) said the driver was hoping for 50mph just to shake things out.\u00a0 He crossed the line at 71mph which was about 30mph over the standing record.\u00a0 Not content with that we caught him in the pits changing gears for even more speed out of the 600psi boiler.\u00a0 On his next pass it seemed for the first 1\/3<\/span>rd<\/span> of the track it wasn\u2019t going to happen.\u00a0 That gear change really sucked some of the juice out of it to get rolling.\u00a0 However, around half-track it started picking up \u2013 well \u2013 steam.\u00a0 By \u00be <\/span>track<\/span> the thing was really chugging and by the end of the course it looked to be really hauling.\u00a0 <\/span>The result \u2013 80mph from little more than a giant pot of boiling water on two wheels.<\/span>\u00a0 How cool it <\/span>that.<\/span>?<\/span><\/p>\n

In this first gallery I have a handful of the pictures my son Taylor took.\u00a0 He needs to shoot more because he can often times out-shoot me.\u00a0 As for my action shots\u2026.I was planning to depend on my tripod to help, but I couldn\u2019t find the camera shoe so I had to just hold the big lens and hope, but seemingly couldn\u2019t keep it steady.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More than likely my pictures will be in two galleries so I\u2019ll spend a bit of time talking about those <\/span>pictures<\/span> ahead of the 2<\/span>nd<\/span> installment.\u00a0 Enjoy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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