For those of you that are unfamiliar with Don... or his Brothers Dick and
Dave.. these are absolutely some of the finest folks in this Hobby....
Don has been racing this Yellow Buick Skylark at Maxton and steadily
increasing the speed of this little aluminum block V-8 .... the workmanship
is flawless and the fun is in watching them arrive and achieve after many
many outing's that they didn't... Watched Don go 150mph for the first
time.... you would have thought he was AL Teague after that Pass from the
smiles...
Neat stuff.... Keith
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> From: Jane McMeekin <jmcmeekin@worldnet.att.net>
> To: land-speed@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: Big Engine/Small Engine
> Date: Thursday, October 21, 1999 5:37 PM
>
> The "size of your engine" controversy has prompted some interesting
> dialog for us "lurkers" to comtemplate. Funny how we see things so
> differently but manage to coexist so peacefully in the world of Land
> Speed Racing. One question that has occured to me is: Why do we do this?
> What motivates us to build and drive land speed cars?
>
> The "need for speed" explains why some of us do it, but many of us don't
> even drive. Fame is a powerful incentive, but we are known only to a
> handful of friends and enthusiasts. It could be a great way to make a
> buck if there were any money to be made. We spend thousands of dollars,
> drive hundreds of miles, put in countless hours of work, and stay in
> some pretty shakey places to race fewer than 30 min. a season. Are we
> nuts or what?
>
> Well, for me the urge (disease) stems from a silly notion. The idea that
> I might be able to do something better than almost anyone else, and do
> it on my terms, is way more than I can resist. Its like alchemy - you
> know turning a base metal into gold. If I'm clever enough, I can do it.
> I'm going for the moon, I say. Then reality sets in and I realize that I
> must play the game within certain parameters. Money, time, space,
> technical expertise, all that stuff. So I set the stage for my effort by
> establishing some reasonable boundaries. My limits are not for everyone,
> there're for me. So if I choose to build an elephant or a flea, I do so
> because it makes sense to me. Then I give it the gas and hope for the
> best.
>
> And if that isn't enough, just think about how much all of us will miss
> those 300 mph blasts down the course that we have experienced while
> bench racing with the guys in the pits.
> Don McMeekin, E.C.T.A. Racer
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