Event Coverage SPEEDWEEK; Notes from DLRA SPEEDWEEK '2014

By now most salties are familiar with Lake Gairdner & DLRA's Speedweek in South Australia. In 2014 it was run 28 February thru 5 March. Having wanted to go since it's inception 20- odd years ago, and seeing the weather shape up as promising in the lead- up, I decided, a week out, to make the trip 6-7 hours up the road to the event.

The road in to the salt is a somewhat legendary rough piece of eighty- mile dirt. My only transport is a low- mile '90 Camry automatic. Talking to my father-in- law, I registered my concern. He's been out there, and quipped 'you'll be alright'. This, plus an extra spare tire, a swag, tent & box of food, sealed my decision. As an artist with a predeliction for hot rods, customs & bikes, this opportunity was a long time coming.

The meet starts on Friday, and ends the next Friday. I figured with my scant time & small budget, that I could get there Tuesday and leave Saturday.

I get anxious before big trips. I was doing this one alone, as I usually do. After preparing the car & contents, I had dinner & tried to sleep. Not much doing there. So I figured if I left Adelaide around midnight, I could camp for 3 or 4 hours at Mambray Creek, and be in the kangaroo zone by daylight.

So, juiced by coffee, I snuck out through the northern suburbs, and into the night, which was very mild. I made Mambray Creek on time, and the mild night saw me lying on top of the swag. However, having Hwy 1 at ear level, and 70 yards away, meant no sleep.


And so after an hour or so, I drove off to Port Augusta, wide awake. In the mystic city, I topped up fuel and drove on towards Iron Knob, stopping for a rest in the inky dawn. Then, on daylight, I spent 30 or so minutes resting at Iron Knob rest park ( the birthplace of aussie iron mining). Put some dollars in the tin.

This is where you leave Hwy 1 for the dirt road to the salt.

 

It's been a restless night. It's exciting to be on the dirt road to Mt. Ive. 2 miles onto the dirt, the road splits east & west. I see a tipper driver on the roadside and stop to confirm direction. 12 miles down the road, i realise this is a rough place for a car, and find my eyes glued to the stones & corrugations. Quick reaction is needed to the surface. It helps to have brakes. I have none.

Pumping, no, very little there. Back off. back off. Fuck it. Stop. Smoking wheels. 12 miles with the handbrake on.

You're a fool. Shit planning. Midnight. And all that stupid coffee. Turn around. 100 bucks, 12 hours, no biggie.

Salt. Do bearings fry? Brakes are toast. I got 4 stations, and there's race traffic. I got water. Keep going.

40 minutes later, I have some brakes, but they aren't good for more than one stop. This road is rough- big stones, square ones, red dust. Definitely headlights. Farmers overtake, blind baby. 35 mph top speed, here & there, mostly slower. Patches- corrugated dust, followed by stony measures. I swear I smell that dust as I sit here and type, one month later.




I eye the odometer regularly, shocked at the slow progress, although the road improves with the Mount Ive station boundary. Nevertheless, After a long time bumping & slide-drifting along, I am a rising geyser of s-s-s-sw -w-w-wear-ing & l-l-lo-o-o-ath-ing. I find the DLRA camp. The posse of fellas drinking beer in the shade give me the skinny, & I set up camp.

 

So after setting up camp, I go looking for this lake. 6 miles down more corrugated dust, service vehicles coming along. I reach an absurdly rough landing, and there before me is a white vista like I've never seen. A Falcon roars across my eyes. 200 mph.

I pull up to the service pole where dust blowers hang. I blow the dust off my little rockhopper Toyota, and drive onto the plastic shore mats, and off onto the salt. Driving the 3 miles down to the glittering pits, feeling the car wiggle over the little bumps on this flat white deck, I'm like a pup seeing it's first blue sky.

 

This is a tough place. UHF radio- check. 2 gallons of water a day, with electrolytes. This is also a very inspiring place, with inspiring people. The spirit of the racers makes you want to go back. I've rabbited on enough. I'll let my 3 mpx pics do the talking from now on, with captions.


For more comprehensive details on records, pics etc, see DLRA.com

 

Trevor Slaughter, family & team were there with a headline push to break Sir Donald Campell's record. Ex- Super Stock racer wants to break 800 km/h with a wheel driven car. Toyota power is to be replaced with something outta a helicopter.
Team found going hard with greasy salt after big rain hit Lake Gairdner back in January.


Driver cooling system


On-board fire extinguishers. Note solid shocks installed after handling woes early in week.


Unique Mickey Thompson's only seen on this car. Around 40 made to get a good set of 12.



Beautiful traditional 'glass bodywork, all done by eye.


Good morale in the biggest bouncy castle I ever did see. PVC wall thickness must have been 3/8- 1/4 " on this big inflatable shop.

 

Greg Butler went 155+ with turbo late Falcon six.


Stuart Hooper- World's fastest Velocette- see DLRA website

 

Small white specks at end of mid- ground land spit is the startline ( running north, to the right). 9 mile course is set on Mount Ive sheep station, at south end of 90 mile N-S long Lake Gairdner.


Startline of long record course (9 mile). Shorter 3 mile GPS course was also run behind pits.

Down course from startline;

 

I went there to investigate making art. It was a hard place to make art. Everything takes so much longer, and the glare, wind & sun of this environment sapped me. I did a few drawings, and 3 paintings, which were sold. This scant output came as a shock to me;



Norm Hardinge's B/FMR '34 Ford


Gary Satara's XJS Jag. Yep, HAMB unfriendly. New car, blown Cleveland Ford power. 177 mph. Best chop top I ever saw on a car.


John Dent's A/GL. New car, new record, 212 mph. Awesome effort.

 

its on my list of must do, good story

 

Startline had shade- a new innovation, and welcome too.

 

Drink your water.

 

Nice art, nice pics. Thanks.

 

This is the Falcon I saw going 211 mph when I first saw the lake.

These drawings are worked off other's photos. Like I said, it was hard to make art out there- including, for me, photgraphy;









Wednesday night auction at camp woolshed was a hoot with Animal conducting auction in his underwear. Hey, that's the way it is.. I donated this old painting of mine from '99, made $300.00. Bonne book signed by greats and brought over by SCTA starter made $1500.




It is the people as much as the country that make this week worthwhile. I was stunned when I saw Kevin John's coupe up there with a caravan on the back. He just smiled 'you gotta drive 'em- that what it's all about'. It looked great out on the salt. This is a file photo, I had camera dramas out at the salt.

Plan well with a trip to SPEEDWEEK. I'd recommend 4WD/ truck, UHF radio, fridge/ decent food, good tent/ swag. #1; 2 gallons water personal use per day. DLRA Camp is adequate/ good with toilet/ shower & $5.00 telephone.
Although I got through with no flat tyres and car intact, I was worn to exhaustion, to a point where I contacted medics when I got back to Pt. Augusta. Probably a good trip to take in company- I found this first visit a hard trip to do alone.


I think I'll leave it at that for a while. Feel free to add pics, comments

 

Spog, nice work.

Its a tough place, dunno if we met, I was kinda busy.

nice pics.

cheers

DrG

 

Thanks for posting all the great shots of the really nice looking cars.

I never knew that they raced on the salt flats in Australia.

Very interesting. Jimbo

 

Thanks for sharing spog. I'd love to get out there one year

sent via classroom note. pass it on

 

Thank you

Thanks Dr Goggles. I never saw anyone around your fine lookin' car, and I only saw it briefly in the pits. I didn't see you run.
I did quickly draw your car at 'Chopped', last year. Outstanding;

 

Thank you for sharing pictures, the writing is wonderful. I can almost smell the fumes.

 

Thanks Ole Don

 

DLRA Link;
http://i.imgur.com/d3AVpGF.jpg

 

Thanks for the post, looks like fun.

 

Thanks for posting Steve - has me salivating for our own LSR event here in South Africa in September!

 

Thanks Johnod

Barry- that sounds exciting- where are you racing? Looks like I got some googlin' to do..

 

Wow I'm not sure what rock I have been under I didnt even know Aus had this oasis, just one more reason to make the trip. Do rental car companys get nervous during the event like they do here during speed week?

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Shhhhhhhhhhhh..I didn't see any rental campers BTW I did see some nice vanity plates.. racer tape is handy stuff..

 

Awesome thread, Steve! Thank you for bringing all of the pics and drawings of your very cool adventure to us... all of the beautiful colors and details made complete by your own unique style of art and "descriptive poetry"! Cheers, Spoggie! ...robber

 

:Hey, thanks Robber. I got me a reciprocal sticker idea

 

Very KQQL Thread.... Thanks....