You'll never guess what was stolen last night!

Stay tunned.

Feet guaranteed not to go to sleep here.

Today I installed the foot plate for the navigator's feet. The only reason for this plate is so Jon won't push so hard that he shoves his feet thru the floor trying to stop after he sees how I drive.

This evening I made some modifications to a few wiring systems and gave the car a good going over before putting him to sleep for the night.

Time to get it in gear

True to form, I keep telling myself, "I still have a few days." But every time I come home with not much done on the car I hate myself. Anthony, Will and I have begun sorting everything out and putting everything on shelves to better organize all that we will take. After we get it all together then we will better understand what and how we will pack it into our truck and trailer. Normally we don't have to worry because we have everything a person could want in our team trailers. Now we have to figure out our priorities and make sacrifices.

In the mean time, today I worked some more on the trailer. I didn't like the way the braces were built on the front of the trailer so I cut it entirely off and welded on a tire rack and installed a place for the spare tire and ramps as well.

Birds Of A Feather

As a proud member of the NORTH AMERICAN EAGLE World Landspeed Record Challenger project it gives me great satisfaction to post the latest newsletter written by NAE crew lead and my good friend Jon Higley. My association with this awesome group of men and women leaves me speechless. (A feat not often performed.) Each and every one of them are unique in his or her own way. And even though she tells me my hair-do reminds her of a bald eagle I will especially regret not getting to see my very good friend Didi Boyington. Didi is the niece of Pappy Boyington, undoubtedly the most colorful and well known Marine Corps' ace who led the famous Black Sheep Squadron. Regretfully I am saddened that I can not attend even though I have held an open invitation and looked forward to this day for years but it seems that CALIFORNIA'S BEST RACING and I have something else planned that week. CALIFORNIA'S BEST RACING wishes to offer our prayers and support to cheer these awesome men and women on who live yet another amazing adventure in their attempt to take back the land speed record and reach over 800 miles per hour!!! It seems both of our teams share a common need... A need to accept a speed related challenge and then work to conquer it.


In a couple of weeks the project's next step toward the goal of bringing the record back to North America will take place. A scheduled test session is to occur at Black Rock desert over the 10th anniversary celebration of the British ThrustSSC setting the existing record. Speeds on our new all metal wheels will take the car into new territory; the 400mph to 550mph range.

Right now, the team is taking care of last minute preparations to get everything into place so the car and support equipment is ready to go.

Information has come to the team that Monster Energy Drink will be sponsoring our test session this time, which means we'll have their logo on the side of the car while a video crew they've hired is shooting the event. It is still uncertain at this point, but CNN might also have a video crew there to tape a test session run or two.

This will be the team's first time out on the very playa where we intend to go for the record. While the logistics of getting everyone and everything down there is daunting, this new experience will be a test of how well the team functions in less comfortable conditions; even if for only five days.

I will be maintaining a daily journal on my laptop while there, and upon returning to civilization and home, will submit a summary report on how things transpired from day to day. So, be watching for it around the 21st of the month.

Give me one good reason we souldn't drive fast

What could possibly go wrong? We don't need no stinkin roads.

A Time To Celebrate

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

While on safari in Africa there were several favorite words that I learned and their meanings one of which was "Safari." In Swahili, safari means journey and I have truly enjoyed sharing this journey with everyone and I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as Jon and I are. The simple truth is even this race is just the beginning of what hopes to be a very long journey for CALIFORNIA'S BEST RACING and Lucky since we are already considering future events.

Can you believe it... On Monday it will only be ONE WEEK until we leave for Mexico! I really feel good about it and have looked forward to it for what seems like an eternity. One thing I will miss is having Jon along with us on the drive down and back. Jon has been an amazing asset to the preparation, research and support in preparing for all that has taken place to get us this far along. Thanks Jon. Jon will be flying down to Mexico along with the cameramen and equipment and will meet up with us when they gets there. It will be a long drive but one hell of an adventure, I'm sure. I am positive there will be lots to see and take in, customs to learn and traditions to experience, something that is missed when flying.

One thing Jon and I will miss terribly is getting to take part in seeing his daughter, Natalie and my grandson, Tyler Gene go Trick Or Treating on Halloween now that he will be 16 months old.

Speaking of traditions... One of the oldest of all traditions in Mexico dates back over more than 500 years, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico and they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death. No, it's not the La Carrera Panamericana even though after having read volumes about the La Carrera it might sound like it. It was a ritual the indigenous people had been practicing at least 3,000 years. A ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate. It is a ritual known today as Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

Today, people don wooden skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, they embraced it. To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake. Does this sound like the thoughts of a race car driver or what? The Spaniards considered the ritual to be sacrilegious. They perceived the indigenous people to be barbaric and pagan so in their attempts to convert them to Catholicism, the Spaniards tried to kill the ritual. But like the old Aztec spirits, the ritual refused to die. To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day which is while we are finishing the La Carrera Panamericana.... A time to celebrate.

Lucky get's his stripes!

For months I have waited for this day and I have even thought about what I would say in the blog when that day came. The truth is I had always thought I would write, "Lucky earns his stripes." But as I began to type I realized that while excited as I am in reality Lucky has not "earned" anything. That would be akin to buying a fast car and bragging about it simply because the brochure said so to all of the above. Nope, not going to happen that way with Lucky or any other car driven by TEAM CALIFORNIA'S BEST. Once Lucky has honestly been put to the test of doing what race cars are supposed to do, that being pushed to their limits in an all out effort to overcome all that stands in their way and if Lucky has a good showing that deserves respect, THEN we can honestly say Lucky will have earned his stripes. That is a day we anxiously wait for and hopefully it is not long in coming.

When I picked up the car today at IMPACT ENGINEERING after the paint had dried and all the masking had been removed I was in a hurry to get back to the shop. I knew there had been a few items removed for the lines to nave been masked off but I really didn't pay much attention to what they were. But lucky for me there was a very nice gentleman on the way back to the shop who pulled me over to let me know what they might be. He was riding a nice shiny black-N-white motorcycle and had a very cool jacket on that said, California Highway Patrol. I guess he just didn't know these cars can drive anywhere they want even without a license plate. Luckily he was a Shelby fan and after I showed him the license plate, wipers, and proof of insurance and registration he was happy enough to break with a smile and told me to get out of here.

So after I hurried back to the shop and finished up re-installing the miscellaneous items I tossed on another new set of tires and mags and began loading up the trailer so we could do some more testing tomorrow at Infineon Raceway. Just about then I called Jon to see if he needed anything else before we left. He said, "Why are you loading the car on the trailer?" I asked, did you forget about tomorrow's test?" Jon said, "I told you that's NEXT Friday!" DOH! I need to slow down.