ot Rodding is an American pastime which dates back to the early 1930's. Back then Californians began tuning their cars to see who was fastest.
They learned quickly that the crowded Southern California streets were no place to test or race. They were fortunate though because in their area dry lake beds like Mirage,
Murrock, and others provided a perfect venue for those with a need for speed.After W.W.II, many servicemen returned home with freshly honed mechanical skills that they developed in
the service of Uncle Sam. As an outlet for these skills they soon turned to tuning their cars and client cars for ultimate speed and performance. However, claiming that
ones car was fastest meant nothing if you weren't able to prove it. They once again visited the dry lake beds to settle their claims. As speeds climbed, it was decided
that an organization should be formed to help keep track of records and to design and implement some ground rules. In the 1940's, the Southern California Timing Association
(SCTA) was formed and still operates today as the official sanctioning body for land speed records. They were the first amateur racing association formed in the country, even
predating the SCCA, and the last remaining association that caters to the amateur racer. Their goal is to provide an arena for the amateur racer who wants to be recognized as
the "Fastest In The World." Their sporting arena is known as The Bonneville Salt Flats.
Many of you have seen claims in magazines of this tuner or that producing the
fastest Viper. Just as it was a half century ago; it doesn't mean anything unless you can prove it. To date, no one has set a land speed record with a Viper at
Bonneville. But that is about to change. Viper Club member Ron Misjak Sr., and his facility known as SVSi have built the ultimate weapon. The stars and striped twin
turbocharged '96 GTS known as Stryker, which recently graced the cover of Viper Magazine. The horsepower numbers are so incredible that no one has been able to accurately
measure the car's output on a dynamometer. And dyno numbers may be impressive, but real world speed is what people want to know. So in order to prove the car's potential,
SVSi is embarking on a record run at Bonneville.
Seasoned veterans of speed are needed for a mission like this, so SVSi is working closely with avid high speed driver, and Team SVE
member Herb Helbig. Helbig had a chance to drive the Stryker at Gingerman last year, when SVSi was mapping the computer during the Viper-Ferrari War IV. Herb commented on
how strong the car felt, and asked if they ever thought of trying to see how this Viper could go. Helbig planted the seed, and now the germination process needed to kick
in. SVSi has been very successful in road racing their #03 Pro Unlimited '96 RT/10 with Ron Jr. at the wheel over the past few years, and this car was to be their next wild road
racer. Although their intention was to trounce the competition in road racing events, Helbig felt that a world land speed record could be set if a commitment was made to bring
the car within the rules of the SCTA.
The story goes that Ron Sr. told Herb they would consider it, but only if Herb would drive the car. Nice going Sr., ball in Herb's
court. A few weeks pass, and Ron receives a call from Helbig asking, "Do you really mean that?" "Hell yes" Senoir replies. And that is how this whole program developed. A
few clearances were needed before the commitments were finalized and an official announcement was made. It is important to note that this is a private venture on Herb's part and
other volunteer Team SVE members. This attempt is not sponsored or in any way funded or sanctioned by Dodge or Daimler-Chrylser. The team members are volunteering their
personal time in providing technical assistance to SVSi in order to tune the package for the run.
Although the car produces gobs of horsepower, the shape of the Viper is not
conducive to slicing through the wind easily. Aerodynamic drag is a race car's worst enemy. You need certain devices to help plant a car to the ground, but those same
devices also create drag which slows you down. It is a game of weighing the pros against the cons. That is where the team's volunteer crew comes into play. They will
help with determining the best combination of aerodynamic aids and in providing technical assistance for SVSi's subsequent modification program. These modifications should allow
the car to better reach its high speed potential while in turn providing a safe working environment for the pilot. Bet you didn't know that salt is very slippery to drive on
when you are being catapulted across the dessert floor at over 200 MPH?
But what is the record? SCTA has set up classes which designate where Stryker will compete in.
'A/B GTC'
(A equals over 428 C.I. displacement, B equals blown and Grand Touring Class) is the class which Stryker falls into. This class includes low volume production based cars with a minimum of 500 units being produced. There are a few modifications which are allowed to the cars' exterior envelope, but they are limited. Everyone will be reading the rule book to see where the gray areas are. To date there is no official land speed record in this class, but SCTA will establish a minimum number to have the car qualify for a record. This number should be in the neighborhood of 210-215 MPH. If the record is set on the first day, the car will be impounded overnight, and then must match that speed the following morning. No work between runs is allowed. The team hopes to shatter the minimum required speed!
Since no record run has ever been attempted by a Dodge Viper at Bonneville, there should be a lot of coverage when this one hits the salt. Networks such as ESPN, Speedvision,
regular auto based weekly shows will provide great coverage of the event. Couple that with the fact that all the major magazines will be in attendance, and you have the makings
for a very sponsor friendly event. Much work needs to be done to Stryker before it's record run on August 12th and 13th of 2000.
I ask our VCA membership to help in any way they can. Should you know a company which could see the benefit in providing sponsorship dollars to this effort, I encourage you to help by making a contact for Ron Misjak Sr. Should you personally want to discuss levels of sponsorship, please contact Sr. at 630-876-1335. Let us try to help some of our own with this project.
Should anyone be interested in making a trip in August to the time trials in Bonnevile Utah, please contact me, Rich Hamielec, at XXX-XXX-XXXX, and we will look into making this a
club outing. It will be a historic weekend, so you don't want to miss it!!
