American Land-Speed Record Attempt
Ed Shadle and his partner Keith Zanghi want to put America back at the top of the land-speed record book. The Brits, specifically Andy Green driving the English-built Thrust SSC, hold the record at an astonishing Mach 1.2 or 763 mph, which they achieved on October 15, 1997 in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Shadle and Zanghi decided to take a car crafters' approach to recapturing that record. Rather than build a specific-use car that would be prohibitively expensive, the North American Eagle (NAE) team decided to use a machine that was already built by putting wheels on a '60s vintage Lockheed F-104 Starfighter jet. The conversion of the Mach 2 fighter has proved to be a real challenge, but test runs at Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base, near where the early hot rodders first went fast back in the '20s, have convinced the team that their goal of 800 mph is achievable. Just for the record, there is no cash prize for this attempt. Maybe a guest appearance on The Tonight Show, but that don't pay the bills.
Through research, the NAE team has discovered that this particular F-104 was a chase plane for the famous X-15 and was flown by a veritable who's who of early jet aviation, counting among its pilots Gen. Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Pete Knight, and former space-shuttle pilot Joe Engle. The F-104 also employs an innovative magnetic braking system that does not use friction materials. The record attempt is currently scheduled for late 2006 or early 2007. You can read more about this effort by logging onto landspeed.com. -Jeff Smith
Behind the Scenes at Isky
Opening up shop not far from Isky Racing Cams in Torrance, California, is the new Jamora Racing Enterprises. What's cool is that it's the R&D joint for all that is Isky. OK, that's cool, but not the really cool part. That would be the fact that it's run entirely by Isky employees who hang out in their spare time to test new engines, do buildups, and experiment with all sorts of sick-and-twisted power combos. Nolan Jamora, the director of research and development, told us employees are able to work on their race cars and try out ideas they may have been bench racing during their day jobs at Isky. Real-world testing, anyone? Check out jamoraracing.com for more info and for all sorts of tech tips.
What has NASCAR Put Its Name on This Month?
Answer: Swiss watch brand Tissot. Why? Because the company knows 500 people will spend $1,150 to have one of these limited-edition PRS 516 Valjoux watches. Oh, and because Tissot is the official timekeeper and watch for NASCAR. The other NASCAR special-edition watches run about $300 or $450.
Crude-Oil Import
Do you know what the top country has been for crude-oil import into the United States in 2006 according to the energy statistics from the U.S. government? That would be Canada, followed closely by Mexico. Combined, the two have been exporting more than 1.65 million barrels per day to the U.S. this year. The top countries for March 2006 were Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Nigeria. Iraq was in position seven.