Rain cut the Bonneville Speed Week short last week, but GM still came out with a new record. GM’s Performance
Division was able to take their Ecotec Lakester to 189.205 in the G Class/Blown Gas Lakester. The Ecotec Lakester is
powered by a supercharged Ecotec engine that can be bought as a crate motor through GM Performance Parts. Their new
So-Cal HHR was supposed to take a run at the G Class/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe class. The new HHR is actually a bit
more masculine looking compared to the PT Cruiser. It looks nuts stretched and chopped for this competition. The HHR
did generate a lot of buzz in the pits and will return in October for another run. With all the money GM pours into the
compact performance part development, you would think their vehicles would be more popular with the aftermarket crowd.
Car design and reputation probably have more effect on acceptance by the tuner crowd more than how many manufacturer
supplied go-fast goodies you can get. Seriously, if GM made a hardtop Solstice/Sky can you imagine how many you would
see in Sport Compact or even on the autocross circuit? Instead, you can barely get a heritage-inspired V8 performance
coupe/sedan, let alone a serious compact, out of GM. You can read the entire press release at the jump.
GM Performance Division Sets Speed Record In Rain-Shortened Bonneville Speed Week
WENDOVER, Utah – It took Mother Nature millennia to create the Bonneville Salt Flats, but she needed only a few hours
of hard rain to wash out this year?s Bonneville Speed Week. After two days of speed trials, a violent storm swept
through northern Utah on the evening of August 16, leaving standing water on the immense natural speedway and
compelling officials to cancel the final four days of the event.
Before the rain came, journalist Don Sherman drove GM Performance Division?s Ecotec Lakester to a 189.205 mph speed
record in G/BGL (G Class/Blown Gas Lakester). Sherman eclipsed the 179.381 mark set in October 2004 by GM engineer Mark
Dickens with the high-tech reincarnation of the famous So-Cal Speed Shop Lakester. A supercharged Ecotec engine based
on the crate motor that?s available to enthusiasts through GM Performance Parts provided the horsepower for the Ecotec
Lakester?s record run.
?Course conditions were challenging this year on the Salt Flats, and the rain-shortened schedule prevented GM
Performance Division from achieving record speeds with all of our entries,? said Al Oppenheiser, director of Concept
Vehicle Engineering. ?We were successful in raising the record with the Ecotec Lakester, and we gained valuable
experience with our 2006 Chevrolet So-Cal HHR, Chevrolet So-Cal Cobalt SS, and the Chevrolet California Street Rods
Student Project Cobalt SS. We look forward to applying that knowledge when GM Performance Division and our partners
return to the salt on October 12-15 for the World Finals.?
Four young women were among the many disappointed racers on the soggy salt. They had participated in GM Performance
Division?s innovative student project partnering with a build team from California Street Rods, applying their
engineering and organizational skills to the design, construction and testing of a Cobalt SS land speed racer during a
12-week internship. The four students ? Tessa Russell, Sarah Jubenville, Heather Chemistruck, and Idalia Ovalle – had
been certified in high-speed driving at the GM Desert Proving Grounds in preparation for their planned record run at
Bonneville. The Student Project Cobalt achieved 140 mph in shakedown runs, and was in line to make a record attempt
when the rain arrived.
?The purpose of the Bonneville student program was to give four young female engineers an opportunity to exercise
their abilities in a unique environment while giving them hands-on experience and introducing them to GM?s resources
and processes,? said Michelle Burrows, GM Performance Division student projects manager. ?Setting a record would have
been a fine bonus, but the fact that the car was constructed and tested on a very compressed schedule made the project
a success.?
GM Performance Division?s stunning HHR topped 208 mph on the Salt Flats and attracted crowds in the pits. This chopped
and stretched version of the production HHR will return in October when GM Performance Division engineer Jim Minneker
aims for the 226.835 mph record in G/BFCC (G Class/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe). The Bonneville machine has already
achieved its objective of creating a buzz around Chevy?s new HHR.
GM Performance Division engineers were also aiming to eclipse their own record in the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS. In 2003,
GM engineer Jim Minneker set the standard in the G/Blown Fuel Altered class at 212.684 mph driving a Saturn Ion Red
Line coupe. Considering that the Cobalt topped 243 mph in last year?s warm-up, the team was extremely confident of
setting the official record this year. However, the Cobalt was only able to make one pass on this year?s track before
the weather cancelled the event. A return pass is mandated by the Southern California Timing Association to set an
official record.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world?s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931.
Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 317,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32
countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4
percent and the second-highest total in the company?s history. GM?s global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance
Center in Detroit. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.