Death in the Landspeed Family

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Bill Summers. Bill passed away in his sleep earlier this week. Bill was not only our hero, he was also in touch with me from time to time to check how things were going and to offer advice.He was still active in racing and was preparing a new lakester                                                                                   I have no further information at this time.

 My sympathy to his family and close friends.

Nikki is our new T-Shirt model



Nikki is Dean and Tish's Eldest daughter, she has graciously agreed to model our new team shirts for us. These photos were taken by Dean and are just proofs to check the colors. Watch for the official one soon.




She is a beauty and I think will be a natural model!




OK all you guys, she has a boyfriend and her dad is a nice but biker type, you don't want him to hurt you!!!!.



Engine Start up for 2011

It was very smoky in the tent when we barked the little Cummins to life. We had good oil pressure and the twin turbos cranked out 20lbs of boost just by holding the brake and blip ping the throttle. We have been checking all the systems and everything seems OK. There was some minor issues with a fuel pump lever that had vibrated loose last run and the water tank pump failed. It distorted from the heat of the fire I guess but now thanks to International Boat Repairs, and owner Efren Pilay we have a top quality made in America pump.

Amber is a runner.





 Some of you may recall My niece Amber from Calgary she was here to see the car just before Bonneville 2009. Well she has taken to running long distances. Here she is completing her first big race on St.Patrick's Day. (She is#1070)

Exhausting Fabrications

Klaus getting ready to add the fresh NITRO LUBE from Jason Rite

Meet Harvey, he has been assisting on the exhaust and cleaning up damage from smoke as well as refurbished the shift air system.

Kevin is buttoning up his latest exhaust pipe reconfiguration. This one will not cause any fires!
It took a bit of brain storming and a few Heineken to design but it is simple and very stout.

Lindie and Rich race Quads / win 24 hr Enduro



Rich and Lyndie with some of their toys!



Rich flying  at sand dunes.

Another toy note the blower sticking out the hood.



Rich behind the shades.



Playing in the Water

Welders at large.

I would like to welcome Lindie and Rich to our support team. Rich is an excellent welder and operates his own mobile business. He is assisting with welding of the heavier parts that Kevin, Klaus and Harvey are not set up for, he welded the big joining manifold after Kevin machined it. We build everything from scratch and often use crops from our friends in the fabrication industry like Aggressive and Lone Star Industries.

KEVINKNOX.COM does only precision work.

Kevin Knox Diversions number one guy likes to get it exact and has fun doing it.Here he is installing his latest creation, the "TWINS", a Holset HX40 & a HX53. he is checking for clearances to the hood.

16 February was Moving Day



Ken with his new Dodge Cummins 3500HD towed the trailer to his place and we pit the car in its new home. Thanks to a generous sponsor we were able to buy a brand new 20'x40' proper heavy duty enclosure and it is large enough that Kevin's truck fits in and allows us plenty of room to work on the car. It is also great light and it is ten steps from the welder, lathes, milling machines and Kevin's tools of which there is numerous, like everything!





Relaxing in new "shop" and Barklee is inspecting.



Old Tent was leaking and had collapsed from snow.

 

As you can tell this is not good storage for Million dollar racer. Over the winter we had no alternative but to leave it in the tent at Werner's and as a result the corrosion and deterioration to electrics is still being dealt with daily.

The Good Old Days

This is Steve's Stude in action, some of you old racers will remember it. Also click on the "DRAG SCOOP" news to see it larger.

Steve's Stude Gasser Restoration.

 Klaus introduced me to a nearby neighbour, Steve. Steve has a wonderful garage with plenty of neat stuff, hot rods, trucks, camaros, new and old, motorcycle, bicycles and the best on is this Stude Gasser from the sixties.  Check out the neat hauler!

Runs like new.

Goldenhawk linked to Studebaker

It is amazing just who you meet from Craig's list add for volunteers. The first guy to show up was Mike Klaus seen here driving the classic convertible by Studebaker. Klaus as he prefers to be known as is a rabid collector of these great cars. You will be see much of him as he is full on the team along with his buddy Harvey. Both of them are fabricators and very good at the trade in any material. Welcome aboard !

Kevin Knox / Diversions /Frankforth



Kevin @ his lathe.



As you can see Kevin Knox and Sean of Frankfort Waterjet have been cooking up a new manifold for the twin turbo setup. It is near complete but I don't have a photo of the welded unit.

So you think you've seen it all?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

Click on this link. Then "save it to your favorites".

You will go back again and again

 there is just no way to take it all in at one or ten times.

It is the most information in one place on the Internet.

Enjoy and when you are interested in the universe your TV will be never on.

I wish this technology had been available when I was a child.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

Love to all.

Randy

Randy's First Hawk



It was spring of 1962 in Barrie Ontario, near camp Borden that I found a beauty on a used car lot. It was a 1958 Studebaker Silver Hawk (the photo is a Goldenhawk). it was extremely fast but at the time I wanted drag race power and this V8 automatic equipped car would not smoke the tires. And it was a different color, not red or black but Black Cherry and Beige, just a little too classy for a 19 year old RCAF photographer. So 10 days later I traded it back in even for a RED & BLACK 1957 Oldsmobile with a 371 cubic inch Rocket J2 V8 and 4 speed hydromatic transmission. it would smoke the tires anytime and pass everything but a gas station.

(It was not one of my wisest choices but that's what kids do.)



mine was not convertible



Memories at Christmas

Not all my memories from this time of year are happy. Back in 1965, on cold dark rainy night while traveling rather quick on a Vancouver Island twisting mountain road, made slick with oil dripping from logging (chip) trucks, in a car with bald tires, worn shocks and not equipped with seat belts, I lost control. The result was a slide, over correction and backing into a solid rock wall at about 55 mph, was that, this pretty 57 Pontiac was turned to junk. I was thrown out and bounce along in the rock ditch ahead of the wreck praying it would stop before I did! Good ending I was not injured and the car was still sort of drivable but severely bent in the middle,   later the car was hauled  to the scrapper. Remember, seat belts save lives and this was a lucky break. I always wore one after that.

"DURANGO KID" HAS GONE TO THE DOGS!

Cameron, our friend from Durango, has a new puppy. We all were canvassed to submit names and the one he chose was ............"RANGER"!

I just love the look on the old dog's face, it seems to say,

"Well I guess I have two of them to look after now!"

Kirk Plummer passes at 50yrs.

I have known Kirk all his life, his father, my nephew Dale was my idol, mentor, teacher and my big brother when I was growing up.

I was part of Lorna and Dale’s wedding day and it was Lorna’s mother Carrie that let us know when she gave birth to their first son:

           KIRK DALE PLUMMER

13 NOVEMBER 1960 – 14 DECEMBER 2010

Kirk was involved in a single car crash, Abbotsford BC. He was ejected from the vehicle through the passenger window and suffered multiple injuries to his brain and spine. He was in a coma for 12 days before passing away. He was alone in the vehicle at the time. Black ice is believed to be the cause of the mishap.

In his memory,

 I implore everyone to wear a seat belt!

Seven years after ?

Today we celebrated Doug Menges' retirement from a long career with the gas company. And at that same time I was celebrating seven years to the hour of receiving open heart surgery. Thanks to the skilled healthcare personnel I am here to write this. Not only am I here but I have never felt healthier, younger, yes but not healthier!
The point of this is to confess the motivation behind the Goldenhawk Project, and that is; while awaiting and following the surgery I was surrounded by people that felt they had not lived life to the fullest. I, on the other hand was content and prepared to accept whatever the future would bring because I had lived my dreams and pursued my passions without fear of the future and without money as my God. Thanks entirerly to my parents, Bill and Lula (Lulu) Pierce. It was at that time I was motivated to set a land speed record and to include others in the process, that they too might have an adventure that they otherwise would have missed. This is not a noble or unself act just my way of life.
Thank you all for reading this and most importantly thanks all of the people who have been touched, contributed or are influenced by this project including my love Wendy.
Sincerely yours,
Randy