Spent the day yesterday out at the El Mirage dry lake bed out in the desert north of Los Angeles. A good buddy of mine named Mike Cook is a racing junkie, and has raced just about everything, and knows more than anyone I've ever met. He holds several land speed records, and has his own streamliner, as well as several cars he races at El Mirage and Bonneville, and a couple sprint cars he races at Ventura Raceway. He's also the crew chief for the Ferguson Racing streamliner, and that's the one we took out yesterday. The Ferguson's have exclusive rights to and are the sole manufacturer of the parts needed to make what's known as an Ardun engine. An Ardun starts out as an old flathead Ford V8, but converts it to an OHV hemi. It's really rather wild, and very rare, outside of dry lake bed and salt flats racing. Well, needless to say, the Ferguson Racing streamliner is powered by an Ardun, only this one has a 4-71 blower on top of it.

The plan for yesterday was to see if a crew member named Chris could get into the 200 MPH Club. This is an exclusive club that is only open to drivers who actually exceed 200 mph on a single run at a specific track. El Mirage is a relatively short track at only 1.3 miles from start to finish, making it one of the more difficult 200 MPH Clubs to get into.

There was over 200 different vehicles there to run yesterday, ranging from a top fuel dragster that was geared and equipped for running on a dry lake bed, to a 50cc motorcycle, and EVERYTHING in between! I got a bunch of great pics on my personal website, I'll post the links below. Some came out blurry, but oh well.

We only had time to make one pass, but Chris got it up to just over 220 mph, and became a member of the El Mirage 200 MPH Club.

The weather was typical for the desert; it was actually chilly when we got there around 7:30 am, but got up higher than 110 degrees by noon (the thermometer only went to 110, and was pegged).

The first link has pictures of the Ferguson Racing streamliner that Chris took to just over 220 mph. It's beautiful! I tried getting a pic from the traps at the end of the run, but it's not easy getting a good pic of a car going over 220 mph past you just 20 yards away. Still, there are some great pics.

The second link has the rest of the pictures I took, mostly of other cars there to run, including a '68 California Special Mustang and a '70 Camaro, a couple bikes, a dragster, and some killer engines.

Enjoy!

El Mirage Page One

El Mirage Page Two

 

Thanks for sharing! That is a different world from what I am used to!

 

No problem. I usually go racing every weekend in one form or another. Last Saturday and next Saturday it's sprints at Ventura Raceway.

These are pics I took of Mike Cook's newest sprint car last Saturday at Ventura. That engine almost gives me a woody.

These are pics from the pits last Saturday with the team I'm helping this year.

 

And here I thought I was going to see pictures of some sort of camper (Airstream) or something

Very very cool

 

FWIW, there were two of the big old chrome (or polished aluminum, whatever they were) there that people were staying in, but I didn't get any pics of them.

Had I only known...

lol.

 

They're classics





O.K. Back on topic....

 

Yeah they are.

 

And I thought we were going on a train trip somewhere.....oh well.......

 

Looks like a blast!

 

We love El Mirage, go up there riding all the time. Been there a few times when they are doing all that stuff. Real cool to ride over there and spend half a day looking at the race cars. Really, really cool stuff!!

Hay PKRWUD, Have they got that new Ranger office done yet?

 

You mean that new building on the road in? It didn't look occupied, but we only passed it on the way in. We went over to Callaway's yard afterwards, and took the back roads out. Have you ever been over there to that guys yard? He's got EVERYTHING in there! Name any car, and he's got a couple of them. Mach 1 Mustangs, SS Camaro's, Ferrari's, mid '50's Cadillac's, trucks, busses, limo's, race cars, "experimental" planes, boats, even an old hydrofoil!

 

Wow !!! Thats awesome man. Looks like tons of fun.

So, Mike Cook huh ? Would that be the same Mike Cook who started Cook Motorsports ?

Either way, looks like a blast ! Thanks for grabbin those pics.

 

There are actually 3 Mike Cook's in that circle of racers. Two of them are such close friends, they tell everyone they're brothers, and the third is the son of one of the first two. The Mike Cook I know is one of the "brothers", the Mike Cook of Cook Motorsports is the other "brother." Both hold several land speed records, and both help each other out when needed. The one I know is also the crew chief for the Ferguson Racing team, and races sprint cars at Ventura Raceway. His other racing credentials include racing Nostalgia Top Fuel, is a former NDRA Top Fuel Dragster Champion, El Mirage Speed Record holder, Bonneville Speed Trials Record holder, and has set 16 Land Speed Records.

He's got racing in his blood.

 

I'd say so. Thats one IMPRESSIVE resume !

I only "know of" Mike Cook of Cook Motorsports by reading about him and his cars. Very impressive, I was completely un-aware there was three of em hangin in the same circle ! That would be a fun camp fire to sit around !

Either way, real cool stuff. Post up more often if ya do this stuff regularly.

 

I'll be at the sprints at Ventura Raceway on Saturday. 700 horsepower in a 1250 pound car, with no transmission and a solid rear axle, racing around a 1/4 mile dirt oval track.

That's my definition of fun!