Big Red History 2012

big red camaro car

Compared to the year before, 2012 was a little quieter for RJ, Big Red, and the team. RJ had been bitten by the “Land Speed” bug. They ran the Mojave Mile event at the Mojave Air & Space Port on May 5-6. RJ, not ready to go with a forced-induction engine, ran the twin-carbureted, 1,100-horsepower 13.5:1 compression 598 nicknamed “The Monster,” backed by their typical Jerico four-speed. The power was just too much for the clutch. With some slippage, they could only muster a new record of 218.3 mph. The speed is impressive, but Big Red was hoping for more.

On June 2-3, the Mojave Mile expanded to a longer 1.5-mile event, which they called the Mojave Magnum. The longer distance was a whole new event to tackle, as it meant more speed and more heat, which posed more engineering hurdles for the team. The team made some adjustments and were able to get a 234.4-mph pass for an event win and a new record speed for Big Red. Before this event, Big Red had never gone faster than 222 mph (at the Silver State Classic Challenge).

Big Red History 2012

November 3-4, Big Red went to Willow Springs International Raceway for the Big Bore Bash for the second year in a row. The year before they ran The Bullet (598 cubic inches with 990 horsepower) and turned third gear in two transmissions to powder, so this year they stepped down to the smallest engine in their arsenal, The Peanut (540 cubic inches with 850 horsepower). The team hoped third gear would hold up in the Jerico transmission. With the smaller engine and RJ slightly altering his driving style, Big Red ran great all weekend and didn’t have a single major mechanical failure. RJ was excited to push Big Red hard in the final “Challenge” race, and won second place with a best lap time of 1:30.493.

Mojave Mile Provisional Results - Chart
the peanut engine
red camaro with driver
big red classic car
Mojave Magnum Provisional results