Big Red History 2013

big red camaro

2013 was a big year for Big Red. This was the year it got off the asphalt and
became more versatile than ever. In 1989, RJ had proven Big Red could run
222 mph on the Nevada highway. Now he wanted to see what it could do on
dirt and the Holy Grail, Bonneville salt. RJ reached out to the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) to run at Bonneville in Utah. Before heading to Utah from California, it was decided to perform testing in their backyard, El Mirage dry lake bed in Mojave. Prior to running an SCTA event (Bonneville Salt Flats and El Mirage Dry Lake), the car had to pass tech, so a couple of SCTA members stopped by the shop and made a full checklist of necessary changes before she could run. More bars were added to the rollcage, safety equipment and new Lexan side glass had to be added, aerodynamic roof rails, taped-up Lexan grille cover, small brake calipers, and
more. The crew also installed an automatic transmission for more reliability behind the 598. On May 18-19, El Mirage was in for a big surprise. The road-racing legend, the Big Red Camaro, rolled out of the trailer to run in preparation for Bonneville, with wide street tires and all. Big Red had the 598-cubic-inch dualcarbureted engine nicknamed The Monster. They had wanted to run the new ProCharged 598 over the weekend, but it wasn’t ready in time for 

 installation Many in the crowd knew the lore of Big Red and were happy to see it try a run on dirt. The signature #1 was not going to fly over the weekend. SCTA tradition is that the vehicle with number one in points for the year gets to run #1. Since this was RJ’s first-ever run in the SCTA, the signature 1 on the doors had to be taped over. Some red high-speed racing tape did the trick. Going from asphalt to dirt brought out a whole new set of issues. The car had a “dusting” problem inside the car. So much dust inside the car that RJ couldn’t breathe or see out the windows. Holes had to be sealed. RJ ran loose and dirty that weekend with a top speed of 136.512 mph.In June, the crew had installed the ProCharged 598 big block and had arranged for private testing at El Mirage. With its elephant-trunk-like intake tube, this engine was nicknamed “The Elephant.” Jerry Cornelison (club secretary and historian) and his grandson Reece Moore welcomed RJ as a new member of the Road Runners club. They ceremoniously handed RJ a rare club flag and plaque. The Road Runners are a charter member club of the SCTA. The club was founded in 1937, and has been credited with having many high-profile members, including Bill Burke, who was the first to use a WWII P-51 wing tank to build a racer, which ran 131.96 mph.

big red racing car
Big Red History 2013

Big Red was there to test and get ready to run Bonneville. Along with the new engine, they also installed new land-speed wheels with salt-flat disc covers (with decals that mimic the signature BBS wheels), added more ballast, and taped up the snorkel scoop to keep air from creating high pressure under the hood. It ran well, but no times were recorded on this test session. To keep the car in a class with an attainable speed record (current Bonneville class record is 246.767 mph), Big Red had to keep a carburetor (no EFI), so they had to install a blow-through carburetor or mechanical fuel injection. They used a Carb Shop experimental carburetor to work with the power levels over 1,500 horsepower. August 10-16. Big Red arrives at the one and only Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah for the world-famous Speed Week. This was the first appearance of the aerodynamic cover in front of the snorkel scoop. Bonneville is something you can’t prepare enough for, but the team was as ready as possible. Over the duration of the week, the crew made more changes to the car, trying to go faster as well as stabilize the car. They bought new lighter-weight aluminum wheels and taller tires, which required 

 installation Many in the crowd knew the lore of Big Red and were happy to see it try a run on dirt. The signature #1 was not going to fly over the weekend. SCTA tradition is that the vehicle with number one in points for the year gets to run #1. Since this was RJ’s first-ever run in the SCTA, the signature 1 on the doors had to be taped over. Some red high-speed racing tape did the trick. Going from asphalt to dirt brought out a whole new set of issues. The car had a “dusting” problem inside the car. So much dust inside the car that RJ couldn’t breathe or see out the windows. Holes had to be sealed. RJ ran loose and dirty that weekend with a top speed of 136.512 mph.In June, the crew had installed the ProCharged 598 big block and had arranged for private testing at El Mirage. With its elephant-trunk-like intake tube, this engine was nicknamed “The Elephant.” Jerry Cornelison (club secretary and historian) and his grandson Reece Moore welcomed RJ as a new member of the Road Runners club. They ceremoniously handed RJ a rare club flag and plaque. The Road Runners are a charter member club of the
SCTA. The club was founded in 1937, and has been credited with having many
high-profile members, including Bill Burke, who was the first to use a WWII
P-51 wing tank to build a racer, which ran 131.96 mph.

Big Red History 2013
camaro drivers

2013 was a big year for Big Red. This was the year it got off the asphalt and became more versatile than ever. In 1989, RJ had proven Big Red could run 222 mph on the Nevada highway. Now he wanted to see what it could do on dirt and the Holy Grail, Bonneville salt. RJ reached out to the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) to run at Bonneville in Utah. Before heading to Utah from California, it was decided to perform testing in their backyard, El Mirage dry lake bed in Mojave.

Prior to running an SCTA event (Bonneville Salt Flats and El Mirage Dry Lake), the car had to pass tech, so a couple of SCTA members stopped by the shop and made a full checklist of necessary changes before she could run. More bars were added to the rollcage, safety equipment and new Lexan side glass had to be added, aerodynamic roof rails, taped-up Lexan grille cover, small brake calipers, and more. The crew also installed an automatic transmission for more reliability behind the 598.On May 18-19, El Mirage was in for a big surprise. The road-racing legend, the Big Red Camaro, rolled out of the trailer to run in preparation for Bonneville, with wide street tires and all. Big Red had the 598-cubic-inch dualcarbureted engine nicknamed The Monster. They had wanted to run the new ProCharged 598 over the weekend, but it wasn’t ready in time for installation.

Many in the crowd knew the lore of Big Red and were happy to see it try a run on dirt. The signature #1 was not going to fly over the weekend. SCTA tradition is that the vehicle with number one in points for the year gets to run #1. Since this was RJ’s first-ever run in the SCTA, the signature 1 on the doors had to be taped over. Some red high-speed racing tape did the trick. Going from asphalt to dirt brought out a whole new set of issues. The car had a “dusting” problem inside the car. 

camaro car and driver

So much dust inside the car that RJ couldn’t breathe or see out the windows. Holes had to be sealed. RJ ran loose and dirty that weekend with a top speed of 136.512 mph.

big red racing car

 In June, the crew had installed the ProCharged 598 big block and had arranged for private testing at El Mirage. With its elephant-trunk-like intake tube, this engine was nicknamed “The Elephant.” Jerry Cornelison (club secretary and historian) and his grandson Reece Moore welcome RJ as a new member of the Road Runners club. They ceremoniously handed RJ a rare club flag and plaque. The Road Runners are a charter member club of the SCTA. 

The club was founded in 1937, and has been credited with having many high-profile members, including Bill Burke, who was the first to use a WWII P-51 wing tank to build a racer, which ran 131.96 mph.

Big Red was there to test and get ready to run Bonneville. Along with the new engine, they also installed new land-speed wheels with salt-flat disc covers (with decals that mimic the signature BBS wheels), added more ballast, and taped up the snorkel scoop to keep air from creating high pressure under the hood. It ran well, but no times were recorded on this test session. To keep the car in a class with an attainable speed record (current Bonneville class record is 246.767 mph), Big Red had to keep a carburetor (no EFI), so they had to install a blow-through carburetor or mechanical fuel injection.

Big Red Camaro car

To keep the car in a class with an attainable speed record (current Bonneville class record is 246.767 mph), Big Red had to keep a carburetor (no EFI), so they had to install a blow-through carburetor or mechanical fuel injection. They
used a Carb Shop experimental carburetor to work with the power levels over 1,500 horsepower. August 10-16. Big Red arrives at the one and only Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah for the world-famous Speed Week. This was the first appearance of the aerodynamic cover in front of the snorkel scoop.

Bonneville is something you can’t prepare enough for, but the team was as ready as possible. Over the duration of the week, the crew made more changes to the car, trying to go faster as well as stabilize the car. They bought new lighter-weight aluminum wheels and taller tires, which required

Big Red Camaro car

Bonneville is something you can’t prepare enough for, but the team was as ready as possible. Over the duration of the week, the crew made more changes to the car, trying to go faster as well as stabilize the car. They bought new lighter-weight aluminum wheels and taller
tires, which required  installation Many in the crowd knew the lore of Big Red and were happy to see it try a run on dirt. The signature #1 was not going to fly over the weekend. 

SCTA tradition is that the vehicle with number one in points for the year gets to run #1. Since this was RJ’s first-ever run in the SCTA, the signature 1 on the doors had to be taped over. Some red high-speed racing tape did the trick. Going from asphalt to dirt brought out a whole new set of issues. The car had a “dusting” problem inside the car. So much dust inside the car that RJ couldn’t breathe or see out the windows. Holes had to be sealed. RJ ran loose and dirty that weekend with a top speed of 136.512 mph.In June, the crew had installed the ProCharged 598 big block and had arranged for private testing at El Mirage. With its elephant-trunk-like intake tube, this engine was nicknamed “The Elephant.” Jerry Cornelison (club secretary and historian) and his grandson Reece Moore welcomed RJ as a new member of the Road Runners club. They ceremoniously handed RJ a rare club flag and plaque. The Road Runners are a charter member club of the SCTA. The club was founded in 1937, and has been credited with having many high-profile members, including Bill Burke, who was the first to use a WWII P-51 wing tank to build a racer, which ran 131.96 mph.

Big Red Camaro car