GM FYI Blog

By Phil Colley
GM Performance Division Communications

In my year working with the talented GM Performance Division team, I’m always amazed at the absolute resolve to be the best. One of the mottos I hear frequently is, “If you lift for a second, that’s where you’ll finish.” Well, today was the start of what could be a banner week out at the Bonneville Salts Flats for the 58th Annual Speed Week event.

Partnering once again with So-Cal Speed Shop, the Bonneville team engineers wrenched feverishly throughout the day and into the late evening hours to get their Ecotec-powered race cars ready for today’s kickoff, and it really paid off as the Student Project Cobalt SS and Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS both qualified for records.

The Student Cobalt ran 156.695 mph in the G/FCC class (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe) powered by E85 ethanol, and the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt ran more than 220 mph in the G/BFALT class (G Class/Blown Fuel Altered Coupe).

Both cars were driven by GM Performance Division engineer Mark Dickens, who amazingly within the span of 45 minutes, qualified to potentially become a member of the elite “200 MPH Club” and also became the first-ever driver to qualify for a record using E85. He literally ran the Student Cobalt on the short course and then rushed back to the start line to race the second Cobalt on the long course.

Once you make a qualifying run that beats the previous record holder’s time, your car is immediately impounded until the next morning when you can return for a record run. The combined average between the qualifying and record return runs are what establish a new record. Dickens will have to set a record higher than the 212.684 mph record currently held by GM engineer and “200 MPH Club” member Jim Minneker in a Saturn ION Red Line.

Three female students — Heather Chemistruck, Lauren Zimmer and Sandra Saldivar — were among the many excited team members as they helped engineer and convert the Student Project Cobalt to run on E85 for 2006, and have the unique opportunity to help set the first-ever record at Bonneville using the renewable fuel.

Also today, Minneker made a pass at 224.605 in the HHR, which was just shy of the current 226.835 mph mark. Be sure to come back tomorrow for all the details on the two Cobalts as well as for more updates on the Chevy So-Cal HHR and Ecotec Lakester.

For more information, take a look at the official press release.