With all wheel drive and a 4,000 HP Lycolming turbine motor, the Vesco Racing “Turbinator II” is a top candidate for the first wheel-driven car to exceed the 500-MPH mark on the Salt. There are very few cars world-wide capable achieving of this. Once they get the bugs out – look out!

Vesco Racing team’s “Turbinator II” car driven by Dave Spangler was present making shake down runs. The turbine powered car with a T-55 Lycolming helicopter jet engine generating a stated power of 4300-bhp is in the developmental process. No better place to test it than on the Great White Dyno. The team had the car up to 369 MPH during Speed Week 2016, and they are pleased with that, but what they really want to see out of it is the first 500-MPH run by a wheel driven car.

This is what all the big dogs are really after, the first 500.


George Poteet has now logged in close to 50 runs on the salt at over 400 MPH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, when George Poteet, Mr. Speed Demon was interviewed about this topic he said to me, “Let me tell you who’s NOT going 500 MPH this week – me!” And he said it with a grin and a twinkle in his eye. I asked him what would it take for a car to go 500 MPH on the salt and he answered very quickly, “That’s easy, seven miles of race course, and that’s not happening.”

George explained it this way: “See what you have here now is basically a five-mile drag race. I have a seven-speed Liberty transmission in this car and you can only put down so much power so quickly to the salt. You have to be careful out there not to break traction.”

In 2014, George did exactly that with “Speed Demon 1”, and when the car got loose, it fish tailed briefly before is spun out – at 370 mph. The car was totaled, George had his jaw piece broken on his Simpson helmet (which he credits with helping to save his life), and he learned the valuable lesson that no matter how fast a car is traveling on the salt flats, you have to be careful never to overpower the race surface.

George is not rattled by the experience, not in the least. He commented, “I know every time I get in the car I may not get to do it again.” It’s not that he’s fearless, he’s simply at peace with his passion and he loves what he’s doing and would never live his life any other way.