GM Performance Division Returns To Bonneville In Pursuit Of Speed
WENDOVER, Utah August 16, 2004; If all the world's a stage, then the Bonneville Salt Flats are an impressive backdrop for the theatre of speed. Shaped over millennia by the irresistible forces of nature, the Salt Flats' crystalline surface forms an immense speedway that stretches to the horizon. GM Performance Division journeyed to this desolate landscape in 2003 with an Ecotec-powered Saturn Ion Red Line coupe, and returned with a speed record and the acclaim of the tight-knit Bonneville racing community. Now GM is going back to the salt with a quartet of cars to prove again the Ecotec's mettle in a demanding and distinctly American environment.
GM Performance Division is aiming to raise the bar in the G/Blown Fuel Altered class even higher than the 212.684 mph mark established last year by GM engineer Jim Minneker. This year's attempt to run even faster will be made by a Chevrolet Cobalt SS Bonneville speedster that brings Chevy's famed Super Sport heritage to a front-wheel-drive sport compact performance car. The Ecotec assault force also includes a vintage roadster, a stiletto-shaped streamliner and GM Performance Division's futuristic open-wheel Ecotec Lakester.
"Our goal is to establish the Ecotec as an extremely robust, high integrity four-cylinder engine at a fundamental, grassroots level," said GM Performance Division Executive Director Mark Reuss. "The imports may have had multi-valve four-cylinder engines first, but we're going to be there with the best. And we're showcasing the Ecotec in a distinctly American way that our Japanese competitors simply can't match. The Bonneville program is a return to the roots of American high performance - but we're doing it with a technically advanced four-cylinder engine."
Led by the GM Performance Division, the Bonneville speed expedition integrates the human and technical resources of the world's largest vehicle manufacturer. The program is a collaborative effort with GM Powertrain, GM Performance Parts, GM Racing, and the GM Design Studios in Warren, Mich., and Los Angeles. The So-Cal Speed Shop in Pomona, Calif., a company with more than half a century of experience at the Salt Flats, is GM Performance Division's partner in the campaign.
"One of the key things we learned last year is that the So-Cal Speed Shop crew knows how to go racing at Bonneville," Reuss explained. "There's no prize money and very little glory; people race on the Salt Flats because it's their passion. It's not about who has the most lavish transporter or the biggest motor home - it's about the quest for speed. This year we're supporting several Bonneville racers with our engines and our expertise, and that's the direct result of the friendships we formed."
So-Cal president Pete Chapouris agreed: "We take our hot rod heritage to Bonneville with us, and that's the key," he said. "We wear T-shirts and blue jeans, have a great time, and make a lot of friends. Bonneville is my backyard, and I want people to respect it.
"Families have been going to Bonneville for generations, and racers are married to the Salt Flats for life," Chapouris continued. "Having GM become a part of this tradition is awesome. GM actively supports the Save the Salt campaign that is dedicated to preserving this unique resource. People are amazed that the Ecotec engines go as fast as they do. This year we're going to have some competition from other manufacturers, and we welcome it."
The centerpiece of GM Performance Division's effort is a Cobalt SS Bonneville speedster powered by a turbocharged Ecotec engine. Sport Compact drag racing champion Nelson Hoyos will handle the driving duties. Accustomed to 7-second sprints in his record-setting front-wheel-drive Cavalier, Hoyos is looking forward to running flat-out for miles across the sea of salt.
"One of our missions at Performance Division is to bring highly developed performance versions to market at the start of production for a new model," said David Bolognino, GM concept vehicle project manager. "That's the genesis of the Cobalt SS Bonneville speedster. We've proven the car's capability on the Nurburgring road course, we've proven the Ecotec engine's durability in front-wheel-drive drag racing. The tuner market is definitely here to stay, so we're giving this new generation of performance enthusiasts a head start with a factory-engineered package."
In addition to GM Performance Division's Cobalt SS Bonneville and second-generation Ecotec Lakester entries, Ecotec engines will power Todd Haas' 1934 roadster and Ron Main's EcoFire streamliner. A customized Chevy SSR wearing the traditional red and white racing livery of So-Cal Speed Shop serves as the team's push truck and support vehicle.
"This lineup gives us a production-based model, a futuristic belly tank, a traditional hot rod, and a contemporary streamliner," said Chapouris. "We're going to have a great cast of cars in the pits."
GM Performance Division has set the stage for speed. Now the performance begins.