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MISC: Infiniti Sets 200 MPH Land-Speed Record With Q45 Powered By Infiniti Indy V8

19 August 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Wendover, Utah-- The experiment of modifying a stock Infiniti Q45 with a 650 horsepower Infiniti Indy racing engine was a great success at the Bonneville Speed Week event, held Aug. 12 to 18. Recording an average speed of 200.460 mph, driver/owner Larry Detrich beat a six-year-old record by 12 mph with the Infiniti Q45 hybrid. The record also earns Detrich and Infiniti membership into the prestigious 200 Mile Per Hour Club, joining legends such as Craig Breedlove, A.J. Foyt, and Bobby Unser.

"It was pretty fantastic," commented Denver, Colo. resident Detrich. "As a land-speed racing rookie I had some lofty goals including earning my license, breaking the record, and-the icing on the cake-getting into the 200 MPH Club. We accomplished all three, so I would say the week was a total success.

"The Infiniti Q45, which was built as a street car, held up perfectly at speeds topping 200 mph and the motor ran flawlessly with the help of Mark Honsowetz (younger brother of Frank Honsowetz) from Ed Pink Racing Engines," continued Detrich. "My crew Mark Mercer, Kay Kelly, and Al Arnold were also rookies and they kept the car running at record pace. It was an unbelievable week for everyone."

Detrich earned his first record on Wednesday, Aug. 16 with an average speed of 191.4 mph. The effort beat the 1994 record of 188.114 mph for the E/GC class for stock-body sedans with normally-aspirated engines with displacement from 3.01 to 4.26 liters. The following day, Detrich beat his own record, with two runs timed at 199.939 mph and 201.042 mph, giving him an average speed of 200.460 mph.

At an event that features a large number of purpose-built race cars and late-model vehicles, the current model Infiniti Q45 sedan, with the Infiniti Indy V8 engine, turned many heads at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

"The Infiniti generated some serious interest," Detrich said. "You don't often see new model, luxury cars out on the salt flats. Especially ones with an Indy Racing engine inside. Even veteran Bonneville racers were blown away by the car and its performance." Infiniti Motorsports Manager Frank Honsowetz was pleased with the results of Infiniti's first land-speed racing event.

"Setting a record at over 200 miles per hour with a production Infiniti Q45 and a normally-aspirated, 4.0-liter engine is a significant achievement," Honsowetz said. "The project has definitely created some excitement around here. Larry and his crew did a great job of building and running the car, and the input from Ed Pink and his staff on the engine side made it all possible."

Land-speed racing's premier event, Bonneville Speed Week, is held annually and is sanctioned by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and Bonneville Nationals, Inc. (BNI). The event is held on the salt flats located near Wendover, Utah, about 100 miles west of Salt Lake City.

Vehicles at the event run one at a time on the natural surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Each vehicle on the five-mile course is timed in three one-mile segments, after a two-mile approach. A record-breaking speed is determined by taking the average speed of two attempts.

Text provided by Heather Handley

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.