“Myself and some friends built a supercharged race motor to run in a specific class for rear-modified roadsters,” Wollenberg said. With only 2 inches of ground clearance, the roadster is designed for speed. The front end of the car is a hand-fabricated metal body and is decked out with traditional race-car emblems, including a rose with wings on the front, and a large spoiler on the back to provide more grip on the salt track. The back end of Wollenberg’s roadster is made from the shell of a steel 1927 Ford roadster body and houses the custom Chevy 8-cylinder engine. In order to spare the engine any damage, Wollenberg hit only 166 mph in his second run, enough to set a new class land speed record. The speed of the two runs are averaged and must be greater than the current record. The car was then placed in impound where the crew had only four hours to make small adjustments it remained overnight before attempting a record run the next morning. He ran 181 mph in their qualifying round. In order to break the record, Wollenberg had to first set his qualifying speed above the current record. The Flying Rose team went home without racing. “It was hard and really smooth, the best it’s been in a number of years.” Last year, after a torrential rainstorm just days before the race, the flats were too wet, and Speed Week was ultimately a disappointment. “This year the salt was really good,” Wollenberg said. 12 in their class by achieving an average speed of 173.429 mph, surpassing the previous record of 164 mph set in 2018. Wollenberg and his crew set a new world record Aug. Jimmy Wollenberg straps into his roadster. The salt flats in Utah provide a wide-open raceway, perfect for events just like this. The Flying Rose Racing crew competed for the first time in August. But the unending beauty of the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah was a sight to behold as he suited up and strapped into his modified 1927 Ford roadster at Bonneville Speedway for this year’s 73rd Speed Week 2020. Living in the big sky area of Montana, Class of 1975 marketing grad Jimmy Wollenberg is familiar with gorgeous vistas and vast plains.
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