News and Events

Upcoming Races:  TBD

New's Brief!  9-12-10  El Mirage - The team visited El Mirage dry lake bed in the Southern California desert this weekend. Lou Gamache piloted Jim Thomas' 4Janey2 land speed race car during several licensing passes to earn his Southern California Timing Association class "C" license.  SCTA has a rigorous testing and licensing process to ensure participant and spectator safety.  Lou is now certified to race at speeds up to 175 mph.  The car ran flawlessly and the weather was wonderful with with clear blue skies as far as the eye could see.  Click on the photo or here for a video of the car during a 166.7 mph pass through the timing lights and parachute deployment. Turn up the sound and enjoy!   

  8-9-09 Bonneville - The team took the land speed car to the legendary Bonneville Speedway this week.  The new engine ran very strong and the first run right off the trailer was over 205 mph!  After fixing a minor glitch with the data recorder we were back in line for another run.  Sunday was a very special day for the team dedicated to the memory of Jane Thomas.  The weather was perfect with clear blue skies as far as the eye could see.  As family and friends gathered to watch, Jim Thomas laid down a sizzling 220.6 mph pass on the long course! God's speed Janey!  Click on the photo or here for a video link.     

   7-17-09 - We had an opportunity to dyno the new alcohol fuel injected engine for Jim Thomas' land speed car.  This engine is almost twice as powerful as the past engine and should push the car well beyond the 200mph mark.  Here's a couple of links to show you what we've been up to...  Engine Dyno Startup and a Quick Dyno Pull.

  6-14-09 Hot and dusty, that's El Mirage in June.  The engine ran a little off but we still ran solidly in the high 168 mph range.  It is clear the old tired engine is the limiting factor to achieving greater speeds.  Plans are to assemble a more powerful alcohol fuel injected engine.  The team has started to make preparations for Bonneville where Jim Thomas hopes to break the elusive 200mph mark.  

  11-15-08 - What an exciting final race of the season at El Mirage with the land speed car!  The team completely reconstructed the front suspension after the October races to help make the car more stable at speed and made some aerodynamic adjustments.  The weather was cool during the two day event, but unfortunately the wind did not cooperate.  Driver Jim Thomas netted an incredible 166.895 mph top speed against a 20 mph headwind for the first run on Saturday.  Sunday was a near repeat with 166 mph against a 14 mph headwind.  With calmer air the team anticipates Jim will be breaking 180 mph in the very near future.  For those of you who wonder what it's like to drive at top speed on the lake, click here for in-car video courtesy of GreenWhiteCheckers.  Enjoy!

  10-26-08 - Back at El Mirage with the land speed car this weekend.  The team worked hard between races making several adjustments to the suspension and aerodynamics.  The weather conditions were cool and dry, exactly what driver Jim Thomas needed to set a new record.  The sky was clear and the air was very still which resulted in delays while waiting for dust to clear from the course between vehicles.  Over the course of the day we were only able to log one run, but it was one heck of a run.  Jim put the pedal down and obliterated his old record with an impressive 173.539 mph run.  Afterward we discovered Jim had experienced severe dust inside the car that inhibited his vision.  Jim said he had trouble following the course and actually backed out of the throttle before the timing lights!  Jim is currently licensed to run up to 175 mph.  The team is looking forward to breaking 175 mph barrier next race so Jim can achieve his next higher license, clearing him for speeds up to 200 mph.   

    9-13-08- The team traveled to El Mirage dry lake this weekend to assist fellow racer Jim Thomas with his SBC powered Datsun 240z land speed car.  Jim had a best run of the day at 169.639 mph, nearly breaking his all time record of 170 mph!  Unfortunately, the hot weather and thin air conspired against the team as subsequent runs were a bit slower at 165 and 167 mph.  Land speed racing at El Mirage dry lake is sanctioned by Southern California Timing Association (SCTA).  Look for Jim and the team to be back at El Mirage on October 26 to make another attempt at shattering the record. 

     9-12-08- Team driver Giant Gene Lockhart and the #13 pony stock paid a visit to Highland Grove Elementary School in support of the school's reading program.  Gene gave out autographed pictures and all the kids had a really great time.  One youngster described the event as "Super Cool."  Lou Gamache Racing proudly supports our local community and youth based programs stressing solid character values, good citizenship, education, and safety.  

8-13-08 Update - Post race inspection revealed the street stock sustained major structural damage during the last race.  The crew removed the damaged body parts and the entire drive train from the car before it was taken to Wyatt's Auto Body for repairs.  The car will require considerable repair work and we were concerned the car might be a total loss.  Shop owner Kris Wyatt reassured his team of expert frame and body repair technicians would restore it to better than new condition in no time.

       6-21-08- The team qualified the street stock in the top five and started the race from the middle of the pack.  As usual, it wasn't long before Lou started working his way toward the front of the field.  Early in the event while racing for third position a lapped car blew an engine and sprayed oil and water all over the front straightaway and into turn one.  Lou was exiting turn four onto the front straight as the incident unfolded.  Seeing the car spinning ahead, Lou rolled out of the throttle and started to turn down into the infield but it was too late as he was already into the massive oil slick.  Three cars slid up the track one after another into the first turn wall followed by Lou and at least five other cars.  The pile up totally decimated the field and left our car on the bottom of a stack of race cars.  Race Director Gary Stockman said it "was one of the most spectacular wrecks he's ever witnessed!"  A definite plus for the fans.  Lou was dazed and sore, but otherwise Ok.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the car.  Check our photo page to see more pictures of the aftermath.

4-19-08- What a fantastic start during the first races of our season!  The team fielded two cars, a new pony stock along with the street stock, in a first ever double-header main event.  Handling problems plagued the pony stock and an early on-track involvement during the main event killed a tire to sideline the pony for the remainder of the race.   The  street stock was wicked fast right off the trailer, but during the main we were slowed by an erratic competitor who spun directly in front of us.  We were unable to avoid contact with the other car and incurred sheet metal  damage to a rear fender which became apparent after the restart.  The right rear tire began rubbing hard on the fender down the straightaways and we had to pit under green to pull the fender out.   We reentered the race two laps down and started reeling in cars to finish the race right on the rear bumper of the 5th place car.  Word to our competition: "Look out we're comin' thru!"

    2/21/2008 - We were honored to be invited to display the Speedtruck at Colton High School for a very special motor sports themed school assembly.  Over 2000 students were in attendance as Stater Bros Markets CEO Jack Brown shared his experiences in overcoming adversity.  The Sun sports editor Louis Brewster related marketing and career opportunities, and Colton Police Chief Bob Miller spoke on making good life choices.   Here's a photo of the Speedtruck with our hosts from the ROTC.