WENDOVER, Utah – With anticipation at a near-fever pitch, GM Performance Division returns to the historic Bonneville Salt Flats this week, intent on making up for lost time and focused on becoming the first team to set a record using E85 ethanol.

After only two days of speed trials last August, a violent storm swept through northern Utah, leaving standing water on the immense natural speedway and causing officials to cancel the final four days of the event. Until that point, GM Performance Division had set just one record in the G/BGL class (G Class/Blown Gas Lakester) with its Ecotec Lakester, which makes 2006 a redemption year of sorts for the team.

Highlighting GM’s vehicle lineup at this year’s 58th Annual Speed Week event on Aug. 12-18 is a Chevrolet Cobalt SS race car engineered in part by three female students, which will attempt to set records using both E85 ethanol and gasoline in the G/FCC (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe) and G/GCC (G Class/Unblown Gas Competition Coupe) classes, respectively.

If the Student Project Cobalt SS is successful, it will be the first vehicle to set a record at Bonneville using E85, according to the group that sanctions Speed Week, the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA).

“E85 burns cooler and has a higher octane rating (108) than gasoline, which allows for increased power,” said GM Performance Division executive Al Oppenheiser, whose team heads up GM’s efforts at Bonneville. “It’s essentially an environmentally friendly racing fuel, and with GM being a flex fuel vehicle leader, it only makes sense that GM Performance Division would expand that leadership by attempting to set the first E85 record at Bonneville.”

Rounding out the GM vehicle lineup for 2006 are three vehicles built in partnership with So-Cal Speed Shop – the radically redesigned 2006 Chevy So-Cal HHR, the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS race car and the Ecotec Lakester, which set a 189.205 mph speed record in the G/BGL class last year and is a modern-day replica of the famous So-Cal belly tank Lakester.

Making its debut in 2005, the Chevy So-Cal Bonneville HHR topped 208 mph on the Salt Flats last year, and attracted huge crowds in the pits and at the start line. Even though it didn’t get a chance to top the 16-year-old 226.835 mph record in G/BFCC class (G Class/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe), the chopped and stretched version of the production HHR achieved its objective of creating a buzz around Chevy's latest crossover vehicle. GM engineer and Bonneville record holder Jim Minneker will again drive the HHR in the G/BFCC class for 2006.

Based on the 2005 Cobalt SS Supercharged, the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS is long overdue for a record considering it stunned the crowd in 2004 with an unofficial 243.127-mph pass, earning it the nickname “243 Cobalt.” However, because production had not begun on the Cobalt, it wasn’t eligible to qualify for a record attempt. Last year, it was able to make only two passes before the rains set in.

GM Performance Division engineer Mark Dickens will pilot the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt this year and attempt to raise the bar in the G/BFALT class (G Class/Blown Fuel Altered) even higher than the 212.684-mph mark Minneker established in 2003, with a Saturn Ion Red Line coupe.

The Ecotec Lakester will again try to up the ante and best its own record in the G/BGL class at this year’s event, but this time, it’s 200 mph or bust for driver Mark Dickens.

Since 2003, when GM Performance Division first journeyed to the historic landscape and set a 212.684-mph speed record with a Saturn Ion Red Line, Ecotec engines have set five world speed records in only eight classes raced, providing GM with a measure of respect from the tight-knit Bonneville racing community. In 2004 alone, Ecotec engines set class records in G/BGL (179.381 mph), G/BFR (210.881 mph), G/BFS (309.607 mph) and G/BGS (290.567 mph).

GM Performance Division Lakester "Bellytanker" on the "Salt"

GM Performance Division Bonneville Race Team with HHR Race Vehicle

GM Performance Division and its partners from So-Cal Speed Shop set three new land speed records with Ecotec-powered vehicles recently during the 58th Annual Speed Week event at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah, including the first-ever Bonneville record using E85 ethanol. Ecotec-powered vehicles have now set eight records during the past four years with some form of GM involvement.

“The Ecotec is one of the most adaptable and durable four-cylinder engines in the marketplace, and it continues to prove its mettle on the hallowed Salt Flats,” said GM Performance Division executive Al Oppenheiser, whose team heads up GM’s efforts at Bonneville. “We even had one impartial member of the media call the engine ‘bulletproof’ last week, which is a testament to our powertrain organization.”

The team never looked back after setting two records on Aug. 13 in the G/FCC class (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe) with the Bonneville Student Project Chevy Cobalt SS and the G/BFALT class (G Class/Blown Fuel Altered Coupe) with the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS during the first record return runs of the week.

Both cars were driven by GM Performance Division engineer Mark Dickens, and each vehicle upped its initial record in subsequent race runs throughout the week.

Running only on E85 ethanol, the Student Project Cobalt SS broke the previous 19-year-old record of 152.626 mph set by Doc Jeffries in 1987 with a speed of 156.073 mph, and then upped that record twice using E85 combined with nitrous oxide to its final mark of 172.680 mph in the G/FCC class (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe).

The car either qualified or set a record in every E85 race run of the week, and was converted to run on the renewable fuel by three female engineering student interns – 19-year-old Heather Chemistruck from Virginia Tech University, 21-year-old Lauren Zimmer from Purdue University and 21-year-old Sandra Saldivar of New Mexico State University.

“The fuel classes at Bonneville are wide open, and that allows a person to run anything from nitro-methane to methanol to gasoline and whatever else is out there,” said Dickens. “We put E85 up against some of the absolute most extreme fuels available, and to be able to initially break the record using only E85 is quite an accomplishment.”

Meanwhile, Dickens shattered the record he set on Aug. 13 in the G/BFALT class (G Class/Blown Fuel Altered Coupe) with a speed of 246.849 mph in the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS on Aug. 16, more than 28 mph better than his previous mark of 218.392 mph.

With his initial G/BFALT record, Dickens earned his place in the Bonneville “200 MPH Club,” joining fellow GM engineer Jim Minneker in the exclusive land speed record fraternity, which is a little more than 600 members strong.

The team did have a couple setbacks during the week, proving just how hard it actually is to set a record at the Salt Flats, especially when considering a vehicle has to make two successful runs to set a new record.

Once a vehicle qualifies to beat the previous record, it is immediately impounded until the next morning when it can return to the same course for a record run. The combined average between the qualifying and record return runs are what establish a new record

And after upping its own record in the G/BGL class (G Class/Blown Gas Lakester) last year to 189.205 mph, the Ecotec Lakester made two passes late last week at speeds of 210.970 mph and 209.360 mph, but did not qualify for a record return run because the mark had already been broken with a higher speed of 212.765 mph on Aug. 16.

“We came out here to set records and showcase GM’s engineering and performance capabilities in a uniquely American environment,” said Oppenheiser. “We had an outstanding week with the Cobalts, and we don’t think either of those records will be broken anytime soon. And besides, there is always the World Finals in October.”

E85 Powered Student Race Vehicle

GM Performance Division Race Vehicles

Ecotec Engine Continues to Impress with a Pair of Records

WENDOVER, Utah – Two Ecotec-powered vehicles set land speed records yesterday while a third qualified to try and break its own record yet again.

GM Performance Division engineer and driver Mark Dickens shattered the record he set on Sunday, Aug. 13 in the G/BFALT class (G Class/Blown Fuel Altered Coupe) with a speed of 246.849 mph in the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS, more than 28 mph better than his previous mark of 218.392 mph.

The E85-powered Bonneville Student Project Cobalt SS again qualified to try and break its previous record in the G/FCC class (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe) with a 171.074 mph run by using E85 ethanol with a nitrous oxide boost. This morning, Dickens will look to push the car to a 170+ mph record.

Both vehicles are powered by the Ecotec 2.0-liter LSJ engine, but the Student Cobalt is based off the naturally-aspirated version.

The Haas Roadster, owned by Haas Racing and built in partnership with So-Cal Speed Shop, set a new record in the G/BFMR class (G Class/Blown Fuel Modified Roadster) with a speed of 196.106 mph. The Haas Roadster features a 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo and was driven by team member David Haas.

“The Ecotec engine is one of the most adaptable and durable engines in the marketplace, and it continues to prove it’s mettle on the hallowed Salt Flats,” said GM Performance Division executive Al Oppenheiser, whose team heads up GM’s efforts at Bonneville. “We even had one impartial member of the media call the engine ‘bulletproof’ yesterday, which is a testament to our powertrain organization.”

The Ecotec engine is suited to all levels of off-road racing competition, and in the past four years, has now set Bonneville land speed records in eight different classes.

Three female engineering student interns – 19-year-old Heather Chemistruck from Virginia Tech University, 21-year-old Lauren Zimmer from Purdue University and 21-year-old Sandra Saldivar of New Mexico State University – have yet to lose with the E85-powered Student Project Cobalt at Bonneville since their car has qualified or set a record every time out.

The three students converted the Cobalt to run on E85 for 2006 and broke a 19-year-old 152.626 mph record set by Doc Jeffries in 1987 using only E85 ethanol. Since breaking Jeffries’ record, they have combined the E85 with a nitrous oxide system and are on the verge of upping their record for the second time.

“This is unreal,” said Saldivar. “Going into this event, we knew we had a very good car that was capable of setting records, but to qualify or set a record on every run, is a testament to the entire Student Project Cobalt crew.”

For more information on GM’s activities during 2006 Bonneville Speed Week, please visit media.gm.com and click "Press Kits / Events" at the top of the home page, find the 2006 list of kits and click "Bonneville Salt Flats."

WENDOVER, Utah – GM Performance Division’s Ecotec-powered Bonneville Student Project Chevy Cobalt SS set a 172.680 mph land speed record yesterday in the G/FCC class (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in its final run using E85 ethanol.

Wednesday’s record is the culmination of a week’s worth of accomplishments for the car, which was converted to run on E85 by three female engineering student interns – 19-year-old Heather Chemistruck from Virginia Tech University, 21-year-old Lauren Zimmer from Purdue University and 21-year-old Sandra Saldivar of New Mexico State University.

Running only on E85, the Student Project Cobalt broke the previous 19-year-old record of 152.626 mph set by Doc Jeffries in 1987, and then upped that record twice using E85 combined with nitrous oxide to its final mark of 172.680 mph in the G/FCC class.

The car will now switch to gasoline and try to qualify for a record in the G/GCC class (G Class/Unblown Gas Competition coupe) today.

“Most people know the environmental story behind E85 ethanol, with its lower emissions and capability for helping reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil.” said GM Performance Division executive Al Oppenheiser, whose team heads up GM’s efforts at Bonneville. “But there is also a performance story for E85, since it burns cooler than gasoline and has a higher octane rating.”

“We came out here to showcase those performance benefits, and with the Student Cobalt qualifying or setting a record during every run in the fuel class, we more than accomplished our goal.”

The Student Cobalt finished its fuel class runs with a record more than 20 mph higher than the previous record coming into the 2006 Speed Week event, and will now look to best the 152.187 mph record in the G/GCC class.

Today, the crew will make a test pass with the car to validate the changes they made to the engine controller and fuel pressure provide the optimal air to fuel ratio while on the Salt for gasoline runs, and then later in the day it’s likely off to qualify for another record.

The Student Project Cobalt is powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter Ecotec LSJ engine, which is suited to all levels of off-road racing competition and in the past four years, has now set Bonneville land speed records in eight different classes.

“We dyno tested the turbocharged Ecotec race motors at wide-open throttle for 36 minutes in our durability tests last year,” said GM Racing engineer Russ O’Blenes, “and we had perfect reliability. In fact, we did all of our testing and record runs with one engine last year, and then used that same motor to test the new Cobalt. That engine will be our spare for this year’s runs at Bonneville, and we still haven’t taken it apart. It’s built to the same specifications outlined in GM Racing’s Ecotec engine manual for Sport Compact drag racing. I think that proves both the performance and the reliability of the Ecotec components that are available to everyone.”

The Cobalt SS Bonneville speedster was built to the standards prescribed by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), the organization that sanctions the Bonneville Speed Week. A roll cage constructed of 1.750-inch diameter-by-.120-inch wall steel tubing surrounds the driver. A 22-gallon tank filled with ice and water replaces the passenger seat; an electric pump circulates the cold liquid through an air-to-water intercooler that chills the intake charge. A 33-gallon water tank occupies the space usually reserved for the back seat; this reservoir supplies coolant for the engine and eliminates the need for a conventional radiator. A trunk-mounted 16-gallon fuel cell carries the methanol fuel consumed by the engine and helps to balance the weight distribution.

In keeping with the grassroots tradition of Bonneville, the Cobalt SS Bonneville is a simple, straightforward race car.

“The Cobalt SS Bonneville speedster is really very close to a production car,” said Bobby Walden, crew chief for the So-Cal Speed Shop team, GM Performance Division’s technical partner in the Bonneville program. “The floorpan and firewall are basically stock, and none of the exterior body panels have been modified. This is a car built by hot rodders following the specs in the rulebook, and there aren’t any tricks or secrets. It’s just a straightforward approach to Bonneville racing that a guy could build in his garage.”

There are a few high-tech touches, however. The four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission can be shifted electronically by pushing buttons on the steering wheel spokes. The Cobalt’s 10-inch rear wing and spill plates were developed in the wind tunnel to enhance stability, along with NASCAR-style roof flaps that are designed to keep the car on the ground in the event of a high-speed spin.

“Our goal was to maintain as much of the production Cobalt’s identity as possible in the race car, with only minor aerodynamic enhancements,” said Kip Wasenko, director of design for GM Performance Division. “The SS heritage is an important part of what makes Chevrolet a great American brand. Now we’re getting outrageous power and performance out of a new breed of small-displacement, high-tech engines.”

With an aerodynamic new design, a powerful engine and a seasoned crew of Bonneville fanatics, the followup to GM Performance Division’s record-setting performance promises to be as thrilling as the original.

Cobalt SS Bonneville Speedster Specifications
Chassis: Steel space frame with tubular steel roll cage
Body: Steel with fiberglass panels
Height: 50.5 in/1282 mm
Length (including parachutes): 195 in/4953 mm
Width: 67.9 in/1725 mm
Wheelbase: 103.3 in/2624 mm
Track: 58.8 in/1494 mm front; 58.4 in/1483 mm rear
Weight (including driver, fuel and ballast): 3900 lbs.
Engine: 2.0L Ecotec I-4
Displacement: 122 ci/1998 cc
Horsepower: 700+ @ 8700 rpm
Torque: 575 lb.-ft. @ 6000 rpm
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Turbocharger boost: 22 psi
Transmission: GM Racing modified Hydra-Matic 4T65-E 4-speed automatic
Suspension: Modified Cobalt strut-type independent with coil springs front; modified Cobalt semi-independent torsion beam with coil-over springs rear
Wheels: Budnik billet aluminum
Tires: 26.0 x 4.5 - 15 Goodyear Eagle Frontrunner
Brakes: Disc front and rear

WENDOVER, Utah – GM Performance Division is taking Chevrolet’s SS brand to a place it’s never been before: the Bonneville Salt Flats. Conceived in the fertile mind of Zora Arkus-Duntov, the first Super Sport Corvette was intended to make Chevrolet a force in international road racing in the ’50s. A generation of brawny musclecars wearing SS emblems left their tire tracks on drag strips across America in the ’60s and ’70s, and Monte Carlo SS stock cars have dominated NASCAR competition since the ’80s. Now the Cobalt SS Bonneville speedster – a modified version of the new 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged sport compact coupe – is ready to write a new chapter in the multi-volume history of the SS line, propelled by a 21st century turbocharged four-cylinder Ecotec engine.

GM Performance Division’s expedition to Bonneville with a modified version of the new production-based Cobalt SS Supercharged is a sequel to last year’s record-setting performance with a Saturn Ion Red Line quad coupe. On Oct. 17, 2003, GM engineer Jim Minneker piloted the Ion to a new mark in the G/Blown Fuel Altered class at 212.684 mph, eclipsing the previous record by nearly 30 mph. Now with a new car, a new driver (NHRA Sport Compact drag racing champion Nelson Hoyos) and a proven Ecotec engine, GM and the So-Cal Speed Shop team are aiming to raise the bar even higher.

“The Saturn Ion Red Line and the Cobalt SS Supercharged are both based on GM’s new Delta platform,” explained GM Performance Division Executive Director Mark Reuss. “The Saturn chassis that we raced last year was very close to stock specifications, and what we learned was applied directly to this year’s production Cobalt SS Supercharged. When you run at extreme speeds, you learn very quickly where to spend your time on development. This year’s Cobalt SS Bonneville speedster is designed to run even faster, so we built a more race-oriented chassis to maximize safety.”

The production Cobalt SS Supercharged has strong performance credentials in factory trim. Powered by a supercharged and intercooled 205-horsepower, 2.0-liter Ecotec DOHC four-cylinder engine and equipped with a tenacious suspension developed on Germany’s famed Nurburgring race track, the production Cobalt SS Supercharged will bring more heat to the already red-hot sport compact segment.

“Our goal is to build enthusiasm around a car and an engine that we are very excited about,” said GM Concept Vehicle Project Manager David Bolognino. “This year we’re racing at Bonneville under the Chevrolet banner with a brand-new car that’s aimed at young performance enthusiasts and an Ecotec motor that’s quickly becoming the small-block V-8 of four-cylinder engines.”

The production Cobalt SS Supercharged uses a 2.0-liter engine with forced induction, and so does the race car. The Bonneville racer’s turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec engine was originally developed by GM Racing for Sport Compact drag racing, where it won NHRA championships in the PRO FWD and Hot Rod classes in 2003. The race-prepared Ecotec engine and Hydra-Matic automatic transmission have proven utterly reliable under the vastly different demands and duty cycles of quarter-mile sprints and high-speed record runs that subject components to punishing loads and withering heat.