The race car was originally envisioned as
a belly tank style lakester and was designed
and hand-built by the race team at the Etna
Technical Center
in Etna. While
Gilmore manages
the group and
guides the team
efforts, the team
members work
on the project
independently
on Wednesday
evenings and
weekends.
They also meet
weekly to discuss
improvements to vehicle safety, and methods
of improving top speed are discussed,
designed and implemented.
“There are three design requirements for
a land speed car,” Gilmore explains. The car
must be designed for safety, it must meet all of
the club rules for racing at a particular venue
and it must be designed to break the record.
The requirements are inspected and assessed
at each event by at least two representatives
from the racing venues. A signature on the
team’s inspection form from each inspector is
required to race.
However, Gilmore points out, “each car,
once it meets the requirements
for safety and designated race
class, tends to be a truly individual
creation.” The Iron Dinosaur team
started with straight sticks of steel
from Glenshaw Steel Supply, bent
the frame and built everything
required to make the car run, stop
and go. Specialized engine cooling,
fire safety systems, parachute
systems and aerodynamic
requirements all had to be
considered in the construction
process.
The team uses the same car year
after year, as it takes thousands
of man-hours to construct a car
from scratch, but the car is always
a work in progress and the team is
constantly making improvements
and changes. After running the
belly tank body and realizing that
it was lacking in aerodynamic
efficiency, a new body was
designed to utilize the previously
constructed car mechanical components. The
data developed from a trip to the A2 wind
tunnel facility in Mooresville, NC, was used
to design the new
aerodynamic
body. “The car
is now a handhammered
aluminumskinned beauty,
fabricated by Dr.
Peace,” beams
Gilmore.
To date,
Gilmore has
put the vast
majority of
funds into the Iron Dinosaur and is the
owner of the car. The team does, however,
have a number of sponsors including Dakota
Engineering Associates, Inc.; Hampton
Technical Associates; Studio Wild West from
Pittsburgh; CINTAR, Inc. from Glenshaw;
and Vectric Ltd. From Redditch, England.
Each sponsor has been important to the team
in a different way, and has made possible
the Iron Dinosaur’s continued upgrades and
improvements.
The Iron Dinosaur team currently holds
five land speed records at the ECTA Ohio
Mile track in Wilmington, OH. It is also the
East Coast record holder for C class motor
blown fuel lakester cars. The team tested the
car on the Bonneville Salt Flats in August of
2013 but the event was rained out the past
two years. In that time, the team worked on
the aluminum lakester design with exposed
tires and wheels, and with no fenders. This
design is much more aerodynamic and the
team plans to make an attempt to break the
existing record of 349.873 mph.
The team is scheduled to race again in April
at the Ohio Mile, and also plan to participate
in the Loring Timing Association event in
Limestone, ME, in July as well as Speed Week
at Bonneville in August of this year.
The team also participates in the available
hometown events and took part in the World
of Wheels competition in Pittsburgh this
past January. While the World of Wheels
does not involve racing, it’s a competition
and opportunity to show chassis design and
body design to the general public. The Iron
Dinosaur had dozens of young people slide
into the driver’s seat, won First Place in its
class, and was definitely a fan favorite.
The Iron Dinosaur team is one of only two
land speed race teams currently active in the
Pittsburgh region and is proud to continue
Pittsburgh’s long history with auto racing. ■
➤ For more information, visit irondinosaurracing.com or search Iron Dinosaur Racing on Facebook.
Shaler | Spring 2016 | icmags.com 25