Why are you building this car?
NHRA Top Fuel Drag Racer Doug Herbert and his dad, Racing Hall of Famer, Chet Herbert, decided to build the car to make a serious attempt to break the land speed record.

How did Doug Herbert & Ray Evernham get together on this project?
Doug and Ray have been friends for years and after Doug and his dad, Chet made the decision to build the car, Doug told Ray about the car. Ray thought it was a great idea and came over to Doug's shop and decided he wanted to be involved in the LSR project. Doug feels if it wasn't for Ray, the LSR project would not be coming together nearly as fast as it is, nor would it have gotten the attention that it has received. Ray was instrumental in Dodge's involvement in the project and having Dodge Viper engines power the LSR car.

When will the Herbert-Evernham car be racing?
We hope to race the car soon during Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah.

Who is going to drive the car?
Doug Herbert, NHRA Top Fuel drag racer, will drive the car. Herbert was the second drag racer to break the 300mph mark and has driven over 300 mph numerous times since. He currently has a top speed of over 330 mph in the 1/4 mile.

Where will you test the car?
We plan to test the car in Maxton, N.C., at an old airfield where the East Coast Timing Association holds meets.

When will the car be ready to race?
We intend to race the car at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the very near future (of course, depending on parts availability and construction time).

What kind of engine will the car have in it?
The car will have two ProCharger Supercharged Dodge Viper V-10 engines.

How much power will the car have?
The car will have two engines making over 2,000HP each, so 4,000HP total.

What class will the car compete in?
The car will compete in the Unlimited Streamliner Class and we hope to set the Ultimate Wheel-Driven record as well.

Where is the car being built and who is involved with the project?
The car is being built at Doug Herbert's shop in Concord, N.C. Herbert has assembed a team of professionals including NASCAR Championship Crew Chief Ray Evernham, Fabricator Pancho Weaver and H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, a legendary motorsports promoter who has past experience with land speed record projects.

What kind of tires will you use on the car?
We will use special landspeed tires made by Mickey Thompson Tires. The whole car is designed around these special tires, created specifically for cars that run at high speeds at the Salt Flats. The car will be driven by all four wheels.

What kind of transmission will the car have?
The car will have two 5-speed, electronically shifted Jerico Racing Transmissions. Tilton Engineering is making special low profile bellhousings and clutches for the car.

How long is the Bonneville course and at what point during the course do they measure your speed?
It is an eight-mile course; four miles to get up to speed and then the measured mile between the fourth and fifth mile. Competitors have three miles to slow down. To set the FIA Internatioonal Record, Herbert must back up the speed reached on the first run in less than an hour. Since all fluid tanks (water, gas, oil, etc.) are only big enough to hold enough fluids for one run, the car will have to pit during that hour as well.

What safety features will the car have?
The wheel wells in the car will be constructed of heavy ballistic material to keep the tires from destroying the car in the event of a tire failure. The driver's compartment on the car will be similar to a Top Fuel Dragster, it will be a complete safety capsule with a fire system and three high-speed parachutes. The frame is contructed of heavy steel channel, and is reinforced with steel tubing and other exotic materials supplied by Stock Car Steel.

What happens if the race rains out?
We will wait until the race is called off. If necessary, we will return to compete next year.

Where do you find all the parts for this car?
Almost every part of the car is custom made. Many of the parts are being produced at Doug Herbert's shop in N.C.

What are the dimensions of the car?
The car is about 34 feet long, 26 inches tall and 34 inches wide. It has a 300-inch wheel base and will sit only one inch off the ground at speed.

Considering the torque these two engines will be developing, will they both be rotating in the same direction? Summers Bros. had the front and third rotating in the same direction. The second and fourth rotating in the other direction.
The engines will both be standard rotation, but they will be nose-to-nose, therefore they will be rotating opposite directions. The engines will be linked togther with a custom made gearbox manufactured at our shop here in North Carolina.

Who is the current record holder?
The current record for a piston-powered vehicle, the record that Herbert hopes to beat, is 470.16 mph. That record was set by George Poteet in the Speed Demon. Also note, for a wheel-driven vehicle the 493 mph average, achieved by Dave Spanger in the turbine powered (NOT piston-powered) Turbinator II.

Who can I contact for more information about this exciting project?
Just follow this website...!!!

 
 
 
 
 
       
               

Doug Herbert has decided to delay his land speed record attempt until 2023 Doug Herbert will not compete in his streamliner at Speed Week until then. He has decided to delay the run for several reasons; including not having adequate time for testing. “This isn’t something you want to rush along,” said Doug Herbert, who will pilot the streamliner. “When we started this project, I don’t think any of us involved realized how long it would take to get everything right and that’s what we’re trying to do. We don’t want to just head out there without knowing how the car will perform. We want to take our time and get it right, so when we do make it to Bonneville we’ll run well.” The car, which is near completion, needs work done on the body and engines. The LSR Project team hopes to finish work in a timely fashion and start testing the streamliner as soon as feasible.

The History of Bonneville

The Bonneville Salt Flats, which is a remnant of the ancient Lake Bonneville of glacial times, is named for Benjamin Bonneville, a US army officer who explored the area in northwestern Utah. With salt recorded at a depth of 6 feet in certain areas, the Bonneville Salt Flats are public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Because the area is extremely flat and rainfall flattens the densely-packed sand, the Bonneville Salt Flats are recognized as a perfect landscape for speed-testing.

It was in 1896 that the potential of the Salt Flats for speed-testing was first recognized and by 1914 the first attempt of an automobile speed record was performed. By the 1930s the Salt Flats had gained international attention as the number of racers coming to compete at the flats increased. By the late 1940s the area was recognized as the standard course for world land speed records. Since racers began competing at the Flats hundreds of records have been set and broken in a variety of automotive and motorcycle classes, including the 300, 400, 500, and 600 mile per hour land speed barriers.

Chet Herbert, Doug's dad, was one of the early pioneers of racing in Bonneville. Click on the pictures on the right of this page to enlarge them and view some of Chet's many Bonneville cars.

The annual Speed Week, which is held in mid-August, along with the World Finals, draws competitors from around the world. The SCTA (Southern California Timing Association), which is an all-volunteer organization comprised of twelve individual clubs, manages Speed Week, which features thousands of racers attempting to set new records in their respective classes.

To learn more about the SCTA or Speed Week, visit www.scta-bni.org