Yes we finally got to run our Bullet on the salt and learn some more valuable lessons!   Lesson number One…The dyno at the shop is NOT the same as running against the wind and at high altitude.   Lesson number two…There is only one way to set records at Bonneville and that is through a great deal of hard work and applying loads of tuning knowledge and experience.   Lesson number three…It is truly like no other place on earth and has the respect of people from all over the world. I know, I talked to them.   Lesson number four…Once you have posted a record, you will be targeted by the next group of hard working racers and tuners and you will eventually get knocked off!   No really, all the above “fluff” aside, it was a terrific learning experience for me and because of the build-up in my mind contemplating “being there” and “doing it” I had a bit of an emotional moment and was briefly moved to tears that I couldn’t control as I stood there and tried to take it all in. Dan looked at me and said, “tears of joy are OK with me”.   The place just rocked me to my core with a host of feelings that came flooding in as I looked out over the course and could make out the curvature of the earth. All the ghosts of those who had conquered it before us were standing right there, grinning and nodding in approval because they knew what a great adventure that was about to unfold.   The place is just dripping with pure nostalgia and magic.   A brief stroll through the paddock revealed the most exotic machines ever conceived by racers from all over the world. I overheard Italian, Dutch, Swiss, British, Australian, New Zealand, and German accents as well as southern drawls and North American lilts emitting form intense faces as wrenches clinked and ratchets spun about.   You would be jolted by the sudden outburst of tuned engines coming to life and the throttles being repeatedly prodded as mechanics cocked there heads to hear all the right sounds acknowledging that all was well. From even my brief exposure to various but distinct engine sounds, I could pick out the Vincent prattle and thrum, the Harley staccato and the whir of multi cylinder superbikes. Throw in the occasional two stroke zinging and big singles pounding about and you get the picture that there is a multitude of ways to go after a record. Name your poison!   As we unloaded our bikes and gear, we started to cast looks at the equipment and bikes around us and started to feel like we had landed in the right spot and could count on our preparation being up to the task. As the curious ambled by, they would try to catch your eye so they could ask questions and show their appreciation of our creations. Deep down inside we could let in the feelings of accomplishment, if ever so briefly, that we had gone in the right direction with our design and maybe, just maybe, we could get the job done.   Hey, we would have to have some sense of our own abilities before ever attempting such a venture. You don’t show up with self doubt or brimming with confidence either, you just have to have an understanding of how diabolical speed record hunting can be and not let it dissuade your soul.   We were under no illusions but we just needed all of the elements to click into place to pull it off….   More to follow…   Always Racing!  Phil