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Summer, Salt and Speed - Tony Zizzo eyes 2010 Bonneville's SCTA Speed Week
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. - August 2009 marked a first for Zizzo Racing and if you ask Tony Zizzo, it won't be the last. Tony Zizzo, team owner of the PEAK, HERCULINER / O'Reilly Top Fuel Dragster that competes in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, made his rookie trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats last summer more than memorable.
While Tony is no stranger to speed of the quarter-mile variety, he did find the 159 square mile salt flats of northwestern Utah a different challenge. "It's a different world out there," Zizzo said. "Bonneville is the place for old drag racers that lose their reaction time," he joked.
A few of the differences in racing for Land Speed Records and Drag Racing became evident to Zizzo shortly after his first licensing pass on the three short track. "The officials told me not to go over 125 mph even though I have drag racing experience at least twice that fast," Zizzo explained. "It's really hard to tell how fast you're going out there. There's no grandstands or finish line to give you a sense of speed. I felt like I was on a Sunday drive."
Zizzo's 217 mph rookie pass landed him in hot water with track officials. "They wouldn't even give me my time slip," Zizzo said. "I really didn't feel like I was going that fast." The compromise that kept Zizzo at 2009 Speed Week was to 'leave the track' and return the next day as if had never been there and start all over again. Just a rookie mistake.
"Everyone is pretty layed back out there," Zizzo explained. "But it is a lot different on the salt. In Top Fuel we've got that big wing and 8,000lbs of down force. In Bonneville, you've got nothing! You can really feel the aerodynamics come into play on the Lakester. The car just wants to find the clean air, so you can feel it drifting around. You can feel the car just skating around. It's like driving on ice."
On the next day (or first day - depending on which track official your talking to), Zizzo made his second pass clocking 258 mph over 3 miles, again too fast. This time Zizzo was asked to slow down so he would have a proper time slip to turn in for his license. Licensing on for a Land Speed Record is similar to licensing in drag racing, where incremental steps in speed and distance must be achieved safely to obtain a license. For a Double A Lakster, drivers are required to make seven passes, with the first speed not surpassing 125 mph.
With his Double AA Lakster Licence finally in hand, Zizzo set out to break the Land Speed Record. His best attempt registered 261.4 mph, missing the 262.5 mph record by barely 1 mph.
"We made seven passes in two days, I got my license and nearly reset the record," Zizzo said. "That's unheard of in Bonneville."
Zizzo's fiancee' Cathie Gallo made the trip with Tony, which included a stop at Sturgis for Bike Week to get his fix of riding in. "By yourself you can't do anything in these deals. With Cathie by my side and Ted Gledhill providing a great car we had a great Speed Week in Bonneville."
Zizzo plans to revisit Bonneville this summer in attempt to break his personal best of 261.4 mph on the salt. "It's on my bucket list," Zizzo says with a sparkle in his eye. "300 mph on asphalt and 300 mph on salt, we'll be there in August to do it."
The 2010 SCTA Bonneville Speed Week is August 14-20, 2010
