Wendover, Utah. America's last true venue for all-out top speed racing, The Bonneville Salt Flats, recently hosted the 53nd annual Bonneville Speed Week (August 11-17). Teams make the pilgrimage from all over the world to compete for Bonneville's world famous speed records. The Progress/Vortech Team established two new speed records driving race-prepped Honda Civic Sis. The Progress Group has been pursuing top speed racing since 1999, and holds two existing records at El Mirage and Muroc dry lakes.
The Progress/Vortech Engineering Team prepared two Honda Civic Sis for the 2001 Speed Week. One was developed for the Naturally Aspirated ("all motor") 2.0 liter Production Class (G/Production), the other as a supercharged Modified Production entry (G/BGALT). As the week progressed, driver Richard Holdener made the required two runs over the three-mile "short" course, establishing a new G/Production record of 153.415 mph. This top speed is the fastest timed pass for a naturally aspirated Civic, and bettered the old record by a huge 11.5 mph. This car ran a Progress-built B20/B16 hybrid racing engine that has been in development over two racing seasons.
The blown and intercooled Civic Si, equipped with a modified Vortech Engineering Civic Si supercharger kit, also established a new speed record, with a two way average of 164.955 mph. The boosted Civic's best timeslip was a 172.961-mph effort, running in the 2.0 liter Blown Gas "Altered" Class. The "Altered" rules permit the use of a fabricated non-stock front airdam and rear spoiler, as shown. Driver Richard Holdener built this blown B-series engine to develop new forced-induction products for Vortech and Killer Bee Racing.
Both cars feature Progress Competition coilover suspension set-ups, Vortech fuel products, Arias Pistons, Eagle Rods, Hy-Tech Exhaust, Denso Iridium spark plugs, Hondata ECU modifications, ExtrudeHone porting, Redline Oil, Auto Meter gauges, Deist safety equipment, Axis wheels, and graphics by Vinyl Mayhem. The team would like to thank American Honda Motor Corp., Borla Performance Industries, Holeshot Racing, Area 51 Fabrications and Landspeedracing.com.
For more information,
visit:www.progressauto.com
www.vortechsuperchargers.com
www.hondata.com