When you take a vehicle out to do a little land speed racing, is all about the forces–as in drag and down force.

Bill Lilley, along with Gary and Josh Meyers, had a few tricks up their sleeves to capture the down force they needed to get the most out of a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette while at the East Coast Timing Association Ohio Mile event in Wilmington, OH.

The Eastern U.S. version of Bonneville, the Ohio Mile provides speed freaks a shot at land speed racing without the journey to Utah. Four times a year, the Airborne Airpark in Wilmington is inundated with production cars, bikes, exotics, and purpose-built racers–all looking to set speed records at the Ohio Mile.

To take his shot at a land speed mark, Lilley topped off the engine in his ’78 Corvette with aluminum Edelbrock cylinder heads and intake manifold. To transfer the 500 horsepower to the ground, Smokey’s Dyno installed a Tigershark suspension set up. However, Gary Meyers put it best:

“It’s got to be a combination of the car and the driver. As we get more comfortable with the car the car is going to run faster.”

Bill, Gary, and Josh added a Daytona style front spoiler to the front of the Corvette to add to the down force. When they noticed they were not getting enough down force, a trusty roll of racer’s tape helped fill in a few of the holes that allowed air to get under the car.

Listen in as Bill , Gary, and Josh describe land speed racing in their own words.

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Author: Al DiVencenzo

Al is a contributor to OnAllCylinders