RaceDeck Racing

In The News

11/1/2003
Drive! Online
by: Drive! Website

Double Century On The Salt DECK: Race Deck’s Salt Rod Is World’s Fastest 4-Cylinder Roadster

Despite a hole in their exhaust header that led to a loss of boost, RaceDeck’s Deuce-bodied Salt Rod set some new class records at the Southern California Timing Association’s (SCTA) 2003 World Finals on the Bonneville Salt Flats this past October.

RaceDeck President (and Salt Rod driver) Jorgen Moller says that the October trip to the salt, their third time there this year, led them to bump up class records they’d set previously. "On our first pass, we went 200.522 MPH. On our return run, we broke the turbo’s header in the middle of the run and still ran 193.566. For the record, we bumped the F/BGR (Blown Gas Roadster) class record up to 197.044, which is 10 MPH over the record we set the month before."

The RaceDeck Salt Rod made it’s debut in August 2003 during Bonneville’s Speedweek, where it shattered two world records with two-way averages of 184.687 MPH in F/BSTR (Blown Street Roadster) trim, and 187.744 in F/BGR. Three weeks later, the Salt Rod set two more records at the "World of Speed" event. They ran an average of 199.478 MPH to set the record with the Salt Rod configured for the F/BGMR (Blown Gas Modified Roadster) class--hitting 200.050 MPH on the return run--and they also upped their own class record in F/BSTR to 188.650 MPH.

Moller says that, for the ‘03 season at Bonneville, they set three records. "We set every record in the F/Blown Gas Roadster class, by a margin of from 46 to 56 MPH over the previous records."

The Salt Rod was designed by RaceDeck owner/driver Jorgen Moller. Working in partnership with one of the car’s original creators, Jeff Nish made the project of rebuilding and updating the car a huge success. Design applications came from Moller as well. The one-side-red/one-side-black paint scheme was designed to keep in theme with the traditional RaceDeck colors, while also providing a bit of creativity.

Pushing the Salt Rod to over 200 MPH is a turbocharged Mopar SRT-4 engine. Built by team member Darrell Cox, the 700+ HP, 4-cylinder engine has proven it can handle even the harshest environments. "We’ve got a new SRT-4 engine [for 2004]," Moller says, "and it makes 789 HP right now on gas. We used to have a smallblock Chevy in the thing, and we never got it over 168 MPH!"

When in the pits, the Salt Rod’s performance and reliability are the responsibility of Dave Harris (crew chief) and Phil Hurst. Both men were drafted for the project by their boss Jim Hinckley of Hinckley Dodge (the oldest Dodge dealer in the country) to completely assemble the car and keep it running in top shape at every event. Both Harris and Hurst have put hundreds of hours into the car to have it ready to shatter the current records, thus ensuring the title "Fastest 4-cylinder Street Roadster".

Other crucial sponsors include Darrell Cox Racing, Precision Turbo, Turbo Tune, HPC, Royal Purple, Lochart and Deist Safety.

Plans for 2004 include upgrades and more competitions for the RaceDeck Racing Team as well as the addition of another vehicle to the team--the new Dodge SRT-4 Sedan. "We’ve already started work on the [Salt Rod] for next year. We’ll show it at SEMA, and at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona," Moller says.

For more information on the RaceDeck Salt Rod, or any other RaceDeck products, visit them on the web at www.racedeck.com.