Geoff Stilwell at El Mirage, May 2024

Nitro Revival sponsor Geoff Stilwell ran 219.669mph on Saturday and 222.575mph on Sunday over the flying mile at Lake El Mirage to achieve his "A" licence grade for the facility. 

Wind and resulting dust precluded any further runs. Geoff told former editor Simon: In the morning, the weather was stunning, sunny and in the 30s Celsius. But after midday desert 40mph winds came in on both days, visibility became limited and both days were called around 1:30pm.

Mind you, the organisers had anticipated the winds, which come through the valleys around Big Bear Mountain which is still covered in snow, unusual for this late in the year. Racers were able to warm their engines early in the morning shortly after 5am before the drivers' meeting at 6:30am. After the drivers' meeting, cars started making passes around 6:45am.

There were so many vehicles (around 200) that the first round couldn't be completed. As well as many big cars, there were several rookies with vehicles that had previously competed at Bonneville, it was good to see them making the effort to attend, with tighter rules at El Mirage making fresh licensing a necessity.

The weather was wonderful in the morning, the density altitude was around 2000 ft though, sometimes it is sea level at El Mirage, compared to 900 ft at Bonneville. Humidity was less than 15%.

7707 performed flawlessly. It had a brand new Brad Anderson engine with a combination provided by Rob and Nick at I.C.E. which made the car easier to drive, along with changes in the cockpit. I had never been more comfortable in it. My thanks go to team mates Scott Campbell, Pauly Rivera, Sebastian, Nick Davies, Rob Loaring, Scotty Barnes, mick Jenkins and Tony Thacker for all their work, also sponsors ARP Bolts and Pro Products.

I wanted to run in the 240-250mph range, however track conditions meant I was stuggling to keep it straight in the second half of the course. The second run was the fastest I had ever been at El Mirage in the first half mile, but after then the course became soft and I had to lift. The smooth startline was incredible though.

The engine was running up to 4000rpm during my runds compared to my limit of 6000rpm, so there was plenty of power in hand.

We use Dunlop R tyres at El Mirage, compared to slicks at Bonneville. Despite all the dust, the tyres were not worn at all.

The quickest car was Arley Langlo's which ran 301mph, the performance aided by four wheel drive and traction control. A bike also went 221mph, an incredible performance on the dirt surface.

I recommend fans to visit El Mirage, which is the true birthplace of drag racing. Many have been known to shed tears on arrival, it is so iconic. The next big meeting I am running at is on 9th-10th November, there are other Saturday only club meetings as well which you can see at the SCTA event calendar by clicking here. You could go to the November meeting and then see the NHRA Finals at Pomona (around an hour from El Mirage) on 14th-17th November. El Mirage admission is free to spectators although you need to pay $20 at the Ranger Station at the entrance to the lake area.

Meanwhile if you're in the US in August, why not attend Speed Week at Bonneville which is 3rd-9th August. We have entered, I must admit the last few years have been difficult weather wise but the salt is currently looking favourable for August.