WASHBURN CAPTURES TOP SPEED AT RADAR GUN IN SATURDAY PRACTICE

Bill Washburn airs off a crest and catches the top speed of 106 mph for the day. p: Mike Proulx - WorldRallySport.com

As the Mt. Washington Auto Road dried, drivers posted top speeds significantly higher than yesterday’s wet weather speeds. Most impressive was Bill Washburn, who passed the trap at 106 mph in his 1989 Nissan/DSG 240RS Maxi E2  - a 22 mph increase over his speed in Friday’s rain.

Washburn, a partner in Boston’s Dent Sport Garage, attributed the increase in speed to “better tires and DSG Maxi aero package. The road was drying out, and I am gaining confidence on the Auto Road, which is still very challenging,” he said. Washburn has his eyes set on Jerry Driscoll’s long standing 113 mph top speed record set in 1997, “we’re still only using low [turbo] boost, so we may be able to find more speed tomorrow,” Washburn concluded.

Second fastest was Todd Cook, the Open Wheel Hillclimber from Arizona, at 103 mph. Todd drives a 2000 TCE/Wells Coyote – a 1,470 lb car with nearly 400 horsepower out of a 3.5 liter Ford V6 SHO engine.

Third fastest was Paul Tingaud, a rallycar technician for rally legend John Buffum on the Rockstar Mitsubishi Team. Buffum’s speed must be contagious - Paul was clocked at 103 mph racing in his own Audi Super Chicken, a hillclimb special built using Audi 5 cylinder 20V turbo engine with a Quattro drivetrain.