A race car really stands out amid displays of farm equipment.
But there is an agricultural connection to the 2007 Corvette parked in the Energy Centre at the Western Canada Farm Progress Show in Regina.
It’s the first jet car in the world to be powered by biodiesel made from canola and it has drawn a lot of attention.
“Everywhere we go the car is greeted with nothing but smiles and questions and interest,” said Shane Therres, crew chief for his dad Kevin, who drives the car.
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The Therres family lives in Humboldt, Sask., and has been racing for years. They’ve had the fastest alcohol funny car in the province for the last 15 years, Therres said during a break at the farm progress show.
That car runs on methanol.
But the racers also knew about biodiesel because they were running the fuel from Milligan Bio-Tech in their Freightliner hauler.
“We wanted to add to our operation and this was something neat,” Therres said.
So they started researching the fuel and looking at its properties. With a few adjustments mainly to the ignition system, they found they could power the car’s J60 Pratt and Whitney jet engine with biodiesel.
Two years of evening and weekend work – Kevin is a mechanic and Shane is an electrician – resulted in “007” hitting the drag strip this year.
It puts out 7,500 horsepower and burns more than 60 litres (15 gallons) of biodiesel in a single run.
At recent testing in Washington, it performed pretty well.
“It ran 6.4 seconds at 250 mph on the quarter mile,” Therres said. “That’s very comparable to jet A fuel. I think the car will go 275 mph with some more tweaking.”
007 is an exhibition car. Tracks will book it as the highlight of an event to thrill crowds with the flames shooting out the back and the thunderous roar as the jet engine goes down the strip.
One comment the crew has already received after appearances is how clean the fuel burns. Track officials often complain about cleaning up after jet cars.
“There is no soot on the track. They don’t have to scrub the track down after we run,” Therres said.
The car has another purpose as well.Part of the Therres mission is to promote a positive drug-free lifestyle. They take the cars to schools throughout Western Canada to talk about drug awareness, positive choices and why completing school is important. Each child who attends a session receives a poster of the car and a chance to get a close look at it.
For more information, check out the website at www.prairielandmotorsports.com.
