Jim Minneker has traveled a long and winding road from drag strips and road courses to the wide-open expanse of the Bonneville Salt Flats. In 33 years as a GM engineer and decades as a professional racer, Minneker thought he had seen it all - until he gazed upon the lunar landscape of Bonneville from behind the wheel of the Saturn Ion Red Line race car.

"Going to Bonneville is like traveling back through time," said Minneker, the engineering group manager for GM High Performance Vehicle Operations. "I tried to prepare myself for the experience by researching Bonneville's history, but articles and photos simply don't do it justice. The size and scope of the place is overwhelming. It's like drag racing in the middle of the ocean."

Minneker was qualified by both experience and aptitude to put the Saturn Ion Red Line through its high-speed paces at Bonneville. He combines the discipline of an engineer with the intensity of a racer, the yin and yang that makes a complete driver. When Minneker strapped himself into the form-fitting seat of the Ion Red Line Bonneville racer, he became the astronaut who carried the hopes of the entire GM team with him.

Minneker's racing career began on drag strips, where he campaigned a Corvette as a typical weekend warrior. That first-hand experience with high-performance engines proved to be valuable asset when he joined the Corvette group in 1986. In the 10 years that followed, Minneker worked on the development of legendary Corvette powerplants such as the LT1, LT4, and LS1 small-block V-8s. He also participated in the LT5 engine project that powered the remarkable Corvette ZR1 supercar.

Minneker, a resident of Rochester Hills, Mich., became a charter member of High Performance Vehicle Operations when the group was formed two years ago. Since then HPVO has helped created breakthrough vehicles such as the Cadillac CTS-V and the Saturn Ion Red Line, with many more to come.

Minneker nurtured his need for speed during his tenure with the Corvette group. After attending a race car driving school, he discovered that road courses had more appeal than straight-line racing.

"I realized that I got more g's per minute and more grins per lap on a road course than I did on a drag strip," Minneker recalled. "I liked the constant braking, cornering, and acceleration. It didn't take long for me to progress from a novice to a professional racer."

Minneker earned his racing stripes in a variety of production-based road racing series, including the SCCA World Challenge, the IMSA Supercar series, IMSA GT and the Grand American series. He has driven for notable teams such as Bakeracing, Morrison-Cook Motorsports, Doug Rippie Racing and Mallett Motorsports. In 1990 Minneker was a member of the team of eight drivers that set the world and international speed records for 24 hours (175.885 mph), 5,000 kilometers (175.710 mph) and 5,000 miles (173.791 mph) with a Corvette ZR1.

Despite his years of racing experience, Minneker was a rookie at the Salt Flats. In preparation for the Saturn Ion record run, he went through the mandatory licensing procedure last August, gradually increasing his speed in 25 mph increments. He also became accustomed to a parachute braking system and the eerie emptiness of the Bonneville landscape.

"Bonneville is a very special place," Minneker said. "You can feel the camaraderie and the tradition the moment that you set foot on the salt.

"We did our homework and prepared a good combination," he noted. "The Saturn Ion's aerodynamic package was right, the power of the Ecotec engine was right, and So-Cal Speed Shop helped build a safe car with the right parts. The support from all areas of General Motors was fantastic. Our motto is 'Go Fast, Be Safe,' and we did that."

Click here for photos of Jim and Saturn's Ion Red Line Bonneville racer.

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Source: General Motors