What do they all have in common.  You can see thousands of Corvettes during Mid America Motorworks 16th Annual Corvette Funfest. in Effingham, Illinois, September 25-27th.  And you can see this one special Studebaker Avanti!  All in Effingham, Illinois.

Why an Avanti?  This is no ordinary Avanti, but an Avanti with multiple Bonneville Salt Flat runs in its heritage.  The GREAT NEWS this year is that a long time friend of Mid America Motorworks and the Yager Family, Jim Lange, of Lange's Electric, just set a new world record of 223.238 miles per hour on the five mile course with this car.

I have know this car and Jim's racing passion for years, and as Jim told me, ' I first ran in 1990 with the vision of doing 200 MPH+, and only did 168.  I have spent the next 19 years with that same vision.  Well, this year, that vision was met and exceeded.  When asked why he does this, Jim told a reporter: 'because I can." And it's because I'm runnin' down a dream." 

I have included a link to our local newspaper Effingham Daily News that covered Jim's dream so aptly.


Having been a young Corvette, hot rod and speed aficionado at an early age, I would dream of going to the Bonneville Salt Flats to see Craig Breedlove drive the Spirit of America into the records books.  http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/transportation-gallery/the-exhibit/spirit-of-america/   While school buddies were looking at magazines published by Hef, I would be reading and dreaming with magazines published by Bob Petersen!

Congratulations Jim.  You can look forward to seeing this Bonneville Record Setting Avanti at Corvette Funfest.