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Ed Rannberg of Eyeball Engineering and Lloyd Healey of Healey Motorsports have some things in common. One: They have both exceeded 200 MPH in EV's. Two: They are competing against each other. Three: They are both racing against a larger clock than the Utah's Salt Flats Racing Associations's official timer. One of them is already in overtime. Healey, a 38-year-old former Air Force sargeant, was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the liver and pancreas in 1992. Doctors gave him a medical discharge and a life expectancy of three months. The San Antonio resident credits his EV landspeed record quest, an experimental drug and his religious faith for extending his life. Healey has been undergoing treatment at the Cancer Therapy Research Center of San Antonio, TX, under the direction of Dr. Daniel Van Hoff. Treatment has included the experimental drug Gemcitabine, developed by Eli Lilly. He's been described as "living on determination", keeping busy with a schedule of speaking engagements, often to children , at churches, schools and hospitals. He is supported in both activities by Quick Cable Corp., a manufacturer of heavy-duty electrical connectors and cables in Racine, WI. Ed is a sturdy 63, but piloting a Bonneville racer through the 200 barrier can send a heartbeat soaring nearly as high as the car's velocity in miles per hour. Rannberg may be tough as boot leather, but most folks do this sort of thing in their twenties or thirties, not their sixties. Ed is very much aware of his competitor's battles with illness, having been through some rough times himself. After the Spirit of San Antonio II set its top speed record (one-way) of 206.516, Ed told Healey, "I'm really glad you broke 200. I was waiting in the wings, but I wanted you to be first." Nevertheless Ed came on hard with a speed of 201.703 on the exit clock. The timers showed that Lightning Rod was still accelerating as it came out of the fifth mile. In a way this match exemplifies the "everyone is a winner" spirit of EV racing that enhances and transcends competition. The result, in some ways, was the best; Healey ahead, Ed barely a nose behind. Envisioning Lightning Rod and Spirit of San Antonio II rocketing along the salt-flats, (figuratively) nearly side-by side brings a lump-in-the-throat appreciation for human courage and ability. The competition isn't over either. Both want to return to Bonneville in October of this year. In this race, there are no losers. In life as well as speed, both Ed Rannberg and Lloyd Healey have triumphed -- CB |
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