BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS WORLD SPEED RECORD TRIALS - 2019
Every September, those seeking to set World Land Speed Records gather at the Bonneville Salt Flats, on the border of Utah and Nevada. The Bonneville Salt Flats is one of those unique and mysterious places on Earth. The Salt Flats were created by the evaporation of the gigantic Lake Bonneville leaving a huge salt deposit behind. To this date, man has used the flat and relatively smooth surface of salt to establish World Land Speed Records. Art Arfons, Craig Breedlove and the Vesco brothers, are but a few of the well know men who've come here to run their specialty cars down the 8-mile-long stretch of salt at speeds exceeding 620 mph.
When man began attempting to set world land speed records at Bonneville, the salt deposits left by the ancient lake were about four feet thick. Because of mining the salt flats for potash used in fertilizer and for salt for our dining tables, the thickness of the salt has been reduced to only inches. An effort is underway for the BLM to begin the process of replenishing the unique lakebed surface by returning salt to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Don Vesco, driver of the Turbinator, which Team Vesco brings to Bonneville, set a record of 482.646 mph in September 2018. In their effort to set a record over 500 mph, they achieved a speed of 503.332 mph. A speed record is determined by the average of two runs. Wet weather set in prior to the second run and the record was not set. They returned in 2019.
Team Vesco 'TURBINATOR' going for another world speed record.
Utah's Don Vesco preparing for his run.
Cars of every shape and size come to the Salt Flats to chase speed records. All are beautiful works of art, some going back to the 1930's, others as unique as Vesco's, and cars created from aircraft wing-tip fuel tanks with a motor, a driver's seat and wheels on them. Motorcycles are also custom built to chase that elusive world speed record. Motors range from single cylinder motorcycle engines, to flat head V-8's and big block V-8's to jet turbines as in the Turbinator.
No longer a sport dominated by men.
The Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah's west desert is one of the few spots on Earth where one can watch the sun rise and the moon set simultaneously.
The two photos to the left, were taken within seconds of one another in September 2019.
Copyright © 2009, 2015, 20127, 2019, Raymond Cannefax, All rights reserved.
