CANDOER Retirement Group

Here's a report I put together about the week that I spent at the Bonneville Salt Flats for Speed Week.

I just got back from the Bonneville Salt Flats "Speed Week". I'm the crew chief for my buddy's bike and last year we set a world record in our class. We went this year to try to up the record. Last year we made our 'qualifying run' on the first day and the record run on the next, so we went home very early. However, this year we were visited by gremlins over and over. We made 11 runs down the salt over four days before finally beating our own speed for a 'qualifying run'. [That means we broke last year's record and are now qualified to make an official record run the next day.] Our record run was a success, and we raised the speed for our class by 3 MPH to a grand total of 57 MPH!

It was a tough week. We got there two days early to register and go through tech inspection. Then we set up our pit space by laying out tarps and EZ Up's so we could work in the shade. All these were screwed down into the salt and we thought they were secure. Wrong thoughts... Bonneville often has very sudden gusts of wind that blow salt around and maybe knock over some things, but nothing serious. However, this year one hit with absolutely zero warning and lasted for several minutes. There were at least a hundred other people who had come early to set up and every single EZ Up and tarp that was put out got literally blown away. The cloth/vinyl roofs were torn loose from the frames and disappeared into the distance. After our cover blew away, I was hanging onto my EZ Up frame and Luke (the bike driver) said I looked like a flag blowing in the wind with my arms outstretched and legs flapping in the wind. When the frame collapsed, I let go and grabbed Luke's van to keep myself from sailing away!! It blew over every single porta-potty in the pit area (probably over a hundred....it's a big pit area for hundreds of race teams), and anything loose was just gone.

Once it stopped, officials sent their trucks down to the end of the racecourses (9 miles away) and couldn't find a thing. They determined that most of it ended up in the mountains that line the salt lake, quite a way further. There is a National Weather Service weather station on the salt flats, and they recorded sustained winds up to 136 MPH!! That smashed the old record of 80-something MPH. I used about half a dozen bottles of water to wash all the salt out of my eyes and mouth! That stuff hurts!

It was tough working on the bike all week with no protection from the sun beside a small rain umbrella I found in my truck. The nearby towns are very small and there was nothing even remotely resembling an EZ Up available. One team drove to Salt Lake City — 125 mi away — to try to find some and there were none available anywhere. The highest temp recorded was 122, but with the white salt reflecting all the sunlight back up to us, it felt a lot higher. Most days were in the hundred teens, and they still felt miserable. When we made our last run for the record, it was 7:30am and the temp was only about 85, so much cooler and denser air, so that helped us too.

Anyway, perseverance pays off in the long run and it was definitely hard work! We learned a lot more this year about preparation and needed modifications, so next year should be a lot better!

A few photos....

This is a pic of the skeletal remains of our EZ Ups. Even the porta-potty in the background blew over!

This is our bike. 1962 Honda Trail 90 that has been slightly modified. The original speed on these bikes was 29 MPH. We managed to push it (pure stock engine except for a tiny supercharger) to 57 MPH. The engine is totally original....only 87cc running in the 100cc class. The piston, rod, crank, bearings, tranny, etc are all from original 1962 with no modifications.

Me and Luke have just pulled up to get in line for our turn to make our final record run. We're getting ready to unload the bike from the back of my truck. We only had to wait a few minutes for our successful run! Usually, we wait for our turn....sometimes for hours, but not today. When you're making a record run, you get head-of-the-line privileges! Once Luke leaves the line, I hop in my truck and charge over to the 'chase road' that parallels the racecourse. I follow, trying to keep the tiny speck that is him while not running off into the rough salt. When he pulls off the course, I pull up and load the bike on the back of the truck and we rush back to the start so the next person can take off.

This is a photo of one of the high $$$ streamliners that get the big speed. This one is my favorite because it is so damn tiny yet still has a very powerful engine that pushes it into the 300 MPH area. The guy standing next to it with his back turned is the driver. it's fun watching him trying to get into it, but he does manage it somehow.

This is a photo of what's new in the world of the land speed records. It's an electric motorcycle. The team wasn't forthcoming with much information, but I did note that they ran 247 MPH with that rig. I have no other info on it.

It's fun going to Bonneville. It is amazing how many different ways people try to go fast.... If anyone ever gets a chance to go, do it!!!