People Have Been Racing Cars On Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats For More Than 100 Years
By Catherine Armstrong
|
Published January 06, 2021
The Bonneville Salt Flats is a vast expanse of hard-packed salt that stretches for more than 40 square miles northwest of Wendover. Left behind when the ancient Lake Bonneville dried up, the barren, glimmering flats draw the attention of filmmakers, photographers, and racers wanting to set land speed records.
The vast, stark beauty of the Bonneville Salt Flats beckons all kinds of people. Some want to simply take a stroll on the thick crust of salt; others take one look at this hard-packed surface that's totally free of obstacles and think, "This is the perfect place to see how fast I can make my car go!"
Folks have been racing cars here for more than a century. In 1914, race car driver Teddy Tetzlaff unofficially broke the world speed record when he hits speeds of 142.8 mph across the flats.
Over the following years, race car drivers and speed hounds started showing up to test their mettle on the hard salt pan.
The Bonneville Speedway portion of the flats is located very close to the Utah/Nevada border near Wendover. It's marked out by race organizers every year.
British racer Malcolm Campbell set many land speed records during his career, but on September 3, 1935, he broke the record one last time. It was his last triumph, but it was the first official record at the Bonneville Speedway.
Campbell had a newly rebuilt "Bluebird," and he'd already set a record with it at Daytona, but he knew the car was capable of even more - he just needed a better surface to decrease his wheelspin.
The salt flats provided the perfect surface, and not only did Malcolm Campbell break the land speed record yet again, he also became the first person to ever drive a car faster than 300 mph.
Over the course of the following decades, dozens of land speed records were broken on the salt flats.
Pictured above is a Pepco Supercharged VW Lakester, which Dick Beith drove in 1963.
While car racing has always been popular, many other kinds of vehicles are raced at Bonneville Speedway.
Three land speed events are held here every year, and include categories for cars, trucks, and motorcycles.
This photo shows Michael Sturtz on his 100% biodiesel motorcycle in 2007.
You'll see all kinds of crazy, modified vehicles trying to set land speed records here! This Phoenix Diesel Truck is just one example.
Make a visit to the Bonneville Salt Flats to see them for yourself.
Did you know that you can see the salt flats from space? It’s true! Check it out in our article here .
If you’ve visited the Bonneville Salt Flats, we’d love to read about your experience in the comments.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Related Articles
Featured Addresses
Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah 84083, USA