The Bonneville Salt Flats, and Speed Week especially, were everything I could have dreamed of....and then some. The scenery alone is breath taking in my opinion. The shiny white flats with mountains in the near horizon. It made for one helluva back drop for our Dodge Ram. So cool in fact that I may have to have a poster made for our garage.
Bonneville is a gathering of like minded gearheads. It's a car show for all sorts of makes and models. It's a place to meet friends. Ultimately, it's an exhibition of speed in an environment like nothing you've seen before. When we first arrived, we were thankful we got there around 11 am. The upper 70 degree temps sounded perfect for a few hour visit. As we would soon find however, those temps are misleading. My wife and I, along with 2 yr old daughter Emma, all lathered up with sunscreen, put on our hats and sunglasses, and hit the salt.
Initially you don't realize the brutal conditions, but after walking a mile or two, it comes to light. Light....ahhhh yes, that damn light. Bring sunglasses, as the glare off the salt is almost blinding. The heat, due to the reflection off the salt, seems to be multiplied after a short while of walking. Don't get me wrong, we survived, weren't on our death beds by any means, but you have to be prepared. Try not to get distracted by all the eye candy (cars) and lose track of how far you've ventured from your vehicle. A few pointers for those considering a visit, which I HIGHLY recommend. In addition to a hat, glasses, and sunscreen, be sure to bring binoculars. Also, I'd recommend driving around to see the cars in the pits as well as to watch the action. It's how most people do it, and realized quickly why we were among the few actually out on foot. While you may not have a car to race, by all means, bring that street rod or muscle car to putz around in, as this is as much of a car show/cruise as it is speed week. The action happens a distance away, and even if seated near the finish line of the tracks, the cars are still relatively small, thus the reason I didn't bother taking but a few pictures of the cars racing, so again, BRING BINOCULARS!
The atmosphere of this place almost leaves me speechless. You can smell the race fuel in the air long before you get close to the racing or pits. You soon realize the dedication of these racers, as it is way beyond my expectations. So much so, that I have buried any plans to ever build my Pontiac Formula into such a race car. The modifications are way beyond what I wish to do with the car, and once you travel down this road, the car would no longer be a street car, and would be very difficult to turn back. The amount of build/engineering that goes into these cars, and the safety features, were enough to leave me wide eyed. On that note, I'll let the pictures say the rest.
See that dot? That's a racer...bring binoculars.
One of my favorites I came across.
With Straight 8 for power!
 |
| Add caption |
The interior of a 1982 Camaro which has ran a best of 255 mph, and put 15 guys in the 200 mph club since it was built. It is expected to break 300 mph with nitrous. That said, this interior is essentially what you're looking at for any speeds north of 130 mph. That, and the fact that you have to start removing glass, replacing it with plastic, and installing straps over the plastic. This, is without a doubt, beyond building a "radical street car." I couldn't do this to any car I had any attachment to, and I'm not afraid to cut on a car or install a cage, but this goes way beyond what I had envisioned.
Emma wanted a closer inspection.
Was happy to stumble upon these guys. I met these fellow Michiganders at last year's Detroit Autorama. They hit 205 mph last year and were looking for the record, which I believe was 234 mph. These racers don't play!
2012 Bonneville Speed Week - Photos
No comments:
Post a Comment