Additionally, only one or two runs is required to set a record. These tracks are long enough that acceleration is of little concern, which is of great benefit to electric runners. The Need For SpeedĪt the most famous land speed trials, such as Bonneville’s Speed Week, speed runs take place over miles and miles of open salt, with timing traps along the way to determine competitor’s speeds. Like most motorsports, the history of land speed racing has traditionally been centred around internal combustion, but electric racers have long been out there chasing land speed records as well. Most cars typically run on huge, flat salt pans, and racers run flat out for miles in a straight line, attempting to push their machines to the limit. The salt flats are often under a layer of water and have a stunning reflective appearance.Land speed racing is a pursuit of ultimate speed above all else. Visiting in the winter or spring can be a bit of a surreal experience. Particularly in winter and spring (or after heavy rains), the salt crust is too wet and soft to support vehicles. Though known for land speed records, the salt flats are only suitable for racing during dry times of the year. The salt flats have become a place for drivers to test their equipment, skills, and hopefully set a record. Rishel and Tetzlaff are, not coincidently, also peaks in the Silver Island Range to the west named in honor of the salt flat pioneers. The first record set on the flats was by Teddy Tetzlaff in 1914 at 142mph. His test was successful and began interest in using the salt flats for land speed records. In 1907 Bill Rishel drove a Pierce-Arrow car onto the salt flats to see if the surface was suitable for cars. The salt flats are named after Benjamin Bonneville, who visited the area in the 1830s as an army officer. At its center, this layer of salt can be 5 feet thick! It truly is a salt flat, with the surface being about 90% common table salt. Due to evaporation of historic Lake Bonneville, the area became covered by a layer of salt. The Bonneville Salt Flats encompass an area of 46 square miles. Though many zoom by on I-80, I highly recommend making the short side trip to experience the salt flats up close. World renowned as the place to set land speed records, Bonneville Salt Flats is a fascinating place to visit.
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