![]() ![]() "Speed Week" events in August were canceled in 20, due to the poor condition of the salt in certain parts of the flats. The Southern California Timing Association and the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association organizes and plans the multi-vehicle events, but all event promoters contribute to prepping and maintaining the salt. World records are contested at the Mike Cook ShootOut in September. The "Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials" are for motorcycles only. These three events welcome cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Bonneville "Speed Week" takes place mid-August followed by "World of Speed" in September and the "World Finals" take place early October. ![]() There are five major land speed events that take place at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Racing takes place at part of the Bonneville Salt Flats known as the Bonneville Speedway. Motorcar racing has taken place at the salt flats since 1914. The record for wheel-driven vehicles (449 MPH) was set there in 2018, and for rocket or jet propelled vehicles (630 MPH since superseded) in 1970. ![]() Land speed records and Land speed racing records have been set many times on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Land speed events Michael Sturtz setting world motorcycle land speed record using 100% biodiesel, 2007 Plans to increase the volume of brine returned to the salt flats are hoped to halt loss of crust thickness, or possibly restore it where it has become too thin to sustain human use. Ĭollaboration between racing organizations, the potash mine, and the BLM led to a pilot program begun in 1998 to release excess brine onto the salt flats during winter. The cause or causes of this remain unclear, but many believe adjacent evaporative potash mining is the primary factor. The flats' overall area has contracted significantly over the past several decades. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has undertaken multiple studies on the topic while a 2007 study determined that there was little change in the crust's thickness from 1988 to 2003, more recent studies have shown a reduction in thickness, especially in the northwest area where racing occurs. The thickness of salt crust is a critical factor in racing use of the salt flats. Environmental concerns Aerial view of the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2015 the race track is located in the upper left Visitors at the Bonneville Salt Flats Both the 1977 (archer Don Brown) and 1982 (archer Alan Webster) world records were set there while the current world record, achieved in 1987 (archer Don Brown), was set at the salt flats near Smith Creek, Nevada. ![]() The goal of flight archery is to shoot arrows from bows at the greatest distance possible without regard to hitting a target, and so the vast flat plane of the flats serves as an ideal location to measure the linear distance traveled by arrows without geographic interference. The Bonneville Salt Flats hosts the annual US Flight Archery Championships. Furthermore, the Pontiac Bonneville (former flagship sedan of the Pontiac motor division), the Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, and the Bonneville International media company are all named for the Flats. Įntertainment filmed at the Flats include portions of Walking with Dinosaurs Special - The Ballad of Big Al, Knight Rider, Warlock, Independence Day (1996) and its sequel, SLC Punk, Cremaster 2 from Cremaster Cycle, The Brown Bunny, The World's Fastest Indian, Gerry, The Tree of Life, Top Gear and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The first land speed record was set there in 1914 by Teddy Tetzlaff. Ī railway line across the Flats was completed in 1910, marking the first permanent crossing. In 1907, Bill Rishel and two local businessmen tested the suitability of the salt for driving by taking a Pierce-Arrow onto its surface. Army officer who explored the Intermountain West in the 1830s. Geologist Grove Karl Gilbert named the area after Benjamin Bonneville, a U.S. History Bonneville Salt Flats during the winter has about 1 inch of water on it. It is estimated to hold 147 million tons of salt, approximately 90% of which is common table salt. The Flats are about 12 miles (19 km) long and 5 miles (8 km) wide, with a crust almost 5 ft (1.5m) thick at the center and less than one inch (2.5 cm) towards the edges. Access to the Flats is open to the public. It is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is known for land speed records at the Bonneville Speedway. A remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, it is the largest of many salt flats west of the Great Salt Lake. The Bonneville Salt Flats are a densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah, United States. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |