Bonneville Salt Flats, the place where drivers broke ultimate land speed records from 1935 to l970, is a two hundred square mile area located just off Interstate 80 near the Utah-Nevada border. It is where the hot rod movement began. It is where drivers in the hot desert sun tried endlessly to break each other’s records. Their reward was simply a sense of accomplishment.
Historically, the Bonneville Salt Flats was avoided by the Native Americans because there was no water and nothing would grow. At a later time a man named Bill Rishel who was the president of the Utah Automobile Association crossed the salt on a bicycle in 1896. Though his crossing was very slow, Rishel recognized the potential. He also claimed that Ab Jenkins brought fame to the salt when he successfully beat the celebrity train from Salt Lake City to Wendover in l927. Jenkins later set an unofficial speed record of 112.94 MPH in 1932, and was followed by Britian’s Sir Malcolm Campbell who broke the 300 MPH barrier on the salt flats in 1935.
Speed records increased through the years except during the WW II years. John Cobb took top honors in 1947 with a speed of 394 MPH, a record that stood for fifteen years. Then came the jet cars of Craig Breedlove and Art and Walter Arfons. By l970 Gary Gabelich had set a new salt record of 630.39 MPH.
Hot Rods at Bonneville
Since the automobile was invented men have tried to see how fast they could go. They supercharged their cars and raced the hills and open roads. As well, the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) promoted racing on the dry lake beds there, but numerous crashes, injuries and even deaths in those dangerous conditions brought them poor press. Ten years later the SCTA approached the American Automobile Association, requesting use of the salt flats to establish hot rod records, as the flats already had a history of land speed records. The AAA declined the request, arguing that it was highly unlikely that a “hot rod” could ever achieve a speed of 203 MPH. But, the SCTA did not give up and eventually secured the necessary permission to stage it’s first event with sixty cars present. The racers successfully set ten new records at that first event.
In 1953 the AAA was present for the first time at Speed Week and the 200 Club was established. Then in l971 the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) sanctioned the event and provided insurance. Over the years Speed Week continued to grow, with what one writer called “some of the oddest shapes the motor age has produced”. That particular year’s Speed Week program noted that although not all hot rod designs had practical production application, there was focus on engineering and construction. By 1957 Ray Leslie set a new American record of 266.204 MPH and the parachute made it’s entrance into the land speed trials. By 1966 the land speed record had reached 301 MPH.
The wide open space of the Bonneville Salt Flats brought a certain amount of safety as drivers walked away from cars demolished by multi-roll crashes at 230+MPH. . One driver was not so lucky though. In 2001, seventy-two year old Nolan White set a new record of 434 MPH in a piston/wheel driven car. At 430 MPH his right front tire blew and the main parachute ripped off the 5,000 lb. car. With forty-five years of driving experience he was able to successfully bring the car to a stop. Then about two months later, after reaching a speed of 422 MPH, all three of his parachutes failed to open. His car went into a slide as he tried to avoid the highway and flipped. White died of internal injuries.
For some twenty-five years the SCTA sponsored the only amateur event on the shimmering Bonneville salt. Then, in 1976 Utah racers formed the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA) for several reasons. First, control of the salt flats had moved from the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce to the state of Utah, and then to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). After squabbling for a period of time the SCTA and the USFRA decided to work together and support each other. They developed the 130 MPH Club and provided the opportunity for drivers to test how fast their street cars can go during Speed Week. Together the two organizations have worked together to force Reilly Industries, a mining company to return salt to the race track. And, USFRA members formed the non-profit “Save the Salt” group for the purpose of publicizing the disappearing salt. They also work with the federal government, the state of Utah and Reilly Industries to improve the race track.
Today, beyond the mirage so clearly visible from Interstate 80 lies the proving ground, and the many stories and memories of racers who pushed their hot rods to the limit. It was not for fame, nor was it for money. It was adventure, risk, and a fundamental sense of accomplishment for men who thrived on speed. Ben Zimmerman once said, “I look forward to coming down here and breaking something. If you don’t break something, you are not trying hard”.
Many years ago Charles Salmon, the son of a professional racer loved to go fast, and did so, participating in illegal drag races around Long Beach and Los Angeles with his ‘32 roadster. In the 90’s he accomplished one way runs of 239 MPH and 233 MPH in a 1934 Ford roadster he built after he retired. A few women have also set salt records in direct competition with the men.
Drivers have described racing on the salt flats as being in and out of control at the same time, the elements as hot and miserable, and above all….fun! Bonneville was even a honeymoon destination for a young couple who have returned every year since.
Perhaps a 1980 Speed Week program said it best, calling Bonneville Salt Flats the “bastion of hot rodding”. Bonneville is truly a legacy to future generations. It is the home of extreme speed. Early hot rodder Art Arfon was fond of saying “I can’t wait to get here to race. When I get here I can’t wait to leave. And, after I’ve left I can’t wait to come back”. And so they keep coming back, back to the misery, the starkness of the salt, the heat, the fun and the quest for their personal best through pure raw speed.
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