One of the things I've always wanted to see and I'm gettin old. Hows life as a spectator? Can I get into the pits and such? What about camping? I have a cabover for my Dodge 3/4 ton. I'm self contained for a week if it's just me. How bads the heat?
If you do a search there are any number of threads on this subject. But in a nutshell. Spectating is good. Not sure what life is like as a spectator as I've only been there as a competitor. But as you head out to the line there looks like a lot of happy spectators. Not sure about driving into the pits but you can ride a bicycle or whatever. By the second day it seems like everyone is driving in the pits. 5 mph speed limit. Worth observing. You'll make friends. Camp at the bend in the road. You can't miss it as you drive to the salt. Its basic and free. It can get hot (100+) but the humidity is usually extremely low so it doesn't feel bad. I have one timeslip from last year that showed the humidity was 11%. Hope to see you there.
Mate. you gotta be there. Looking forward to this year. Spectating again but hey, at least you're there. Bend in the road is great. Woo hoo!!!
Go here http://www.landracing.com/ Poke around on the home page and then go to the forums. Do a net search on Bonneville or Speedweek. It has been the experience of a lifetime for me. John
Bring shade or at least a large brimmed hat. If you can get under cover the heat is not bad there. You will also want a lot of liquid because you won't know you sweat, it evaporates before you feel it. Come in the pits and look up Potter's Clay Racing, we will have chairs and coolers along with our race bike...... all are welcome to sit a spell and visit.
If 100 to 106 temps scare you, go to the September meet. http://saltflats.com/ Many of the same cars, plus two more classes that are fun to see, and fewer people. Camping is free. Be sure to eat at the Salt Flats Cafe.
Went as a spectator last year for the first time. Must have enjoyed it, 'cuz I'm going back this year. In preparation I did my semi-annual review of "The World's Fastest Indian" last night. Recommend you watch that and take note of just how expansive the area is. Then, realize that tech is about 3 miles down the road from the entrance and pits are another couple of miles past that. The starting areas for the multiple tracks are way the hell off south of the entrance road. Look out to the north of the entrance road to see all the hot rods getting their pictures made that you will see on the magazine covers the next year after you are there. You get the idea from the movie that everything is all neatly arranged close together. Nope, it is HUGE! In the evening, the show goes on at the Nugget as everyone checks out all the rods and customs. Man, it is great!
Bring a popup canopy for shade, some lawn chairs, some wheels for going to the pits & starting line, preferably a small dirt bike, some SPF 10,000 sun block, wear white, not even black shoes, they will feel like heaters. Bring a ground tarp for under your canopy too and some lag bolts to secure it. DO NOT leave the canopy up over night or the chairs there. leave the ground tarp to keep your spot. A storm can & will come up out of no where in the day or night and blow everything away. Good food is available on the salt. Ive been going since 1984 so I have a pretty good idea what you need. Dont forgot sunglasses, dark ones, you can not survive out there without them & a big hat. Some weeks its not bad, others its like being on the surface of the sun. Its very dry too if youre not used to it. Stay hydrated ! You will love it, great car show at the Nugget in town too the first weekend. The car count drops a ton after tuesday. Ill be there in a black Tacoma. If it starts to rain at night get out of the dirt at Lands End, it turns into a quagmire. If you want to sleep go furthur to the road going west to camp. Thats all I can think of right now
This is not the kind of thing to worry about. Just do it. Common sense will get you past any small upsets along the way.
I got invited to be a crewmenber for a sidecar rider--screwed up and started a new job a week ago---Maybe I will get to go--I hope!!!
So far it looks like I'll be there. Been wanting to do it since I'm about 12 and read about it in Hot Rod, that's about 50 years of waiting.
We are trying to arrange a trip there this year. Heard about the surcharge from the rental companies for cleaning the salt off. If you drive real slow, does it keep the salt buildup off of the car? Does anyone have an idea how much they surcharge to do this cleaning?
Go!! people there are real friendly, the competition is for the record, not with crews pitted against each other. get a hold of a bike ,scooter or other trans, pits are long,maybe a mile or so... 1st rule, wear lots of suncreen, big hats and long sleeves NO SHIT!! make sure you bring plenty of water/Gaderade(SP), the heat will kick your ass with beer or soda,, plenty of time for that after sundown.There was a bunch of kids "washing" cars after they left the salt, for a fee, , but I'll bet you will find some salt lurking in the nooks and creannies. lots of folks use a lawn sprinkler under their ride to rinse.If you never been there believe me, you will never forget it. Good luck from an old geezer.... LOL PS bring good B' culars,, cant see much more than the 1st 1/2 mile so this is important
Haven't been for 30 years, but recall it with great memory. And good number of photos...slides that is. Met Baskerville...what a downhome guy. Unexpected for bigtime famous author/photog. I was tot'en Nikon with bigass lense, so he approached me! One o' my longterm heros! Looked lot younger than I expected. Multi & Vera Aldridge were still with us and greeting all attendees with coffee & Vera's famous cornbread muffins. Never saw 'em again, but they loved to exchange Christmas cards. Everything said above about cool folks is correct. Didn't encounter a single ego...unheard of at car events. Aiming to do it again in a year or two. Recently got unemployed for first time in 30 years, so option is there...but long delayed project is higher priority.
Surcharge on a rental??? Dont lie to them, some of the cars now have a tattle tale GPS, they know where you have been, and they already have your credit card number. I have read of surcharges of 600 bucks. SLC has one rental company that WILL rent you a car knowing it will go there. Its not a well known company. Sorry, I dont remember the name. My drive out there takes three days. Just make it happen.
Guys, try some of these threads. Lots of questionsalready asked and answered. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=694641&highlight=bonneville+camping http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=685389&highlight=bonneville+camping http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684496&highlight=bonneville+camping http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=644464&highlight=bonneville+camping
If you think of the rental company later, PM me. Really trying to make this happen, but don't want surprises to ruin the moment(surcharge, etc). Will likely commute from SLC, as I've been told all rooms in the flats area are booked. Recommended to check for openings closer to event. It's just about 2,000 miles one way, and with limited time available to me, we can't take our own rod.
If you bring a rental car back with salt everywhere some companies will hit you with a big surcharge. I read on landracing a couple of years back how one guy was hit with a $700 cleaning surcharge. Don't know the details. Get some big plastic trash bags and line the floor on the interior. Bring a stack of quarters and visit the car wash on the way out. Get the salt off and you should be OK.
Last time I went was 1972. We camped at the bend in the road. I am planning on making a pigrimage this year before I run out of chances or eyesight which ever goes first. I want to see Andy Welker run his belly tanker. Also on the Rolling Bones pit crew..... I don't have a room but have been offered a spot on the floor in the Nugget. Maybe I'll just stay in SLC and drive back and forth to Wendover and ride in with them....
Dont go cause its hot,flat and a bunch of salt and its no fun hanging out with a bunch of speed demons!!!!!Cant wait
All of the advice on shade, water, where to stay, etc. is great but leaves out something that is very important, Situational Awareness. Be sure to pay attention at all times, especially in the pits and on the return roads. Always give the right of way and plenty of room to race cars that are being towed or pushed in the pits and on the return road (it's not easy to come to a quick stop when towing/pushing a race car). I'll relate 3 incidents that my racing team has encountered at the past two Speed Weeks. Two years ago, I was on the return road bringing some equipment from the pits to the start line. There was a guy in a nice hot rod roadster stopped at the right side of the return road taking photos. When he had finished, without looking, he hooked to the left and made a u turn directly in front of me. I had to get on the brakes pretty hard to keep afrom hitting him. Last year, I was on the return road following one of our cars being pushed to the start line. On the right side of the return road was a guy on a dirt bike stopped and talking to someone in car. This guy also without looking, hooked left to make a u turn and headed straight for the nose of our race car. He had to dump the bike to avoid a collision. Also last year, I was towing one of our race cars on the return road at the point where it curved around the start lines and parking area for the first two courses. Some guy in a compact car started racing from the parking area toward the return road looking to cross it just ahead of me. He crossed very close in front of me, stopped on the opposite side of the road and jumped out with his camera to take pictures of us as we passed. I reckon all of his shots had my one finger salute. Spectators are completely welcome, just remember, the racers are not there for your amusment. They are there to race. I if a spectator acts stupidly and gets in the way of their racing or poses any danger, they will not be appreciated.
Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen....and a hat. Haven't been since the early 2000's but my brother got scorched out there one year. There is a huge difference between 90-100 with 90% humidity and 90-100 with super low humidity. Where I live (near St Louis), you just pretty much are a sweaty sticky mess when it's hot and you are outside. Out there at Bonneville, your sweat evaporates before it even has a chance to bead up on your skin. Never been there as just a spectator but we'd always take breaks and go up the course and watch cars come by at speed. Nothing like it. I can't wait to go back some day.
Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen... on the bottom of you nose/ears/chin/armpits and... waaaaaaiiiiiit for it... up your pants. Yes, you read that right. If you wear loose shorts you will need sunscreen alllllll the way up. If you wear long pants you will need it up to around your knees. Dont ask how I learned this
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