Just talking amongst Friends and we got to taking about Bonneville hypothetical questions........ what class would my car fall into ? (i cannot find this info anywhere without Purchasing a rule book - which I will do later on) Fibreglass 34 highboy coupe, chopped, partial bellypan from the rolled pan to the rear end. late model Chev v8, carburetted running on pump gas (no power adders) what else do we need to know ? Thanks
yes I can do that but it will take a month to arrive in Australia......... Hang on a minute !! I have just realised I can purchase a digital copy - that will work !! Thanks Deuce mac
Those classes denote engine displacement, aspiration, fuel type & body style/modification. For example, my old Studebaker was raced as A/CBFALT, so A, between about 7-8 liters, C, for a body made after the war, up to 1980, B, for a blower, F, on E85(puts it into "fuel"), and ALT to indicate limited aero alterations such as the air dam, spoiler, covered grille, etc.
Running a car at Bonneville was one of the high points of my life with hot rods. But if you plan to race a vehicle at an SCTA event, be prepared to build a car that will meet their rules and safety guidelines. One of your biggest expenses will be safety equipment. Buy a rule book, go to Bonneville and look around and ask questions. If you can not afford to buy a rulebook and you are not prepared to commit a lot of money and time, you should just go to the salt and enjoy the event and the people. But, Get To Bonneville.
As @mohr hp says, need to know engine size for that designation, then flip through the body classes, some of which which you can find here: https://www.landracing.com/docs/2014_rulebook_changes_car.pdf I’ve been to Bonneville quite a few times as a spectator, but I don’t know what class your car would fit into. Try looking at the section 5D at the link above - might get you close. John
For true. You wanted a simple answer to a bench racing question and getting the book thrown at you. Agree, everyone should go to Bonnevile once. Most everyone here has at some time thought about running a car there. Advice, stick to the slow lane; the 130 MPH and 150 MPH classes are somewhat affordable. Running in the real salt classes can be a bottomless money pit for a once-a-year thrill. More detail than you asked for, but of interest on the subject; as mentioned, the required safety equipment and build standards seem to tighten and get more expensive every year. Some have suggested buying an existing car with a log book is one way to race right away. That's a Yes, No, Maybe; be aware the inspectors will put a new guy through the fine print. Since we build obsolete engines, a while back, a friend had a chance to buy a roller which had run on the salt for many years and we were going to build an engine for it. Fortunately, I took the above advice, went to the meet and ask the inspectors about that particular car. Found a guy who knew it and the owner. He said, "I'll deny ever saying this, but he and the car have been allowed to skate by on some rule updates because he's one of the old guard, been running here for thirty years and we also know he wouldn't be running very fast. If you'd showed up today with that car, it would fail ten different areas." It added up to a "coulda-shoulda-woulda; but no go." but I still wish it could have happened. jack vines
Thanks everyone, Yes all the guys have visited Bonneville many times but its a bucket list thing about racing a hot rod at Bonneville, not looking to set records or set the world on fire........... just putting a big tick against this on the list.
Thanks WZ, it wasnt about the cost of the rulebook it was the one month it was going to take to get it posted to Australia, all the guys involved in this project have visited Bonneville many times and well aware its not a cheap exercise especially when you include shipping a car from Australia but its a massive bucket list thing for hot rodders from outside of USA (and im sure it is for some USA residents as well) Note; this was before i realised I could purchase a digital copy of the rule book which i have since done.
Now that you have a rule book, start by reading, and re-reading it. Some of it makes no sense at all, or is totally ambiguous or contradictory. I took a pencil and marked my paper copy all up, then went to a race and found a tech guy when he wasn't too busy (good luck!) and grilled him. Better to know for certain before turning your perception of what they mean, into a metal lawn ornament, (Unlike the movie about Munro, ECTA will turn you away.) Sounds like you have a lot of desire to "check off a box" but try to look at it as a journey that may take several years. Even the well funded have struggled assuming it's easy. These cars are tailor made for the task, and few outside the Land Speed community know anything about them. I do encourage you to go for it, regret in not doing is usually stronger than failure!
If you just want to drive down track on the salt with your foot into it as an experience and aren't worried about competition, check out the 130 and 150 mph clubs at the World of Speed. Rules for the 130 club are below. Terms of Service 1 — Utah Salt Flats Racing Association https://share.google/yJ52xTpYElgMKbq7N
I am retired from running a car at Bonneville and now I am not as well informed. I was not aware there is a digital ruled book. That is nice to know. One option for you might be to rent a ride in a land speed car. I know that Hooley and I talked about doing that. It would help the race team cover expenses. and it would save you a lot of money.
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