If you are in easy driving range plan on going for at least the first day. Bring a cooler with food and beverages. Bring something to sit on and sit under. And sunscreen. Be prepared to do some walking, the pits are huge and you cant drive in em unless you have an in with a crew. I haven't been that many times. The first year we went pretty minimal. All of us that went loved it. After we got the lay of the land that first year we made a big ass list of what we would do or bring differently.
IMPORTANT!! THERE HAS BEEN SOME BIG DATE CHANGES!! BNI (Bonneville Nationals Incorporated) have changed 2008 Speed Week dates to START on Sunday/Monday - as opposed to the usual Saturday. (this is supposed to relieve the pressure on accommodation's in Wendover) NEW 2008 DATE CHANGES!! Bonneville Speed Week August 18 - Sunday to: August 24 - Sunday Inspection Sunday Aug - 18th, 2008 Runs begin Sunday/Monday Aug - 18th/19th, 2008
Mr48chevy has it right. Im gona go again this year with my girlfriend, i know she's probably going to wine a bit, but i think she will be all right. bring a scooter or something you can ride around on. it makes it alot more fun. as well as shade. i had a big unbrella last year but im gona take my 10' by 10' shade tent this year. One of the better times i had out there was just B.S.n with people you meet out there. Sit'n by the campfire @ the bend in the road, looking up and all you see is stars! it was one of my "highlights" of 2007.
What's this stuff? I'd really like to know since I have a yard full of the most rust prone cars ever made.
Denise, although not as bad as living "THAT CLOSE", i couldn't believe a gearhead like you, hadn't heard of the "Pike's Peak Hillclimb" either.
You have to go, but it is much more fun to take your nice shiny hot rod and cover it completely in salt that to take a regular car. I am also amazed that so many Utahns that have no idea. This year I took a friend out there who had never been, he was blown away.
well I went last year, and found rolling my turds into little balls was fun.. No, seriously, what is there not to do? The first few days, there are hundreds of cars and bikes to check out. The racing is a bit slow the first few days because of the huge amount of entries. But you can see them all, and BS with the owners and crews. If you know someone with an entry, you can get a wristband and be right up at the start line. My friends raced, I helped out, drank beer all day, ate good food at the salt, then hung out at the coolest little bar in Wendover. The Black and White, owned by a sweetheart named Carmen, has great food and a great atmoshphere. Forget the casinos. Her place is great. See you next year if you can make the drive..
I was wondering that myself. One of natures little "tricks" at Bonneville; is during the rain season - winter - the water on the surface dissolves the surrounding salt and covers over any pot holes or ruts. Trouble is, the ruts that Boyd and his crew caused will now only have a VERY thin layer of SALT over top of some VERY soft silt, no matter what they did to repair the damage. The loss of the salt surface at Bonneville MAY - in the near future - have a major effect on, WHERE the courses will be set out.
We drove 2,200 miles one-way to get there last year. Left Sunday at 3:30, arrived 6pm Tuesday night. Boy Wonder navigated, and we picked my wife up at Salt Lake City airport on-time at 6:15 (I NEVER once looked at the map...he kept me on track, figured mileage/time, how long in junk yards, antique stores, etc. And he's 12) Spent 2 days on the salt. Pits are 1 mile long. Literally. The starting lines are 3 miles away. Don't walk it. Bull Frog sunscreen applied liberally in the moring before putting clothes on, and this fair-skinned guy didn't even get pink. Never had to apply again during the day. No kidding...someone tells me "Hey Brad, it's sunny out today" and I get a light burn. Didn't know the general population isn't allowed up on the starting line. If you've got a professional looking camera, a floppy, wide-brim hat and ugly "function over form" sunglasses on, you can even go 20 feet or so PAST the starting line to get shots of the cars coming off. And if you're a cute 12 year old, with a professional looking camera, your hat on backwards, walk confidentally like you know what you're doing and have done this before, and have wrap-around-sunglasses, you can also go about 10-15 feet past the starting line to take a picture or two. Kid's good with maps and a camera. Afterwards, you can teach your 12 year old to drive on...he can't hit anything, and he'll always be able to say "I learned to drive on the Bonneville Salt Flats." 60mph, 5th gear. several times. We took our hot-rodded '01 Dodge Dakota out in '07 year, because the Sub didn't get to the end of it's thrash for the trip. We're driving the '62 Suburban out this year, going to drive to the top of Pike's Peak on the way out, and I THINK we can hit the HAMB drags on the way back, if my dates are correct. If my dates are correct, then we ARE hitting the drags. -Brad
One thing you must do is go out on the salt & watch the sun come up, aside from the racing its probably the most amazing thing you'll ever see! Kev.
I was wondering about Bonneville as well. I had heard about it but I wasn't sure what exactly it was.
I will be there again as co-crew chief of this 34 coupe hoping to up the record that we currently hold. Car is getting motivation upgrades.
Its a Pontiac.. If you are not into that type of racing you probably won't like it. I've brought people to El Mirage, and they were sooo bored. But anyone can be turned to the other side. Give it a shot. Its not Nascar...its way better!!!!
Joined in Aug, 2007 when the majority of Speed week posts were flying around. And 74 posts, bumpercarkid you are not going to suck me into this one. Denise, I got it figured - these "never heard of it" posts are bait. DW
TONS of people in Utah don't know about speedweek, mainly because TONS of people in Utah could care less about cars. Now, if it was a giant hunting event involving ATV's they would be there! Although, more hunters would get shot than actual game. If you ask me, and yes I'm a Utahn, I say keep it the way it is. Let the people that know about it, and know enough about it to respect what's happening, be the only ones that go. That place is a ticking time bomb for environmentalists. As soon as the crowds start getting huge, you'll have idiots tearing up the salt (I won't mention Boyd here), and it will be shut down before you know it. Then Wendover will only be good for it's crappy casino's, and midget wrestling. big mac big mac
Pictures say 1000 words Starting Line Photo Ops with friends Bench Racing with friends The sky Did someone say ROAD TRIP with friends A quick stop at the shoe tree outside of Austin Nv, with friends Each year you bring home a lifetime of memories. I am getting goose bumps just writing this. There is nothing like it, it's like going to Mecca for hot rodders. chuck
Dang! Bunch of jerks! Just kidding. I guess it was a little "bait" the way I titled my post- I figured I would get a million responses that way. Everyone knows what Bonneville is, but I always pictured in my mind that it was all rocket cars and turbines, as well as funny looking pencil-shaped stuff. (Not that there's anything wrong with a streamliner). I also figured it was a limited-access place, at least concerning driving around for some pictures. Well, I've officially made a fool of myself here on the H.A.M.B. with this post - I just don't know whether that is a right of passage or just plain stupid?! I guess I'll have to get away from my multiple wives and camoflauge ATV gun rack for a day, and drive the 200 miles to Bonneville. As for me not posting on the HAMB much- it just seems a little hokey! P.S. my wife and I tried to find rooms in Wendover...nothin'!
Man it's really easy. Pay your 10.00, drive out on the salt. Head twards the long row of cars in the distance. Walk up to the starting line, watch cars get pushed off, go to the HAMB meet-n-greet, meet Hotrodladycrusr (she WILL grab your ass! ), take pic of the only three good looking girls there (not counting you of course Denise!!!), drink beer, and wonder why you havn't been doin this for years!
Check out this too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lLRu-ae_bo I worked long and hard on this, I even appreciate it when some just takes the time to watch the trailer.
Its hard to explain Bonneville. Its low key exotic. You'll see the fastest, most creative, off the wall vehicles you've ever witnessed. Powered by anything from single cylinders to dual Donovan Hemis. The crews are relaxed and you can just wander through and have a casual converstion with some of racings heavyweights. Its ungodly bright, hot, and surreal. You are welcome there, but they do not cater to the spectator. Dont expect stands or fancy bathroom facilities. Bring your own amenities. The pits are miles long, and you'll be worn out from walking them. Nothing compares with the sight of a steamliner coming over the horizon at 300mph , flashing past you , and disappearing over the horizon on your left. The doppler effect just makes everything even more unreal. When you leave you'll say to yourself "That was cool, but I dont need to go again for quite a while." about a month later it starts eating at you and you find yourself revisiting how cool it REALLY was. By the time speedweek rolls around again you cant wait to get in the car and drive a thousand miles to see it again. And for me, where else can I see a car from my beloved Montana kick ass on everyone? ( Heres a pic of it from the SCTA site)
The Jalopy Journal
