Hot Rod Forum banner

Great video on the worlds fastest piston engine, wheel driven car on earth.

3K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  MARTINSR 
#1 ·


Checkout how rough that salt is in some of these shots, we are talking large pizza sized flakes! They have to smooth it out for the event. If you haven't been out there it is a must do for a car nut. I have never been there for speed week (missed it by a week on vacation once) just going out there is a must do. It is right along highway 80 at Wendover Nv. You can see the trucks going by on the highway in this video. This sign is right at the end of Bonniville speedway road where it dead ends at the speedway, very cool. This is a great video, put it on HD and full screen!

Brian

Google Maps

 
See less See more
1 1
#3 ·
I have posted this a hundred times I know. But I went out there a couple of times and once brought up the family truckster up to about 55 mph and just about loosened every bolt in it! This photo wasn't taken right next to the road, it was about a mile out into it. It's an amazing site, it would be like standing in the middle of the SF bay area and looking around seeing all the way to the hills on each side of the bay and seeing perfectly nothing but white, not a blade of grass, not a gum wrapper, NOTHING. It is quite the site.



Then the next time I was thru a few years later I saw a crew out there and went out to see what was going on only to be stopped by their "security" telling me it was a secret thing going on and I couldn't see it. Ooooook this was a week before speedweek and he made it very clear that I don't drive over by the pylons as that was the actual track and it had been groomed. I really would like to get out there during the event one of these times. But it is on a main hiqhway across America so if you ever find yourself coming out to California on a road trip or something don't drive right by this!

Brian
 
#4 ·
When I was at Speedweek in 2011, I saw George drive a couple of different cars going for records. He had "Speed Demon" out as well as "Blowfish" (turbo'd 'Cuda)

So far (I have seen a reference to) Speed Demon exiting the flying mile at 460 something (and eating its transmission alive in the process)

They run that car with several different SBC engines - the "baby" one being just over 300 inches and the big one at 360 some. When I saw it, they had the 347 in it.

They also run it with a blown 4 cyl Mopar in it
 
#5 ·
Dave, that is too cool. Tell me, how are the crowds out there? Is it all open to everyone, the pits and all? How good can you see the cars going by, how far away are you really?

Brian
 
#8 ·
A couple of things. If you are going to stay "in town" - you are probably too late for reservations this year.

I took my travel trailer along, but missed one VERY key thing. It is VERY (very,very,very very etc) HOT there and I did not have enuff brains to bring a genny for powering the A/C in my TT. Luckily, the temps dropped to the 95-100 range at night :D :rolleyes:

If you are sleeping in the van, under your pickup, in a motorhome (a moho) a travel trailer or in a tent - you can stay for free. Just park on the salt, near the bend (where the access road curves) and there you are. Bring EVERYTHING you will need, as you will be camping in the "basic unserviced camping area". In the case of my trailer, we had everything needed including water and toilet and shower a stove, a microwave and a fridge to keep the bottled water cold. We froze a dozen bottles every night and cooled another dozen to take with us to the scene of the action every day. With the frozen ones plus the cold ones in the picnic cooler, we were OK for hydration. (If we had brought a generator for the trailer's A/C, it would have been perfect!

Take a LOT of "SPF a million" sunscreen and wear long sleeves and long pants. The stories of the sun reflecting off the salt and burning your "don't touch'ems" are true for those in shorts

Welding glasses shade 6 -9 are about right for eye protection. A wide-brimmed hat is mandatory.

You can walk around in the pits, most teams are VERY friendly, you can stop & chat with 'em. My son & I chatted with the Poteet & Main crew and passed wrenches when they were in a thrash from burned pistons due to a screed up fuel line. We stopped and chatted with the university team running an electric car, and with various other teams running all sorts of different vehicles from a Renault with a Hybusa engine to a team with a huge Kenworth running V16 Diesel power.

At the start line, you can (if you don't make a jerk of yourself) walk among the cars waiting in line for their turn, and at worst you stand about 3 -4 feet away from them.

Downtrack, you are about a mile or so from the cars as they go past, for safety reasons - if someone cranking 300 plus gets off the "track" and outta control, you gotta be LONG ways away if you are going to live through it!

Despite the "million miles per hour" speeds, the whole thing is very laid back, very friendly. Teams loan each other tools, help each other etc.

That fact is most notable at the start line. Instead of the Christmas tree or the frantic waving of a green flag, there is a guy on the radio who stands in front of your car when you are next up, listens to his head set for messages about when the last car has finished its run and the track is now clear and then he turns to you and double-checks that all your latches & catches are done up, your safety pin is pulled on your chute and then, with an "After you" sort of gesture, steps aside. "The track is yours for the next 4 minutes"

Your push car starts up and takes you out and up to 40 (or 50 or 75 or 100 MPH) and you get on it and go, while your push car drops back and peels off to the left to meet you down track and pull you back to the pits. Maybe you don't use a push car and just drive away from the start line. If you're on a bike maybe someone pushes you while running for the first 20 feet.

Oh yeah. Take an AM radio, and FM radio and a CB radio along for listening to track announcements, track news and for listening to communications between officials and teams. ("Um this is car XXX - I just pulled off to the right at mile marker 4 - my motor let go all over the track - some pieces came right through my hood. You better get a safety clean-up crew out there before you let the next car down. Hey Frank - I'm back just past mile 4 with only about half an engine left in it - wanna bring the trailer and come get me?" ) (That's a direct quote of one racer's call on CB radio)

There are TWO tracks - the long course for the "big boys & girls" and the short course for vehicles running less than 200

There are snack stands, ice creams stands, bottled water sellers, sunglasses sellers (expen$ive!) and rental porta-johns around, as well as a place to stop and wash all the salt off your ride at the end of the day. Admission is quite reasonably priced and buying a program and a rule book is highly advised.
 
#12 ·
BRIAN

If you want a lot of salt on your car; just come to syracuse NY in the winter; we're not called the 'Salt City' for nothing. LOL I have a DVD my friend Ron Van Allen made of he and Corky Stockham (owner of the Parts Peddler racing paper here in the Northeast) built around 2000. If I can figure out how to copy the DVD to my computer, I'll send it to anyone who wants a copy
 
#17 ·
Brian, I live in Santa Rosa now. I lived in SLC Utah in the late 60's. Wendover was just a cool cruise in my 66 396 at the time. Breedlove and Arfons (SP) were cool to watch. On the off season we would ride dirt bikes on the wet salt flats, ever seen a dirt bike go underwater on the flats. Being a teenager it was funny. When you were up there did you ever go for a swim in the great salt lake? You just float!!!

I love your basics of basics posts, the one that I love is the windshield installed kit. I rode my Harley up to and old school glass shop and before I could get my helmet off some old guy came out greeted me. He said "I heard a Harley. I kind of liked that. I asked about Butyl tape, He said we use urethane, But I have some Butyl tape.
 
#18 ·
Swam in the Great Salt Lake in 1972 and remember it well. Someone had a few WWII amphibian troop carriers out there that you could get a ride in. I had to go there when driving thru on a long road trip and I went looking for this spot where I swam, it was all gone! All the buildings and wharf and docks it was all gone. The Saltair dance hall was still there up the road aways on the shore of the lake.



It sure must have been one heck of a place 50 years ago. They had some photos of the place packed with dancers and a live orchestra. It was a neat building, hopefully it survives.

Brian
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top