Bonneville Dreams of the 200 MPH Club

Land Speed Racing History at the Bonneville Salt Flats

[Malcolm Campbell's Bluebird, Land Speed Record setting car, circa 1927. Photo courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection at http://ibistro.dos.state.fl]

I think ever since engines were invented, men across the globe were seeing how fast they could get them to go. Eventually this became known as land speed racing. It was in 1898 that the first documented attempt for land speed racing was recorded. The man was the Conte de Chasseloup, the street was a long road outside of Paris, and the whooping speed that set the record was 39.24 mph! Since then we’ve been seeing how fast any sort of engine-powered, wheeled contraption would go…from empty roads, to Florida beaches, to Australian dry lakes, and of course… to salt flats in Utah.

Why would so much effort be put into seeing how fast you can go? Quite apart from such factors as national prestige and technical advancement that are bound up inseparably with this Land Speed Record, there is satisfaction in knowing that you have driven faster than any other human being without any possible question of dispute. [p.13, The World’s Land Speed Record by William Boddy, 1951]

While the “Land Speed Record” is a little bit different then the variety of class-records that most people go after, the underlying passion is the same in all of land speed racing. And for quite some time now, it could be said that the mecca of land speed racing is the Bonneville Salt Flats –with the event of the year there being Speed Week.

Since the whole purpose of land speed racing, Bonneville, and Speedweek is namely, “speed,” it only makes sense that there’s a special club to recognize the people and cars that go fast. It’s known, simply, as the 200 Mile-Per-Hour Club.

Although SCTA/BNI officially began to sponsor land speed racing at the salt flats in 1949, it wasn’t until a few years later in 1953 that the 200mph Club was established. Upon first hearing of the 200 MPH Club, I thought it seemed pretty straight forward …people going 200mph or over, right? Well, yes and no. Back in 1953, 200mph wasn’t being reached too often. With nearly sixty years of engineering advances since then, 200 mph is now a very attainable goal. So now, no…you can’t just run at 200mph and get in the club. Now you have to break a record over 200 mph to gain your lifetime 200 MPH club admittance.

Do you realize that driving 200 mph means covering 293 feet per second?! That’s almost an entire football field’s distance every second!

Not only is there the 200 MPH Club, there’s also the 300 MPH Chapter for those breaking a record over 300mph. You can tell these special members apart from the rest by the color of their hats. While 200 MPH members get a red hat, the 300 MPH Chapter has a blue hat. There are also different 200 MPH Clubs for whatever location you’re racing at. In the US you’ve got Bonneville, The Texas Mile, El Mirage, Maxton, Maine, and Muroc. These tracks vary according to racing surface and length. Bonneville is the only salt-covered racing surface. El Mirage is dirt, thus dubbing their club the “Dirty 2s”. The others are held on runways. Only five of these 200 MPH Clubs is admitting members, as Muroc is presently shut down.

As of 2009, there were 665 total members in the Bonneville 200 MPH club (with only 76 in the 300 MPH Chapter.) Some are big names, others less so. Some are young, others old. Some have been chasing the dream for decades before being admitted, others are newer to land speed racing. Most are men, a few are women. In fact, I’ve had a chance to talk with a handful of the approximately 17 women who are in the 2-club and I’m excited to share with you more of their stories!

Last year during Speedweek 26 new 200 MPH Club members were admitted. This year 22 made it in. I don’t know about you—but even though I’m still just learning about cars, creating something that will one day get me into the 200 MPH club is definitely on my bucket list! Hmmm….what racing category will it be?…I can already guess what body type I’ll choose!

Hemi Powered and Strange-Shifted Speed Seeking Studebakers #3

Bonneville Salt Flat Racing Studebakers

I’ve already covered the two record-taking Studebakers for this 2010 Speed Week in previous articles of this Speed Seeking Studebakers series (#1 1953 Studebaker Coupe & #2 1949 Studebaker Pickup). So before looking at more racing Studes, I wanted to show you some of the fine Studebakers that spectators were driving around on the salt!

To begin with, is Bob Weaver’s 1953 Studebaker Coupe.

I’m not sure color has as much to do with speed as the aerodynamics body of the Studebaker coupe – but in this case yellow=fast! My 5-year-old nephew exclaimed “Yellow cars are the fastest” while wandering around Gene Winfield’s shop a couple of months ago, and in this case I’d say he’s right!

It isn’t just the yellow color and aerodynamic body that’s making this Studebaker go fast. This special Stude has a Chrysler Hemi powerplant! I was amazed at how snugly it fit in the engine compartment. This hot rod sure looks just as pretty under the hood as above it!

Any Studebaker-fan knows that us Studebaker owners are a quirky bunch of folk! So I wasn’t overly surprised when I saw this 1950 Studebaker convertible coupe roll up.

If the airplane-nose isn’t enough to make this old car stand out, then the fishnet & high-heeled leg sticking up out of it is! Of all the strange and original shifters I’ve seen, this one takes the cake!

From hot rod, to quirky, and now to round it off in the more rat rod category is this chopped up truck seen at the nightly car show at the Nugget Casino in Wendover.

I loved its custom airplane-styled windshield and lime-green accents. Its nice rusty patina is offset nicely by that touch of chrome on its wheels too!

Lastly, of course I was there on the salt with my own 1955 Studebaker Champion Coupe. (Note: Did you know that a “coupe” is differentiated from the “hardtop” by the B-pillar in between the front and rear-seat windows?)

Stude liked it out on the salt!  We had tons of fun meeting new friends… like this sleek blue #653. Continue onto the next story to read more about this #653 Studebaker Race car with a Flathead!

1949 Studebaker Farm Truck-Speed Seeking Studebakers #2

Bonneville Salt Flat Racing Vintage Studebakers

#898 obviously isn’t a coupe, but it’s still Speedy. And most importantly, it’s a Studebaker! This 1949 Studebaker farm truck out of Kansas took the second of the two records for this years Speed Week.

And break a record did it ever! With Chevy power under the hood in it’s AA/MP class, the old record was blown away by nearly 18 miles per hour! Norris Anderson definitely knows how to build one, as he powered this truck down the line at 219.331mph!

And you know what that means, its a record-breaking run over 200mph… so Norris Anderson gets his well-deserved Bonneville 200mph Club admission. He’ll be a happy man wearing that red hat. In fact… he was already wearing it, even as he did broom duty around the pits!

It looks like Norris Anderson and his Broom Crew have a lot of fun out on the salt! It was in 2004 that Norris first found the old farm truck and began building it into a salt flats racer in 2004. Their motto? “Safe Trucks Travel Fast.”

Start here for All Speed Seeking Studebakers

Speed Week 2010 Cruise In on the Salt Flats

Bonneville Salt Flats Hot Rods and Custom Cars

I heard more than one person comment that Speed Week is like one HUGE Cruise In.  I totally agree.  This is my 4th year coming to the Bonneville Salt Flats.  I’ve got ”Salt Fever” bad and the only fix is more salt, right?  This is my first post of Speed Week 2010 and I wanted to highlight my favorite hot rods and custom cars I spotted on the salt.  I’ll dig into a few of these in later posts with more pictures of what makes these hot rods so cool to me. Keep checking back at MyRideisMe.com for more.

In no particular order… (don’t forget to click on the picture to zoom in for more viewing pleasure)

The KDF Mangler Volksrod… ya, you’re gonna hear and see a lot about this car on the automotive internet circles I think.  This car just popped on the salt and turned heads with its dual carbed Corvair motor, super low stance and overall COOL FACTOR.  It was one of the biggest neck-breakers out there on the Salt Flats during the 62nd Annual Bonneville Speed Week.  It was easily in my Top 5 Cars of the Week.

Another one of my favorite rods was this 1931 Hudson with Hemi V8 power.  If I hadn’t spotted the license plate “31HUDSN”, I probably would’ve mistaken it for a Ford.  This car just sucked me in.  The rear wheel/tire setup is raaaaaaaad!  The creamsicle color with the gray wheels, chrome Hemi treatment, PERFECT STANCE and white stuff everywhere was the perfect Saline Solution for my “fever”.  Again, one of my Top 5 Cars of the Week.  MyRideisMe.com has more pics of this Hudson Coupe in the NorCal Knockout Car Show Picture Gallery.

I caught this Coupe Saturday morning before sunrise on Day 1 of Speed Week 2010.  Lookin’ slick with its big n little wheel/tire combo and flat black paint.  I love these old rods without fenders.

You can’t forget the Cruise In within a Cruise In at the Nugget Casino in Wendover the first few nights of Speed Week.  I’m diggin’ this Model T roadster with 3 Deuces and yellow steelies and engine block.  The color combination is workin’ for me.  It’s just the right amount of yellow mixed in.  Dig the WWII style two-piece windscreen… I WILL run one of these on a roadster one day.  It’s gotta be one of my favorite hot rod tricks for a roadster.

We ALL love us some Shop Truck action.  This is obviously from the “Old Crow Speed Shop” in Burbank, Calif. according to the door art.  You’ll be seeing more Model A and B pickup hot rods from me .  My buddy Nate and I really started diggin’ on the truck-rods.  Just something about them that caught my eye this year.  Hmm… do I build a roadster, a pickup, a sedan or coupe, so many options, none of them bad.

This bare metal ’38 GMC pickup was hittin’ all the right hot rod style points for me.  Plus its driven… If you look close, you’ll notice the 350 SBC was caughin’ up some coolant as it cruised the  pit area.  With temps hit’n 90′s crawling through the pits, the old GMC needed some cooling off.  Perfect for an impromptu photoshoot eh?!  The owner made the drive out from the Salt Lake area with the backup 350 substituting for the big block Chevy- of-choice at home getting a refresh.  It was cool to chat with this dude (sorry, I didn’t write your name down, so I totally spaced it) and hearing how  he’s been hammerin’  on this rod to get it to Speed Week.  I dig the grille, the original GMC unit, not common like the Fords, that’s for sure.   I’m a HUGE fan of white walls on hot rods and again, the stance is spot on.  Love it!

I saw this group of rods and customs posing together and had to get a closer look.  Meet the “Farm Boys Car Club” from Boise, Idaho.  “Way to go Idaho!”  Some of THE most killer rods at the Cruise In… Speed Week.  In between shots, they’d switch it up and while moving their cars around into different positions, they’d be doing donuts in the salt and kickin’ up the white stuff.  They were just plain enjoying themselves and their rides.  These boys are My Ride is Me to a “T”!  Thanks for drivin’ ‘em out from Idaho boys so the rest of us could enjoy them too.

So there’s a glimpse into the unofficial Speed Week 2010 Cruise In.  I didn’t even show you any race cars yet! Click here to see Everything Bonneville Salt Flats related including pictures, featured rides and stories.

Which hot rods were your cruise in favorites?

Hechtspeed

More Salt Please – Speed Week 2010

Bonneville Speed Week 2010 1st Race Day

“Just Glad to be Here” is the name of this bad 1953 Studebaker running in B/BGCC or B engine, Blown Gas Competition Coupe and I think owner/driver Loyd Huffman speaks for all of us. Speed Week rocks.

From bright and early, GreaseGirl sped over to the track to catch the good morning light of Sunrise on the Salt Flats. I wasn’t far behind.

Arriving at the salt I found this sleeping giant of the land speed racing world. The “Speed Demon” owned by Poteet and Main. Salt Flat visitors lucky enough to stay all week may see this 299 cu in streamliner run over 400mph.

While we’re talking streamliners, take a look inside “The Flower of Scotland”. These guys must have registered late because they’re not in the program. I do know they’re running I/BFS or I engine size, blown fuel streamliner. The I-engine class is only 46-61 cu. in or more likely a motorcycle engine displacing less than 1 litre!

How about this! Taking practically the entire alphabet with their race class, VF/CCXF which I think is a 4-cylinder Ford Flathead. It sounded great! Watch for video soon. Don’tcha love these long nosed coupes!

I caught this shot over on the “Combination” course. The salt was good enough this year to make the normally “short” (at 5 miles long) course both long and short. Usually, the long course is only for cars proven to run over 175mph. I listened confused as my new friend and starter Doug Howard kept saying, “Long car” and “Short car”. I thought, “Doug’s loopy from too much sun, this car’s longer than the last one!” But… he was talking about how long the car would run. I caught Doug midway in his “You’re on!” signal.

That’s a XO/STR or XO engined (usually inline engines and quite often inline six GMC’s) street roadster shown with Doug. The six’s make a distinct tone not mistaken for a V8. Bajurin and Swansborough own this fine XO example chasing a 153mph record.

While we’re talking unusual engines, ever seen one of these? It’s half a Pontiac 389 with a blower thrown on for good measure. Look for more on this Jeep racer owned by Roger Manson (no relation) of Burnaby, British Colombia very soon.

Of course there were hot rods on the salt flats too!

Sticking with the unusual engines, here’s a 270 GMC inline six powering the “Bonnevillians” pickup. I snuck this gnarly rat rod and this totally sano, one owner 1963 Galaxie off to the side and shot’m up. You’ll have to wait for those pictures, too.

Let me wrap up Saturday’s pictures with 2 rookies to Bonneville salt.

This is my buddy Kevin. We switched off driving the not-so-nimble MyRideisMe.com RV and “Bonnie” my 1927 Roadster. Kevin’s smile matched the one I saw on the face of David Stranchan when we found the 932 B/STR Street Roadster after making the very last run of the day on the short course.

David’s a rookie, the first of the “My 3 Sons” racing team to make a pass and new salt addict after qualifying at 130 mph and change. The plan is for dad, Dan and the other two sons, Jeamie and Jeff Strachan to all drive the car this week before returning to Moville, Iowa.  Good luck guys!

I’ve still got video, and tons more pictures to come. Please check back as we get everything posted as soon as we can. While you wait, check out our Everything Bonneville Salt Flats post.

If you have a special request, let us know in a comment below!

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