Salty Boneville Hot Rods 2011 Bonneville Speed Week sponsored by Spectre Performance   I'd like to tell ya I'm a great photographer. I'd like to even suggest that I posed these hot rods on the salt for a big-time photo shoot. I didn't. Truth is, Bonneville Speed Week brings out some of the coolest vintage hot rods you'll find. The coupe above is from Wrecked Metal. My buddy Josh Clason did a cool video at Wrecked Metal's shop featuring the guys who drove in from Idaho.     What else do you want? This trick little roadster was way different and way cool. Dig the triple carbed six cylinder, the swept back Duvall style windshield and look closely for the motorcycle-like gas tank out back. If you think this is a thrown together "rat rod" you're wrong. (Stop thinking that and seek help)     Speed Week brings out the hot rods. It's simple! When you see them out on the salt... tires caked with it, chunks sitting on the louvered roofs... it's plain to see: These hot rods are driven and the owners are having fun. That's enough...

Round One goes to the Salt 2011 Bonneville Speed Week sponsored by Spectre Performance   My last post about the Spectre Performance "SpeedLiner" detailed THE PLAN. Everyone knew bringing 5 motors and trying to break 5 records was a stretch, but the team was motivated and prepared. Then "the salt" announced it's plan.   Things started well. The streamliner, still naked of it's lettering and B/BGS class was loaded on the trailer, first thing in the golden salt morning. In the 300 mph lane of the long course behind George Poteet's "Speed Demon" streamliner and the mustard rocket called the "Maro Special" (also a 2010 Baddest Hot Rod at Bonneville), SpeedLiner patiently waited it's turn.   Spectre crew chief Steve Schmalz tugs on driver Kenny Hoover's belts   The bell rings... the Spectre bullet is pushed down track until the 434 cubic inch Caddy motor drops into gear and starts making power. Like MMA, the first round lasted about five minutes.   What everyone hoped was a malfunction with the air shifter turned out to be this: What you're seeing is the shredded remains of a quick-change gear set....

Bonneville Salt Flats -Breaking Records 2011 Bonneville Speed Week sponsored by Spectre Performance Any time a land speed racer says what they're "planning" to do, they better be smiling! As a warm up for the record breaking session this year at Bonneville, I stole 15 minutes with Amir Rosenbaum, the founder of Spectre Performance and driver of the "SpeedLiner" race car shown above. He was smiling... The plan is to break five records! Record #1 - B/BGS: When the SpeedLiner hits the starting line of the long course on Saturday, stuffed inside the long lean frame rails will be a 434 cubic inch Cadillac motor. For those of you keeping score at home, that's a B-class motor  at 373-439 cubic inches. They're gunning for the B/BGS record of 337.197 mphcurrently held by Vesco Racing's D. Spangler. Record #2 - A/BGS: If things go well, (isn't the "if" redundant!!) the B-class record's in reach because SpeedLiner already holds the A/BGS record at 356.645 mph. A-class allows 440-500 cubic inches, so they're working a plan they already know fairly well. (there's that word plan again!) Record #3 - AA/BGS: One word:...

Bonneville Salt Flats Streamliner Well it's gonna be! Right now, it's a lesson in patience. Take a look at the "Maro Special" a dedicated Bonneville Salt Flats streamliner race car if there ever was one. Like most race cars on the "Great White Dyno" aka Bonneville, this one's got a great story and Bobby Moore is the perfect gentleman to tell the story. Just like with the World's Fastest Corvette owned by Bobby, going fast takes time. Bobby Moore was 15 when he built his first car, a 1933 fenderless Plymouth five window coupe that he found in a field. He's always enjoyed the thrill of speed and the many friends made during his racing career. So naturally, in 1996, Bobby was drawn to Bonneville as driver of the Hoyle-Dickenson-Moore A/FL (A size engine'd lakester). Then later in '96 he bought the old 219mph Doc Jefferey's A/GT Corvette. The team campaigned the car in 1997 where Bobby got alot of seat time and learned many humbling lessons at Bonneville. With the hardest speed lessons learned, in '98, he joined the 200mph Club with a record of 234.162 in A/GMS...

Bonneville Salt Flats Race Car Say hello to the "World's Fastest Corvette" Maybe you're wondering how I make the "Baddest Race Cars" list? Could be any number of things, but a sure formula is SPEED!  Be the fastest in your class, or classes and maybe world's fastest - You're a lock! In other words, go out there and set a record.  Add to that a welcoming smile and a generously given chat with up-and-comer MyRideisMe.com and you're just starting to see why Oklahoma's Bobby Moore and his Moore Boys Corvette is certainly one of the BADDEST! (Other hot rods from Oklahoma) With a helping hand from crew member and friend Rudy Heaton Bobby's patiently waiting inside for a run. Bobby's story about how he started racing isn't that different from others stricken with salt fever! Racing started at Bonneville in 1996 with a trip to the salt as the driver of the Hoyle-Dickenson-Moore A/FL (that means, "A" class engine, running fuel, lakester style body). That's all it took... From there, Bobby bought bought the 219 mph Doc Jefferey's A/GT Corvette. The following year, the Moore Boys Team made several...

Bonneville Salt Flats Race Car At the Bonneville Salt Flats, fast is fast, that's one thing that can't be disputed and it's what separates land speed racing from other automotive events... the lack of subjectivity! It's funny that there aren't really any awards at Bonneville Speed Week save for the "Hot Rod" trophy for the fastest race car of the week from any class. And did you know that there's no money? You have to buy your jacket if you get into the 200mph club!  These guys do it for the pure pursuit of speed and that's why this 200mph Flathead powered streamliner is one of the Baddest Race cars of the 2010 Bonneville Speed Week! I already told you about this streamliner in another story called: Arizona Model T Streamliner Destroys a Record! But that was 2009! Tom Brawner of Scottsdale, a MyRideisMe.com member, crew member (and driver now, right Tom??) and fellow hot rodder with a too cool 1956 Chevy told me about this streamliner called the "Matrix Machine". The record set last year started at under 100mph in 2004, then went to 160 last year and...

Bonneville Salt Flats Video Video by Josh Clason (a Bonneville rookie... that's now hooked!) "I was going for a laid back feel which is why I chose the music that I did.  I went there expecting the event to be formal and rigid.  What I came to find was the complete opposite.  The people and camaraderie really blew me away.  The love that everyone shared from the spectators to the racers left a deep impression.  "The salt, it sings," as written by Pablo Naruda, aptly describes the feelings I left with from Bonneville.  I cannot wait to get back there again." [vimeo width="575" height="431"]http://vimeo.com/14260419[/vimeo] For all the Bonneville Speed Week Records, Pictures and Coverage click this...

Bonneville Salt Flats Race Car What's the baddest race car at Bonneville Speed Week 2010? If you asked 100 people, you might get 90 different answers. (Where does he come up with that crap?) Who cares what you think, it's my website, so I'm posting what I think are the baddest rides on the salt. From there, lets discuss... this is an interactive magazine, not some glued together pile of pages sittin' in your bathroom! Interact and leave a comment below.   First up: The Fiat Simca of George Fields of Newark, TX Bonneville Speed Week Race Class: E/BFCC   That long enough for you? I found out from Tom Burkland (more about him later) tuner and friend to George that the competition coupe rules allow for some slight modifications to the stock body... the SCTA rulebook states: "Production coupe or sedan body unaltered in width or contour." But what they don't say is, from the cowl back.  From the cowl forward, anything goes! The car can be as long as you like as long as the engine only has a 50% setback. Contrast this modern day racer to...

Upcoming Pictures and Stories from Speed Week 2010 "Thundersalt" is a 215mph 1964 Ford Fairlane More about this bad Fairlane Don't wait any longer, Speed Week's here! Since last year, the MyRideisMe.com crew's caught major "Salt Fever". Starting last year, we took in, or at least tried to, the race cars, the scenery and the fantastic people of Bonneville Speed Week. Now we're hooked. From 400 mph streamliners like the Speed Demon to VW's and some kind of French owned and raced, Suzuki powered English car, there's something here for everyone. It'd be easy for me to whine about my drive to Bonneville, but these guys and my new Australian mates shipped their rides in from outa the country! Whatever this is (I'll try investigate, don't worry!) I dig it. I call this shot, "All Motor" Speed Week officially kicks off on Saturday so Friday's tech day. Don't mistakenly think the teams are relaxing with a cold one (that happens later). For the two streamliner teams I interviewed, it's serious business, checking everything and making focused plans to do one thing: Set a record (or break something trying). Anything...

Salt Flats Friendliest People When you're on the salt, you're either preparing to race or racing. The atmosphere is  more cooperative than you're likely to find at any other kind of racing, but you're still busy. Unpack, tech, race, hopefully impound (that means you have the potential to set a record!) then back in the early morning for a record run.  If you're successful backing up your record, you go back to tech for a final inspection. If not, back to the pits to make a few tweaks to the car, then back in line to start over again. Jon Amo, the founder of Landracing.com found that the land speed racers, especially the ones who are connected through the internet forum and chat, need a place to catch up with old and new friends and hear who's running what and how fast.  That was the birth of "Salt Talks". It's a social gathering held on Sunday evening of 2009 Speed Week after the day's racing was done. About 6 years ago at around 5:30 PM, not long before Salt Talks were to kick off, Amo was walking around at...

Salt Flat Recap: Story by my Dad, Greg Martin, who I was lucky enough to spend speed week with! I’ve never seen such a group as these speed freak, salt flat hot rodders. I do believe they would all agree with Mark Twain’s adage, “Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” My first impression after riding my bicycle down the three-mile-long pits was that maybe I had stumbled upon a movie set for yet another Mad Max movie. I fully expected to see Mel (Max Rockatansky) Gibson or Tina (Aunty Entity) Turner come screaming down the pits followed by a cackle of hyenaish groupies. Oh, well it must have been the immediate effects of the blazing reflections off the salt – the old timers told me to make sure you put plenty of sunblock on the bottom of my chin and nose. I was amazed by the diversity of cars and syckles that ranged from the do it yourself bring what ya got to the high-tech, hyper-slick long blown fuel streamliners with a million secrets beneath their perfect skin. The...

So, this blog from Bonneville is dedicated to the little details found on the Salt.  Devil's in the details right?  Here's proof. First is this License plate on a beautiful yellow hot rod pickup.  "Bean Bandit" car club from San Diego. Here you see the CRX from Hondata sporting a thermal wrapped exhaust and the bracing for undercar sheeting to smooth airflow and provide suction to the road as this CRX with K20A naturally aspirated power runs 190's. Here the same CRX sports roof vanes for stability at 200mph in a car that probably had a top speed of 115mph. I saw this painted on "For Sale" sign and chuckled out loud.  It says "4 Sale, low mileage! one careful owner!".  Ya right!  This was on the removable skin of a racecar. "Bonneville or Bust"!  That is one of the motto's for both racers and spectators alike.  It should read Bonneville AND Bust.  The veterans say you go to Bonneville to break something.  It's either a Record or your racecar. ...