Bonneville Salt Flats

"...amateur motorsports devotees have used the blistering hot, flat land as a speed laboratory for more than a century. ...On the salt, people find the limits of their courage, learn what daring greatly is all about, and realize why a Bonneville Salt Flats speed record is an internationally respected pedigree. People who race on the salt flats become a family bound together by speed... and this is their story."--Back cover.

At Bonneville, record holders must first earn the right to present themselves on the starting line. This requires passing rigorous safety and technical checks for driver, rider, and speed machine. Gender is inconsequential. Through the years, more than 200 women have made the cut and donned fireproof clothing and helmets. Dozens have set land speed records--35 in excess of 200 miles per hour, six above 300 miles per hour, and one deaf female racer who roared past 500 miles per hour. Equally impressive are the women who helped propel the helmeted gals into glory. Few know how many women are skilled fabricators, mechanics, crew chiefs, and all-round land speed racing experts, all working out on a brutal, merciless, and barren sodium-soaked playa. And for decades dedicated volunteers have not only put down that all-important starting line but erected a speed village that inspired tens of thousands to visit, taunting the timing lights run after run. Since 1949, women have played an integral part. Without question, land speed racing has more women actively participating and setting records than any other segment of motorsports in the world.

Describes the history and tradition of the Bonneville salt flats and the speed records that have made history.

Published in 1845, this guidebook for pioneers is a reproduction of one of the most collectible books about California and the Western movement. It was the guidebook used by the Donner Party on their fateful journey. In addition, because Hastings' shortcut route through the Rockies produced such tragedy, the War Department commissioned The Prairie Traveler.

The phrase Bonneville Salt Flats strikes a chord with any true gear-head. For motorcycle enthusiasts the allure is even stronger. How to Build a Bonneville Salt Flats Motorcycle documents the construction of The Worlds Fastest Panhead, conceived and assembled by Keith R. Ball, former editor of Easyriders magazine and current owner of Bikernet.com, the most popular biker stop on the internet. Keith walks the reader through all the steps and all the hassles of creating a true Bonneville Salt Flat motorcycle. From choosing a class to picking a frame, from finding an engine builder to minimizing the aerodynamic drag at 200 miles per hour, Keith explains the how and the why of building The World's Fastest Panhead. A project of this size is bound to suffer setbacks. Keith Ball uses a personal, narrative style to take the readers on a wild ride - through the ups and down of building his dream Panhead. So come along for the ride, down the salt with the world's best-known motorcycle journalist.

Astronaut John Glenn used Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats as a landmark from space, but on Earth, amateur motorsports devotees have used the blistering hot, flat land as a speed laboratory for more than a century. On August 22, 1949, the hot rodders joined the pageant of power with their handcrafted cars, trucks, and motorcycles for a one-time event but never stopped coming back, trying to go faster every run down the multi-mile course. All came looking for the answer to the same question: "How fast will it go?" Those efforts have made them the fastest people on the planet, reaching speeds in excess of 500 miles per hour. On the salt, people find the limits of their courage, learn what daring greatly is all about, and realize why a Bonneville Salt Flats speed record is an internationally respected pedigree. People who race on the salt flats become a family bound together by speed--a powerful force that erases ethnic, economic, political, and religious barriers. They are land speed racers. And this is their story.

The Stig, Top Gear's tame racing driver, is off on another adventure, this time following his passion for speed and adrenaline to its natural conclusion - motorsport. Stig has disappeared into the world of racing, and it's your job to find him. Follow Stig as he roams from the stifling heat of the Dakar rally to the redneck heartland of a NASCAR track, or from the nightime drama or Le Mans to the mud-soaked stands of Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. Along the way you'll also find Clarkson, Hammond and May as they indulge in a spot of home-made motorhome racing or Roman rallying, middle-eastern style. The Where's Stig books have taken Top Gear fans by storm - and his latest voyage is the most action packed yet!

Nowhere else have so many land speed records been set as at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Each year, devoted gearheads and adrenaline junkies from around the world gather to add their names to the hall of fame with their hot rods, roadsters, motorcycles and belly tankers. Here the record chasers, the drivers and their beautiful vehicales are shown up close and personal as they have never been seen before.

The pictorial history of 100 years of land speed racing on the Bonneville salt flats.