Bonneville Speedway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bonneville Salt Flats Race Track
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Phoenix Diesel Truck running at Bonneville, August 2003
Location in Utah Show map of Utah Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Nearest city	Wendover, Utah
Area	36,650 acres (14,830 ha)
Built	1911
NRHP reference No.	75001826
Added to NRHP	March 16, 1984

The Bonneville Speedway (also known as the Bonneville Salt Flats Race Track) is a special area of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah. It's famous for motor sports and for setting many land speed records. This historic race track is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

People first started racing on the salt flats in 1912. But it became really popular in the 1930s. That's when racers like Ab Jenkins and Sir Malcolm Campbell came to try and set new land speed records.

Sometimes, races like Speed Week have been cancelled. This happened in 2014 and 2015. The main reason is that the racing surface has become smaller and the salt layer is thinner. Now, only about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of track is available. This is much less than the 9-mile (14 km) tracks used in the past.

How the Tracks Are Made

This sign is near Salduro, Utah, a ghost town close to the Bonneville Speedway. In 1914, people took special trains to Salduro to watch the fastest cars race. Today, a rest area on Interstate 80 remembers these exciting races.

In the past, the Utah Department of Transportation would mark out the race tracks each summer. They usually made two types of tracks. One was a 10-mile (16 km) long straight track for speed tests. The other was a round or oval track, about 10 and 12 miles (16 and 19 km) long, for races that covered a longer distance. The length depended on how good the salt surface was.

Since the 1990s, the groups that organize the races have been in charge of preparing the tracks. They find the best spot on the salt flats and get the tracks ready. Special surveyors measure the distances for the timing traps. Then, the day before racing starts, they add markers to the track.

Long ago, the straight track had a black line painted down its middle. But this line wore away too quickly. So, they started painting lines along both sides of the track instead. Painting these lines became very expensive. Now, race organizers use flags and cones to mark the tracks. The last time black lines were used was for Speed Week in August 2009.

The number of tracks and how they are timed can change for each event. Big public events like Speed Week might have up to four tracks. They often time speeds over several miles, usually from the second mile to the fifth mile. Smaller events, where racers try to break world records, might use just one track. This track would have one timed mile and one timed kilometer in the middle. Other markers and cones show where the track ends and where the timing equipment is.

Why the Track Is Changing

This sign from the BLM explains more about the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The annual Speed Week was cancelled in both 2014 and 2015. Many other speed racing events were also called off. This happened because the track conditions were getting worse. Heavy rains caused mud from the nearby mountains to flow onto the flats. This mud covered about 6 mi (9.7 km) of the track. Normally, another part of the flats could be used. But nearby salt mining had made that alternative track smaller too.

The salt layer at Bonneville has also been getting thinner. In the 1940s and 50s, it was as thick as 3 ft (0.91 m). By 2015, it was only about 0.17 ft (0.052 m) thick. It's possible the salt is dissolving into a saltwater aquifer (an underground water source).

Scientists have been studying these changes since 1960. They are not completely sure why the salt flats are changing. But it seems to be caused by both local weather changes and the salt mining nearby. Some ideas, like pumping salt back onto the flats, have been tried but haven't worked yet.

Exciting Events and Races

Every August, two groups, the Southern California Timing Association and Bonneville Nationals Inc., put on Speed Week. This is the biggest event of the year. Hundreds of drivers come to compete and set the highest speeds in different types of vehicles. Bonneville Speed Week has been happening since 1949.

In late August, the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials take place. This event is just for motorcycles.

Every September, the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association organizes the World of Speed. This event is similar to Speed Week. The USFRA also has smaller meetings on the first Wednesday of each month during the summer.

In October, the Southern California Timing Association holds the World Finals. This is a smaller version of Speed Week. The weather is usually cooler, and the salt is often drier than in August. Fewer people come to watch, but serious racers attend. It's their last chance to break a land speed record and get into the SCTA record book for that year.

Besides these big public events, there are usually a few private races each year. These are not usually announced to everyone.

Amazing Land Speed Records

Many incredible land speed records have been set at Bonneville. These records are for different types of vehicles and classes. In 1960, Mickey Thompson became the first American to go faster than 400 miles per hour (640 km/h). He reached 406.60 miles per hour (654.36 km/h), beating John Cobb's 1947 record of 403 miles per hour (649 km/h).

Gary Gabelich's Blue Flame car, December 2004.

Dick Beith's Pepco Supercharged VW Lakester, August 1963.

Here are some other famous speed records set at Bonneville:

Cycling Speed Records

A Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle at Bonneville Speedway, September 2009.

People have also tried to set speed records on bicycles at Bonneville. These are often "motor-paced" records, meaning a vehicle goes in front to break the wind.

In 1985, British cyclist John Howard set a world record of 244 km/h (152 mph).

On October 15, 1995, Dutch cyclist Fred Rompelberg reached an amazing 268.831 km/h (167.044 mph). He used a special bicycle and rode behind a dragster car that had a large shield to block the wind.

In 2016, Denise Mueller-Korenek set a new women's bicycle land speed record of 147 mph (237 km/h). John Howard, the previous record holder, was her coach!

In 2018, Mueller-Korenek broke her own record and even the men's record. She reached an incredible speed of 183.9 miles per hour (296.0 km/h).