Land Speed Racing
Despite being wrongly associated with drag racing, setting speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats is racing of a unique sort —no "0-60" records are broken here. Since the salt is somewhat slick, maintaining traction is a major concern of every racer. Cars start slower than many expect, but they make their way up to some very fast speeds. Given the great size of the flats, there is plenty of room for these race cars to reach their full potential. There are two to three tracks, depending on the condition of the salt, set up for each event. The shortest is usually a 5-mile course while the long-course usually runs 7 miles. Depending on the class (there are hundreds of classes that participate, from motorcycles to streamliners to cars practically driven off the lot), racers are assigned to courses accordingly. Some classes, like the 49cc motorcycles, have records set at under 100 mph while others, such as high-powered streamliners, reach speeds of 400-500+ mph.
Read more about this topic: Bonneville Salt Flats
Famous quotes containing the words land, speed and/or racing:
“For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Exodus 23:10,11.
“Spig Wead: I’ve been thinking what a heel I’ve been about you and about my own kids. I don’t know, when I do something, I go all the way. Living. Gambling. Flying. I tap myself out. I guess that’s the way I want it to be. Maybe even the way I am.
Minne Wead: Star-spangled Spig. Damn the martinis, full speed ahead and don’t give up the ship.”
—Frank Fenton, William Wister Haines, co-scenarist, and John Ford. Spig Wead (John Wayne)
“Upscale people are fixated with food simply because they are now able to eat so much of it without getting fat, and the reason they don’t get fat is that they maintain a profligate level of calorie expenditure. The very same people whose evenings begin with melted goat’s cheese ... get up at dawn to run, break for a mid-morning aerobics class, and watch the evening news while racing on a stationary bicycle.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)