Photo: Scooter Grub
There is still hope for motorcycle speed addicts as the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials (BMST) organizers announced that the condition of the salt is improving. The event is scheduled to take place August 29 - September 3rd at the iconic salt flats in Bonneville, Utah.
Riders and teams in search of land speed glory will gather in late August at the Salt Flats and take their best shot at breaking the existing records, as the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials is the AMA-sanctioned Land Speed Grand Championship, and the place where both AMA National Motorcycle and FIM World Motorcycle Speed records can be set.
A recent document from the BMST officials mentions that "We are still running," and "that the area affected is looking more “salt-flats” and less “mud-flats.” The BMST Race Director and several volunteers are monitoring the condition of the salt in the area, and their recent findings are encouraging.
Race courses are different from what the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) needs for the Speed Week
A new inspection is scheduled for August 8th and 9th, and volunteers and BMST officials will try to determine the optimal race courses for the motorcycle land speed event.
Owner and event manager Delvene Manning says that in 2015 there is less water on the flats than the previous year, and it no longer represents the main obstacle for the races. Manning is confident that the decades-long experience of his volunteer team will be able to track down the best racing courses in the area.
The BMST have different needs than what the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) or the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA) and it's these very differences that will allow this event to take place, even if the 2015 Bonneville Speed Week was canceled.
"Every racing group has a slightly different race setup and course location. We have unique needs that are different from SCTA and USFRA. Every year, we evaluate salt conditions with an excellent team of volunteers that, collectively, have decades of experience on the salt. Thanks to this experience Rex, Mel, Bob and Brad were able to develop the two courses on an island in the lake last year. This year, there is less water but other obstacles to deal with. We will be looking at the available salt and determining the optimal course setup the weekend of August 9-10," Manning adds.
So we might, in the end, get some new motorcycle land speed records this year. Stay tuned for more.
A recent document from the BMST officials mentions that "We are still running," and "that the area affected is looking more “salt-flats” and less “mud-flats.” The BMST Race Director and several volunteers are monitoring the condition of the salt in the area, and their recent findings are encouraging.
Race courses are different from what the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) needs for the Speed Week
A new inspection is scheduled for August 8th and 9th, and volunteers and BMST officials will try to determine the optimal race courses for the motorcycle land speed event.
Owner and event manager Delvene Manning says that in 2015 there is less water on the flats than the previous year, and it no longer represents the main obstacle for the races. Manning is confident that the decades-long experience of his volunteer team will be able to track down the best racing courses in the area.
The BMST have different needs than what the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) or the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA) and it's these very differences that will allow this event to take place, even if the 2015 Bonneville Speed Week was canceled.
"Every racing group has a slightly different race setup and course location. We have unique needs that are different from SCTA and USFRA. Every year, we evaluate salt conditions with an excellent team of volunteers that, collectively, have decades of experience on the salt. Thanks to this experience Rex, Mel, Bob and Brad were able to develop the two courses on an island in the lake last year. This year, there is less water but other obstacles to deal with. We will be looking at the available salt and determining the optimal course setup the weekend of August 9-10," Manning adds.
So we might, in the end, get some new motorcycle land speed records this year. Stay tuned for more.
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