Bonneville Salt Flat Racing Vintage Studebakers #898 obviously isn't a coupe, but it's still Speedy. And most importantly, it's a Studebaker! This 1949 Studebaker farm truck out of Kansas took the second of the two records for this years Speed Week. And break a record did it ever! With Chevy power under the hood in it's AA/MP class, the old record was blown away by nearly 18 miles per hour! Norris Anderson definitely knows how to build one, as he powered this truck down the line at 219.331mph! And you know what that means, its a record-breaking run over 200mph... so Norris Anderson gets his well-deserved Bonneville 200mph Club admission. He'll be a happy man wearing that red hat. In fact... he was already wearing it, even as he did broom duty around the pits! It looks like Norris Anderson and his Broom Crew have a lot of fun out on the salt! It was in 2004 that Norris first found the old farm truck and began building it into a salt flats racer in 2004. Their motto? "Safe Trucks Travel Fast." Start here for All Speed Seeking...

Bonneville Salt Flat Racing Vintage Studebakers Heading up the line of this year’s Speed Seeking Studes, is #4594. It may not be the prettiest out there, but what it’s got going for it is a Studebaker engine and multiple record-holdings!  Greg Meyer's from Minnesota brought his Salt2Salt Racing's 1953 Studebaker Coupe powered by a 182cid V8 Studebaker engine, putting it in the F/CGALT class. I think it was the only non-Avanti to have Stude power rolling it down the line! The engine class being F, means it’s got to be somewhere between 123-183 c.i.d (cubic inch displacement.) In order to get this engine’s c.i.d. down to 182 the Studebaker V8 was destroked, pushing it into the “F” class by just a hair! Although Greg reports they encountered a few problems and there's still more to do to get this particular engine running at its top speed, they were still able to set 2 records in their class by the end of the week. First with Greg driving in the F/CGALT catagory at 131.593. Then with partner-in-crime, Bob Waitz driving in the F/CFALT catagory (wounded engine and all) at 113.998mph! Good job Salt2Salt...

Bonneville Salt Flat Racing Vintage Studebakers If you’ve spent any time at all reading my posts, you know I drive a 1955 Studebaker Champion Coupe. Last year, during my first trip to Bonneville for Speed Week, I had no idea how many Studebakers I would find out on the salt. I knew Studebaker coupes were long-loved in land speed racing for their aerodynamic bodes—but it seemed like everywhere I turned there was another Studebaker! As I’m finding out, Studebaker coupes have a longer history with land speed racing than I would have guessed. The Bob Bourke-designed streamlined body first appeared in 1953, drastically different than any other car produced. By August of 1953, a ’53 Studebaker Hardtop made its first official run out on the salt. By the following year, the ’53 Coupe had broken its class D/CG record at 114.430mph. In fact, the first full-fendered stock-bodied car to break the highly coveted 200mph mark was a Studebaker coupe, in 1964. The official record was set at 201.744mph by Pisano Brothers/Jim Short in a ’53 Coupe with a 365c.i.d. Chrysler supercharged engine racing in the B/S Gas Coupe category....

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...

Bonneville Salt Flats Racer at Speed Week 2010 Bonneville Salt Flats is full of cool car guy stories.  Here's another one for you.  This one is from Ford Y Block lover, Tim McMaster (Y Block Guy) who built a land speed racing motor for this Yellow Fridge Cab pickup owned by Charlie Burns.   This Y powered pickup runs in the E/PP class, which is E motor (184-260 cu in), Production Pickup, where the record is 126.073 MPH.  On Saturday when I took these pictures, Tim ran 113 MPH while making his "Rookie Run" since he's a new driver at Speed Week. Tim McMaster tells us about his Y Block love story: "Y-Blocks, you could say, have always been a part of my life from the time I can remember riding between my dad and uncle in the 292 powered F-600 hauling a load of oranges to the Blue Goose packing house in Strathmore, CA, I know that goes a ways back and I didn't even know what an engine was back then but that truck is still working on the ranch today and I have some other stories that involve that...

Bonneville Salt Flats Race Car Sometimes it's easy to pick a feature car. The reasons why I dig the 1964 Ford Fairlane were spelled out in the feature I did about the Ring Brothers 64 Fairlane. Beyond the family tie and the legend of the Thunderbolt, this Fairlane just looks BAD! I searched for this car at Speed Week last year, but never did find it. I wanted to get a t-shirt for pops too... For Speed Week 2010, I caught up with Brian and Celia Dean and their AA/CGC Fairlane known as "Thundersalt". The CGC stands for Classic Unblown Gas Coupe. (I guess the U is silent?) The AA in the class title for this thump'n Fairlane stands for greater than 500 cubic inches.  Thundersalt runs a 557 inch big block Ford.  (thank goodness it ain't a Chevy! It would have broken my pop's heart!) Based on a bored and stroked 429 Cobra Jet block, the CJ is then topped with Trick Flow A460 heads.  Brian estimates about 925 horsepower on racing gas flowing through the Holley 1650 Dominator carb. Brian explained, "We build shit to go fast!"...

Bonneville Speed Week 2010 1st Race Day "Just Glad to be Here" is the name of this bad 1953 Studebaker running in B/BGCC or B engine, Blown Gas Competition Coupe and I think owner/driver Loyd Huffman speaks for all of us. Speed Week rocks. From bright and early, GreaseGirl sped over to the track to catch the good morning light of Sunrise on the Salt Flats. I wasn't far behind. Arriving at the salt I found this sleeping giant of the land speed racing world. The "Speed Demon" owned by Poteet and Main. Salt Flat visitors lucky enough to stay all week may see this 299 cu in streamliner run over 400mph. While we're talking streamliners, take a look inside "The Flower of Scotland". These guys must have registered late because they're not in the program. I do know they're running I/BFS or I engine size, blown fuel streamliner. The I-engine class is only 46-61 cu. in or more likely a motorcycle engine displacing less than 1 litre! How about this! Taking practically the entire alphabet with their race class, VF/CCXF which I think is a 4-cylinder Ford Flathead....

Bonneville Salt Flats at the First Day of Speed Week 2010 This morning begins the first racing day during Speed Week, and I was up with the sun to see what I could find! What goes on just before hundreds of racers attempt to set a new land speed record? This record-holding 1949 Studebaker pickup is just waiting to make its first run. Of course, I couldn't resist a good photo-op for my 1955 Studebaker's first voyage onto the salt! The Volk's were doing some last minute adjustment to their roadster. And a few others were already lined up and ready to race! At the Racer's Meeting all the driver's and crews received instruction as heads of SCTA and BNI welcomed us. What will the day hold? How many records will be broken? Keep checking back at MyRideisMe.com for more updates! To hold ya over until then, read over all our Bonneville Salt Flat stories here! Happy Trails,...

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...

Bonneville Salt Flats: Gearing up for Everything Speed! There's always one new car or project out there that makes you go think: DAMN! I found one. Richard Noble, you might have heard of him, is leading the charge. In his words: "Welcome to the BLOODHOUND Project, the engineering adventure for the 21st century. We are pushing the limits and inspiring our young engineers and scientists with our incredible car capable of 1,000mph" 1000 mph. Richard's got the experience to do it too. He held the land speed record from 1983 to 1997 driving Thrust2 on the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. His record was a mere 633mph. Now, the team led by Noble's looking to blow past the record of ThrustSSC at 763mph and break 1000mph. If they can do it, they'll be the second car ever to break the sound barrier. There's nothing more I can say about the car that's not spelled out in full (overwhelmingly so) detail on the Bloodhound SSC homepage. So let me share a couple videos: Animated Video of the Bloodhound SSC's record breaking run: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CQOWYkJSzI[/youtube] Richard Nobel's old ride, Thrust2 1983 Record...