Save The Salt Foundation Gets $40,000 from "Century of Speed" For those of us who have been honored to walk on the surface of what is known as The Bonneville Salt Flats, there is a myriad of terms used to describe the experience. Common words like magic or mystical or speed heaven are almost immediately used and usually accompany a kind of far-off gaze that comes over the face of the person relating their experience. It’s as if this specific part of the planet was put aside just for speed addicts. For 100 years we speed addicts have pushed, pulled, carried or driven our mechanical mounts out to one of the strangest places on earth, where little survives and even less is welcome. Here on The Salt we’ve sought the ultimate prize of speed, shooting first for that magic 100 mile per hour plateau but today taking all sorts of racing machinery to 200, 300, 400…heck, let’s just go for 500 or 700 miles per hour. At Bonneville, though the limitations can place great obstacles in front of the speed demons that shoot across the shiny...
Bonneville SAAB Story or . . . How I Raced Three Cylinders and Broke Land Speed...
posted by Jim Volgarino
Rare 1968 Saab Sonett II makes up the base of this land speed record holder The temperature is about 100 degrees, there’s no wind and what shade there is comes from an overhead tarp stretched from the side of a trailer. But Tom and Patti Donney are busy moving around their race car, methodically checking it over and getting ready for another trip to the starting line last August during Speed Week 2013. Getting the couple to break away and actually sit down to talk about their passion for speed seems, well…awkward. You learn right away that Tom and Patti aren’t just talk. They DO. With no reservation. The little ’68 Saab Sonett II sits at center stage of this passion that began just three short years ago and has culminated each of those three years during fabled Speed Week which happens each August on the Bonneville Salt Flats, a desolate, but perfectly flat expanse of salt outside Wendover, Utah. A full cage and chassis was built to fit the Saab plastic body. (Phone camera photo) The head is off the Sonett’s three cylinder...
Mickey Thompson’s Challenger – Finishing a Father Son Project
posted by pikesan
Challenger 2.5 Rebuilt by Danny Thompson for Bonneville Land Speed Racing I 'm honored to hear Danny Thompson's story of how he'll rebuild the race car his father, legendary racer Mickey Thompson, originally built in 1968 with help from Ford. I believe, and I've said it before, land speed racing folks are extraordinarily kind people. Count Danny Thompson as one of those people and as a brave and dedicated man. After losing his father roughly 25 years ago, Danny now knows: "... It's still a father son project, nothing's changed... he's just not going to be there in physical being." Please enjoy this interview with Danny Thompson with historic pictures from the build website thompsonlsr.com. Additional images courtesy of Holly Martin Photography. [youtube]http://youtu.be/xG5n4kFNlsA[/youtube] What a great story of perseverance. Thanks for sharing it Danny! Please show your support for Danny and the team by checking out their online Challenger 2.5 store, or please leave a comment if the story's got you thinking about projects you worked on with your pops. I know I am. Click here for all of MyRideisMe.com's Bonneville Salt Flat...