bore with local motorsports events ? It might be time to be after a stumble to the Utah desert and the famousBonneville Salt Flats . It ’s where insane speed records are made and break , and have been for ten .
In fact , during Bonneville ’s 2018World of Speedevent , which was held in September , a limited 2019 Volkswagen Jetta sedanhit a hurrying of 210.16 nautical mile per hour ( 338.22 kilometers per hour),beating the previous recordfor its year of 208.472 miles per hour ( 335.50 kilometer per hour ) . This , of course , was no ordinary Jetta . It have some serious upgrades to get to its 600 - horsepower rating , including a turbocharged 2.0 - liter engine that was thoroughly exercise over . VW also removed all non - essential interior components to reduce the car ’s weighting — which is common with race railway car — modified the suspension , and improved its grip with a modified - eluding differential and a set of cycle and tires better suited to the piquant surface .
Which begs the question : Why all this piece of work to drive fast on the Bonneville Salt Flats ?
Internationally recognized Racing Destination
Let ’s back up first and give a snatch of history on the area . Humans have been racing on theBonneville Salt Flatsfor over 100 years , which seems like a farsighted fourth dimension in the world of motorsports . The area ’s history , however , is much farseeing and richer . Utah ’s Great Salt Lake covered a much bigger area , a lake that was later namedLake Bonneville . WhenLake Bonneville dried upabout 14,500 years ago , pass on mostly desert in its wake , piquant plains stay on . This remote department of Utah , which includes the famous Bonneville Salt Flats , covers about 4,000 hearty miles(10,359 hearty klick ) and is have and manage by the Union regime ’s Bureau of Land Management .
Such record - ruin speeds are potential here because the area is extremely unconditional ; it ’s so flat you cansee the curve of the Earth , and cars can run for miles without any obstacle . what is more , thesaltholds wet that chill the cars ' tyre , which help prevent previous degrading of the rubber .
For these reasonableness the area draws large annual event — August ’s Bonneville Speed Week and September ’s World of Speed get most of the attention — but there are a routine of low events throughout the year . We spoke to Dennis Sullivan , president of theUtah Salt Flats Racing Association ( USFRA ) , to take more about the racing polish .
Utah Salt Flats Racing Association
USFRA is a 42 - year - old volunteer organization that hosts the World of Speed event in September , keeps records for all the classes that compete at the flats , and helps manage the family relationship between this alone estate and the people who use it in search of ever - faster speeds . While automakers , like VW , often claver the Salt Flats to attempt record - break runs for publicity intention or mental test vehicle in thedesert ’s utmost condition , Sullivan believes it ’s the enthusiast who are responsible for the culture .
prescribed event welcome different vehicle course of study designed to accommodate everything from authoritative hot rods to newelectric fomite . " There ’s no money , it ’s a dependable amateurish sport , " Sullivan state . " If you do set a disc , all you get is your name in a Bible and some crowing right . "
mouth of record , Sullivan note , the USFRA focuses on wheel - drive vehicles ( that is , like a regular car , regardless of its performance modifications ) and generally ignores jet - propulsion vehicle , which he says are more like " airplanes that have not taken off . " The record for a cycle - driven vehicle is 492 miles per hour ( 791.79 kilometre per hour ) , and two citizenry have reach hurrying exceeding 400 miles per time of day ( 643.73 kilometers per hour ) . The holy grail , Sullivan says , is 500 miles per time of day ( 804.67 km per hour ) .
fit in to Sullivan , an prescribed USFRA event can require :
As in any motorsport , safety is a headache , and Sullivan says the USFRA rule book has some of the nonindulgent safety regulation of any motorsports association . That record - breakingVW Jetta , for instance , protected the driver with a roll cage , a racing tail and harness , a fire crushing organization , and a pair of parachute to avail the railroad car decelerate down after the discharge , all of which are typical for vehicles modified for speed function .
The Salt Itself
While the Bonneville Salt Flats might seem overwhelming huge in size of it , the saltiness itself is a finite resource . In 1985 , the flats were designated anArea of Critical Environmental Concernby the Bureau of Land Management . According to Sullivan , records show the salt profoundness used to be between 11 and 18 inches ( 28 and 45 centimetre ) , and it ’s now down to just 2 inches ( 5 centimeters ) in some region .
In addition to racing events , the Salt Flats are also a destination for commercial and movie shoot , potash mining , and other avocation such as tramp , encampment , archery and manakin rocket launches . The USFRA marks the wash courses with materials that do n’t get out a permanent impact on the salt , and they assist protect the domain by scavenge up after themselves as well as run low out occasionally to clean up after others .
Sullivan , who has been visiting the Salt Flats for more than 30 years , is adamant that the surface area is in motive of preservation , not to do good his racing rocking horse , but because it ’s a landmark on par with Yellowstone National Park and theGrand Canyon .
" You ’d be astounded at how many foreign visitors either hail and compete or come up to spectate , or as they ’re going around the United States , one of the places they need to blockade is the Bonneville Salt Flats , " Sullivan says . " It ’s going aside , it needs to be carry through , and it ’s recognized around the world . "
