Thousands of adrenaline junkies descended this week on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. They come from as far away as New Zealand, Japan, and Russia. One hundred miles west of Salt Lake City, they set up campers, tents, and trailers and spend a week trying to beat the clock—some topping speeds of 400 mph.
The flats provide a natural track for racers seeking breakneck speeds.
Speed Week racers haul modified motorcycles, vintage hot rods, and custom cars that look like spaceships. People wait for hours to zoom across the flats, hoping to beat previous records or earn a spot in the "200 mph Club."
The racers are glad to be back. But it's a bittersweet return after a two-year gap. Some racers accuse federal land managers of failure to protect the flats.
Wet weather and rough salt scuttled the major races in 2014 and 2015. Organizers said they couldn’t find enough smooth salt to set up long raceways.
This year, organizers found enough dry, relatively smooth salt to eke out three racetracks.
Ben York, part of a Utah family that has raced at Bonneville for nearly six decades, says that when the salt is flat, it's very good. But this year it’s bumpy and coarse.
Though conditions are poor, Larry Volk says the speedsters are still glad to be back. "Give us anything and we'll try to race on it."
