‘Speed Week’, ‘World of Speed’ and ‘World Finals’

‘Speed Week’ takes place each August on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah.  This is followed in September by ‘World of Speed’ and in October by the ‘World Finals’

Every year thousands of race fans travel to these events at “The fastest place on earth” to witness seven days of extreme vehicles racing at extremely high speeds.  From Hot Rods to Roadsters, Belly Tanks to motorcycles to Streamliners.  If you can imagine it, it has raced on the salt flats.  Every team and driver goes to Bonneville with one hope; to get the slip of paper that states they’ve gone faster than anyone else in the world in their class.

The Bonneville Salt Flats is the place where dreams have been made, records set and goals have been achieved in the racing world as far back as the 1930’s.  Malcolm Campbell, in Bluebird, broke the 300mph record in 1935, while, in 1965, Craig Breedlove broke 600mph in his vehicle, Spirit of America. In 2005 Anthony Hopkins portrayed  Burt Munroe in the film ‘The Worlds Fastest Indian’. Burt’s record, set in 1967, of 183.58 mph still stands today.

During the events, each day cars and trucks begin lining up for record runs at first light and continue to run until record lanes are shut down late in the afternoon.  Under international rules, a car must exceed the miles per hour of the existing record to qualify.  After a record run, a car will go into technical impound and then must return over the same track the next day. The two speeds are then averaged for the official posting.

Last year, during ‘Speed Week’, Ford Motor Company went with the Fusion Hydrogen car and achieved a record of 207 mph.  JCB also set the fastest diesel record in 2006 with a speed of 317mph. 

We look forward to our Ginetta setting not one, but two records!