Landracing Forum

Bonneville Salt Flats Discussion => Bonneville General Chat => Topic started by: QikNip on December 12, 2018, 03:58:09 PM

Title: 200 MPH club question
Post by: QikNip on December 12, 2018, 03:58:09 PM
Not that I'm even remotely close to making it with my present car, but after reading the rules for 200 MPH club membership I'm confused. It seems to say you can get a red hat by breaking a class record with a speed over 200, but it also seems to say if you run over 200 that also qualifies for membership.  I've always assumed it was the first one. But is that true? :?
Rick
Title: Re: 200 MPH club question
Post by: Seldom Seen Slim on December 12, 2018, 04:29:40 PM
Requirements:  Set a record over 200 or the minimum speed for your class.

If there is no record and there is no minimum -- yup, all you need to do is set a record over 200 mph.  For complete rules you need to see the 200 MPH Club -- it is NOT a part of SCTA or BNI or AMA or FBI or PDQ or BFE or anything but rather is unique and individual.
Title: Re: 200 MPH club question
Post by: Calkins on December 12, 2018, 04:34:47 PM
https://bonneville200mphclub.com (https://bonneville200mphclub.com)

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How to Join
How Do I Join The 200 MPH Club?

The Bonneville 200 MPH Club is an organization that recognizes outstanding achievement in land speed racing and has no affiliation with any organization or sanctioning body. The Bonneville 200 MPH Club Record Book shows all of the existing records held by its club members with their speeds and the dates that they were achieved. Over the years, new classes have been added by SCTA & USFRA. You will notice that all of the classes that are still open have minimum speeds. It’s a great accomplishment to break an existing record. To set a record in an open class is the same accomplishment because of the established minimum speeds. If the Bonneville 200 MPH Club did not establish these minimums, it would lose much of its integrity and credibility. This would not be fair to all of the people who have worked so hard to break records or minimums to become a member. How does one qualify for membership in this famous club?

1) Fill out an official entry form from a sanctioning body recognized by the Bonneville 200 MPH Club. These sanctioning bodies include the Southern California Timing Association (S.C.T.A.) http://www.scta-bni.org or the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (U.S.F.R.A.) http://www.saltflats.com
2) Prepare your vehicle to meet all rules and technical requirements of that sanctioning body.
3) Break an existing record or established minimum over 200 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats and you will have qualified for membership in the exclusive Bonneville 200 MPH Club, joining some of the most distinguished names in auto racing.
4) Where there is a record and a minimum in the same class, the higher speed prevails.

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Why Are There Minimums?
HISTORY OF MINIMUMS

This is the history of minimums as far as I can remember. In 1978 the Southern California Timing Association began creating new classes for its rulebook. The newly created classes were accompanied with minimums for both Bonneville and El Mirage. The 200MPH Club in turn honored those minimums set for Bonneville by the S.C.T.A.

For example, in 1991 the S.C.T.A. decided to separate the super charged engines from the naturally aspirated engines and new gas classes where implemented for the classes that had only fuel classes at the time. The S.C.T.A. attached minimums to these new classes for both Bonneville and El Mirage. These new class minimums were treated like a record by the Bonneville 200 MPH Club and needed to be broken in order to gain entrance. In 1994 the S.C.T.A., for whatever reasons, decided to drop the minimums it had established for Bonneville but they kept the minimums for El Mirage. I can only assume that the reason S.C.T.A. kept the minimums for the lakebed was that it did not want some one to cherry pick the point system. When the S.C.T.A. dropped the minimums in 1994 the 2 Club board had to decide whether or not to keep minimums. The board decided that in order to maintain the integrity of the club it would establish minimums for all the current and future open classes created by the S.C.T.A.

To the best of my knowledge this was the 2 club board in 1994 that made the decision to keep and establish minimums for new car and motorcycle classes. President: Gordon Hoyt (past S.C.T.A. & 200 MPH Club President, entered the club in 1979). Vice President: Monte Wolfe (past S.C.T.A. & 200 MPH Club President, entered the club in 1972). Board Members: Don Vesco (entered the club 1963) Fred Larsen (entered the club in 1959); Don Cummins (entered the club in 1969); Bob Kehoe (entered the club in1970); Roy Fjastad (past 200 MPH Club President, & current Board Member, entered the club in 1989); Larry Volk (past U.S.F.R.A. President, current Save The Salt Chairman and current 200 MPH Club President, entered the club in1975).

As you can see, these are some of the most respected names in Land Speed Racing. The boards’ goal in keeping the minimums was to protect the integrity of existing 200 MPH Club members that had sacrificed and worked hard to gain entrance into the 2 Club on a record or minimum that was established. The intent was not trying to undermine the hard work of the people who have tried hard to gain membership into the club. I know because my son and I tried really hard to get him in the club for 18 years. During that time, he easily went over200 MPH over 50 times (you see, 200 MPH, although impressive, was not a huge feat for our car). It was not until he made a two-way average of 231.045–which was the first time an A/GR had ever gone that fast–that made it an accomplishment worthy of entrance into the Bonneville 200 MPH Club. The Bonneville 200 MPH Club minimums and records are achievable, but not easy…which is what makes membership into the club a prestigious and honorable event and not a handout.

Title: Re: 200 MPH club question
Post by: Seldom Seen Slim on December 12, 2018, 06:05:53 PM
Thanks, Justin.   :-D
Title: Re: 200 MPH club question
Post by: Stainless1 on December 12, 2018, 07:16:05 PM
I might add FIM and FIA records set at Bonneville also are considered for club membership... currently the board decides in cases where the vehicle may also meet the class requirements for an established SCTA record.  I think in those cases it must exceed the SCTA record. 
Is it easier... not really... those orgs get more room to run but have turn around requirements.

I usually explain it to folks like this... all you have to do is set a record over 200 and go faster than anyone else has since 1953... But there are some minimums for added and split up classes...
So guys like Chris Carr had to go over 350 MPH to get in the Club... and if you are building a Streamliner it is possible you will have to go over 400 to get in the 200 MPH club....
 :cheers:
Title: Re: 200 MPH club question
Post by: trimmers on December 12, 2018, 07:40:54 PM
Speaking of the 200MPH Club, I noticed that the new (in 2018) members still aren't listed on the SCTA-BNI website or the 200MPH Club website.  How can we find out who made the club this year?

Jeff in Boise
Title: Re: 200 MPH club question
Post by: DallasV on December 13, 2018, 10:54:27 AM
Speaking of the 200MPH Club, I noticed that the new (in 2018) members still aren't listed on the SCTA-BNI website or the 200MPH Club website.  How can we find out who made the club this year?

Jeff in Boise

The 200 MPH Club website is going through a re-work and has a new administrator. The new members and their pictures are currently at the printers being formatted to go into the news letter that goes out sometime later this month. Once the printer is done the pdf. that he creates with the new member and pics will be attached to the 200 MPH club website. In the mean time I know that the 200MPH club facebook page updates with the new members after each event, so that would be a place to go if you were wondering right now.