decided to put in the Bonneville gears to attempt to reduce the tire spin.
But I thought the course was good?
Guys, you have to understand how the rookie program works. Everyone regardless of their previous experience or SCTA license level MUST make a rookie run if you've never driven at El Mirage before. 99% of the time, the rookie run will be limited to 150 mph. In rare and extreme cases, like when a 400 mph car shows up, you'll see the min speed bumped up. Unless you show up with a car that seriously struggles with going that slow, you can expect to make a sub-150 pass your first time out, just like everyone else has had to do. El Mirage is nothing like Bonneville and if you think you're just going to go out there and go for it the first time down the track, you're sorely mistaken.
In most cases, a new driver must license up. SCTA licenses apply to both El Mirage and Bonnevile so if you already have an SCTA license, you can then run to your license level after successfully completing a good rookie run. When I did the rookie program, I'd let people "graduate" out of rookie status early if they were running close to their records. In the few years I did it, none I graduated early actually ever set their record - it's not as easy as one would like to think. Either way, this is at the discretion of the rookie coordinator and race director and is handled on a case by case basis.
But like I said before, except for being flat and not paved, there's very little in common between El Mirage and Bonneville. Two very different track surfaces. You've got all the time in the world to slow down after a run at Bonneville. That is certainly not the case at El Mirage. I was on the far end of the track when Bob went 283 and he used up every last foot of the shut down area getting the car stopped. The last thing you want is to be Mr Hot Shoe and do something stupid like blow out the back door otherwise that'll likely be your last pass at El Mirage.