Welcome, Sara. I'm kinda new here myself . . . not only to this forum, but to land speed racing itself.
It would probably be arrogant to say that I already have "salt fever", but who knows? I have been to
Bonneville three times in the last 3 years (I live in California), El Mirage Dry Lake twice, and the Mojave
Mile once . . . always as a spectator. I can't yet afford to race, but am still enjoying the world of
land speed racing.
It's interesting stuff to me (a mechanical engineer/inventor type of person), all this vehicular stuff,
but a very significant part of it all is the PEOPLE! They are all very helpful and friendly to one another,
which you don't much see in other automotive or athletic sports. I think the reason is that there's no
prize money at stake -- or otherwise involved, so why not help someone else to go fast safely? Many
great and long-lasting friendships have been created in this sport.
The creativity displayed in the design and build of the vehicles is extraordinary, and the racing itself
involves much more than meets the eye. You might think, what's so hard about going fast in a straight
line? You just floor it, right? Well, this might be true for a relatively slow vehicle on pavement, where
there's pretty good traction for the driving (usually rear) tires. But a place like Bonneville offers about
half the traction that a pavement does. And if a vehicle spins its tires, they could push the rear end
of the car around to the side, resulting in a rollover. It has happened many, many times! Fortunately,
the racing rules -- for the drivers/riders, vehicles, procedures, and safety equipment are pretty strict,
which helps keep it all relatively safe. I said relatively. Yes, there have been some serious injuries and
deaths in land speed racing over the years. It's like driving to the store in this regard. Always a chance
that something may go wrong. Statistically, I'd say it's a lot safer than just about any other type of
vehicle racing.
Generally, I think that if your family goes to Bonneville, a good time would be during Speed Week.
What you'll see there will blow you away. . . I guarantee it. It did me, and I've been a vehicle nut
all my life (I was 60 when I first went there).
Glad you'll be going. Now, for the bad news: Speed Week is the biggest annual event there,
and the small town of Wendover, just about 5 miles from the Salt Flats, doesn't have much lodging.
Typically about 12,000 racers, crew members, and spectators (such as myself) attend. So yes, all
the motels will be booked well in advance -- and they also jack up their prices for that time of year!
You are allowed to camp on the salt flats (I don't know the details, but you could inquire, perhaps
on this forum). What I did was stay at a motel in a town a bit farther away than Wendover, and
"commute" each day to the Salt Flats. I had no trouble reserving the room, but did it well in
advance of my trip.
Other events at Bonneville draw smaller crowds. You could ask people about this. I attended the
Shootout a couple years ago, which featured only about a dozen race vehicles. It was a very small
event, for extra-fast vehicles. Lodging was a non-issue at this time.
Usually the big concern for all of us is the weather. If the Salt Flats are under water, nobody races.
Several (if not all) of the meets got "rained out" last year. So I am now in the habit of keeping a
close watch on the weather forecast for that part of the world, and also checking this forum very
frequently, particularly as "race day" approaches. This checking has saved me a wasted 600-mile
(one way) trip.
Again, welcome -- to your whole family, that is. I know they'll get a big kick out of all this stuff!