What are the odds??

[aircap]

Yup. Sunday morning...

[Sporty Dan]

Monte, will USFRA officials be out checking the salt conditions this weekend?
I've got my fingers crossed we will be good to go.

[wickedwagens]

Yes, it was posted somewhere that they will be out checking the conditions this weekend and making the call based on what they see.

[Milwaukee Midget]

I have a friend who made the trip out today, and while neither of us will speak for the USFRA, this is what it looked like at Lands End this morning:

Resized_IMG_20220820_112808 by Chris Conrad, on Flickr

Monte and the crew - they have worked miracles in the past. But three weeks out with shorter, cooler days and a monsoon season that's finally living up to its name, my thinking is that a whole lot of other things would have to go really, really right to make it happen.

[USFRAMONTE]

Dennis and I did venture out the the salt today. The situation is grim. There is still standing water as far as you can see. We walked out to the starting line and found the water to be 3 inches deep.  At the end of the access road, it is about 6 inches deep.

After discussing the current status and trying to look into the future we have decided to cancel the World of Speed for this year.  Even if the water were to disappear, there would not be enough time to groom and prep the courses. This water has done some strange things to the salt. It seems to lifted up the crust were it was very very thin and moved it around. The tire marks from vehicles are clearly visible as it appears to show only mud below. Dennis and I both feel it will need the coming winter months to heal properly.

It is with heavy hearts that we made this decision, we debated amongst ourselves the positives and negatives and just could not find enough positives to move forward with the event. We wish all competitors the best and appreciate the support you have given us in the past.

We look forward to a great 2023 racing season.  Photos to follow.

[USFRAMONTE]

This is Dennis at the starting line of Course 1. The water here is 3 inches deep and is down course as far as we could see.

[USFRAMONTE]

This was taken from the end of the access road. The water here is 6 inches deep.

[USFRAMONTE]

We drove up the mountain where the radio towers are located. If you enlarge the photo you can see the bend in the access road. At the upper right of the picture you can see were the Salduro dike curves to go east. You can also see the water follows the courses all the way out to what appears to us to be about the 5 mile and then it goes east toward the federal drainage ditch.

[Elmo Rodge]

I just got back and was going to call you, Monte. Like you, I didn't see any way it could happen. To add insult to injury, Marcello's was closed. 
Wayno

[Sporty Dan]

Thank you, Monte and Dennis for going out there and assessing the conditions first hand. This year Mother Nature decided that we don't need to go fast.
Everyone is very appreciative of your efforts. Looking forward to next year.

[Stainless1]

Well crap... I guess we have a month and a week for our last chance.  I can't remember a year that everything but WF was cancelled...  but there's a chance 
in the mean time   

[TrickyDicky]

Well crap... I guess we have a month and a week for our last chance.  I can't remember a year that everything but WF was cancelled...  but there's a chance 
in the mean time   

Since the first WoS in 19xx, there has previously only been one year when both Speed Week and WoS were cancelled. 

That was 2015, when all events were cancelled (including Test 'n' Tune and Cook Shootout).

[That's according to my personal records - happy to be corrected if anyone knows better.]

[kiwi belly tank]

The saltberg situation worries me for the long term. The thin crust (3ft thick according to Dick Wad at the BLM) delamination exposing patches of the brine dirt are not likely going to fill themselves back in this year. The surface looked good at the T&T but was only about 1/2" thick in the pit area but I expected it to be a bit thinner there since we were down near lands end. Unfortunately this still looks like the slow death of Bonneville to me. The reason the color looks better now is due to the fact that Intrepid "isn't" pumping their tailings back on to the flats & that's why the off-white look has gone away. Now all their salt harvesting is being pumped from the water table under the flats & that's why the canal that goes through the bend is flowing to capacity. There are two other canals, one closer to Wendover that I didn't get to check & the really big one down towards Floating Mt. I haven't seen that not flowing in a long time but it was pi$$ing down so bad when I went buy, just seeing the road was a challenge so I don't know for sure.
I'm planning to go down & check it after the water is gone. For anybody else wanting to check it, this is the easy way. West bound on I-80 get off at the rest stop & drive out to the dyke. The salt in there is like concrete, then just walk out to the course area.
I located the heart crystal base a few years ago then the next year had trouble even finding it again but never plotted it's total size. I want to do that again.
  Sid.

[ronnieroadster]

I can say I was amazed at the size and amount of salt burgs we experienced when driving in the salt lake going out to the pits and back after retrieving our trailer and pit stuff. I was concerned the trucks fuel tank possibly getting pierced by one of those burgs. My thoughts are what the heck is the surface going to look like once its dry. The floating burgs will be littering the surface for sure and the now bald spots are going to be extensive.

[Stainless1]

Y'all are worrying too much... the strip miners will suck all the floating salt and the salt in solution over across the road... it will be on rail cars in a couple of months heading to who knows... the only thing saving the salt was the drought... they need water to strip mine the flats.
Hey Brenda