Landracing Forum
Bonneville Salt Flats Discussion => Bonneville General Chat => Topic started by: dwarner on July 17, 2008, 11:42:41 AM
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Pulled in part from the minutes of the last Board/Reps meeting:
...BNI Report - Mike Waters reported that a group had gone to the salt. The salt is dry and hard.
The courses were found and look good. Intrepid had used a steam shovel to cut two places through the Salduro dike.
The fill in the ditch is still soft and make take several years to be able to drive across, discussion. The dates
for the 2009 meet have tentatively picked as August 8 to 16, discussion. Active military and children get in free.
There are approximately 485 entries for Speedweek. The Speedweek was moved to not conflict with any events that
has been scheduled by any of the casinos.
Save the Salt - Russ Eyres attended a meeting with the BLM on June 11. The BLM has agreed to not replace the
geogolist that retired with a working geogolist. The new person will be an administrator type to check out
information. The BLM also agreed to cut the Salduro dike in two places. The low spot at the end of the road
has been about half filled and is still wet. The BNI will fill the remainder and also the stuck area where the
RVs got stuck last year. Intrepid is to supply the salt. ...
DW
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................... Intrepid had used a steam shovel to cut two places through the Salduro dike.
The fill in the ditch is still soft and make take several years to be able to drive across, discussion. ............................The BLM also agreed to cut the Salduro dike in two places...............
Thanks Dan and could you or someone explain how the cuts in the dike effect us? I guess I should know, but don't. Is the Salduro dike the one that we kind of stay close to that is just to the east of the road going out there and just south of the starting line the last couple years??
Sum
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Thanks, Dan for that report. Things sound great at this time, cross your fingers. Just wondering what I am going to run short on, diesel fuel or $$$$$$$. I took a friend for a ride down the road this morning, the car seams to be running good, I hope to see you in impound.
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I drove out about 1/2 mile on Monday and everything I saw looked good. The end of the road was fine but then again it was dry. The part I drove on was very smooth. That's all I got. Wayno
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Sum,
Yes that is the same dyke. As mentioned in the report the fill will be too soft to drive on this year. I am told the cuts were for return roads, I know nothing else.
DW
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Larry Volk said the intent is to build the Salduro breaks up with salt so the water doesn't cross the breaks. The hope is the salt fill will create a low berm to make it possible to use that as a return road.
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Larry Volk said the intent is to build the Salduro breaks up with salt so the water doesn't cross the breaks. The hope is the salt fill will create a low berm to make it possible to use that as a return road.
Hey thanks for that, but I'm more confused than ever. The dike is that raised area to the east and south of the track, right? Now they have cut through that to the other side, right? So would you make a run, drive through/across what has been the dike and drive back up on the other side of it to another cut and drive back onto the salt near say the starting line??
Maybe I don't need to know, if so just tell me :wink:,
Sum
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It'd be best if we had a map or an aerial view of the Salt -- I'm as cornfused as the next guy about which dike is which. I do know that certain individuals left the race area last year by driving directly from the start line area to I-80 -- chancing getting stuck in the mud, etc. Perhaps this new work will make it so that that portion of the Salt is easier to access (than going to the traditional access road and all the way out to the course). I don't know if I'm right -- and I don't like the idea of getting onto I-80 at an unofficial entry point (neither do the cops, I betcha!).
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If I understand correctly they cut 2 openings in the dike. Basicaly cutting off the corner of the dike so you can drive straight through. This would be good for two reasons. 1: if they ever have to put the starting line closer to the highway you would be able to cut through the dike cutting off an extra 1-1.5 miles by not having to drive all the way around the dike. 2: if they ever again get to run anywhere in the vacinity of the old international/hotrod course, and the couse runs too close to the corner of the dike (or the starting line was near the bend in the dike), cars could turn off to the right and be towed back through the dike and not be too close to the course (or be on the back side of the starting line). That's just how I understand it, but I've been wrong before.
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It'd be best if we had a map or an aerial view of the Salt --..
See if this helps, I think I see what they are planning....
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=bonneville+salts+flats&ll=40.769622,-113.874321&spn=0.059283,0.105743&t=h&z=13
............... on the image "C" is the road out there. "D" is the top of the dike and the point where Dallas says we drive around the top of it and over to the right. So if you came off the pavement and went pretty much straight you would cut through the dike and then be on the other side of it. Then you would veer to the left (northeast) and drive up to where you would again hit the dike and drive through it. This would avoid driving around the dike as it loops north and then back south again.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=bonneville+salts+flats&ll=40.82732,-113.796387&spn=0.236925,0.422974&t=h&z=11
I wonder what the ground is like driving on over there as we are always afraid to get near the edges of the salt now. Evidently it must get pretty solid to consider this.
Sorry, but I couldn't figure a way to post the image in this post. I never noticed before, but actually the dike cuts the rest of the salt off from the part you see if you stop at that view/visitors center along I80.
c ya,
Sum
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If I remember what this unnamed driver told me last year, and if I couple that with where the starting line was last year -- I think the fellow drove from the area of the line to I-80 about where the "I-80" symbol is, just to the right of the word Salduro. It wasn't very far, I do remember him telling me that. Nancy and I did not try it, four-wheel-drive notwithstanding. I didn't care to take a chance on having some big divots in the surface named after me. The salt is fragile and sacred -- drive only where it's been tested and marked to be safe. Don't try exploring or you'll find out how much it can cost -- and how crabby the BLM and race officials can be.
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Why is the dike there ?
John
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Building on Johns' question, what is the dikes current function? Is it different now than it was in the past?
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I, by no means, know the in's and out's of Intrepid's operation, but, I always assumed the dyke had something to do with the even distribution of salt brine :?
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It's official name is the "Salduro Loop Collection Ditch" so I figure it's for funeling the brine to where it was needed. I'm not sure it has any purpose anymore seeing that there letting us cut big notches in it.
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Back in the olden days we entered the salt flats off the old state highway (now the frontage road) at the sign with Cobb's car on it. This was inside the Saldero loop. We got out onto the area where the "hot rod" and "international" courses were via a wooden bridge accros the canal. I think you can see the remanants of this if you zoom in on Sumner's Google map about 2/3 of the way up the west side of the loop.
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I remember the bridge fondly Jim.
We were following a guy in one morning who had a trailer with an old style, laydown Coke cooler attached. A big one. The trailer slipped off the bridge dumping almost the entire contents of Coors into the water. Darn near pulled his truck in too.
DW
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Dan was scuba diving trying to save the coors, It had salt and all he needed was a lime, Dan never passed up a cold beer except for the Side Winder club beer that they couldn't even give away at their club picnic. :evil:
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Back in the olden days we entered the salt flats off the old state highway (now the frontage road) at the sign with Cobb's car on it. This was inside the Saldero loop. We got out onto the area where the "hot rod" and "international" courses were via a wooden bridge accros the canal. I think you can see the remanants of this if you zoom in on Sumner's Google map about 2/3 of the way up the west side of the loop.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=bonneville+salts+flats&t=h&ll=40.764653,-113.874144&spn=0.003705,0.006609&z=17
Is That it?
Sum
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I think so
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I just got my 2008 speedweek Straightaway news letter in the mail. There is a lot of detailed information in it.
The schedule, the general rules in the pits, on the course, the roads etc. The one thing stated is there will be maps given out once the courses are firm and this will happen at the event.
If you are a BNI member you should get this info any day.
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goes back to the days before WW I and is a reminder of the original mining operations on the salt flats. There have been breaches in it before now but they usually just filled with water. A BMW streamliner ended up in a breach in the mid 1990's when the driver got flustered, stayed on it too long, missed going to the catch net, blew by the starting area and was stopped in a big spray of brine. The car was on display at the US, BMW factory the last time I heard about it. After that the breach and other parts of the dike were repaired. Lucky for the driver it was the open shallow pond rather than a big hump of dirt in his line of sight. He cut his leg while scrambling out of the car and ended up in a SLC hospital having the cut disinfected.
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never had to Scuba dive for Coors light---they floated even in fresh water---that why I took the Silver Bullets canoeing---Coors was more floating and less sinking---lol
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Sparky,
We all know that anything dumped in the canal will float. I didn't have to dive for supplies. Glen has never thrown his bottle of Scotch
in the brine.
DW
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Not even an empty one. :-o.........I almost threw Cagle in it a few times
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Looks like Wendover is getting some showers, a little rain could be the iceing on the cake for some great salt.
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Got the Kal Gard motor home parked at the bend in the road for the evening and as stated on the SCTA web site the salt is wet. I spoke to the BUB course prep crew who have been working on the international course for a couple of days and prior to the rain the salt looks excellent. Educated guess is the water is good and the salt looks very promising.
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I'll get it right yet! Here's something that I got in the overnight email from Mike Waters. Larry Volk was on the Salt yesterday (31 July) and took some photos. Let's see if I can get them and their descriptions in the right order.
Here's his Datsun at about the 8 Mile on the long course:
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/P1010374.jpg)
This one's easy to figure out -- one of the drags, all ready for being towed for hours and hours:
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/P1010371.jpg)
Access point at Land's End:
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/P1010370.jpg)
I'm not sure which of these is at the 3 mile of the long course, which is the 4 mile, the starting line of the #2 course -- so just look and pay attention to the condition of the salt:
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/P1010363.jpg)
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/P1010366.jpg)
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/P1010367.jpg)
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii147/SeldomSeenSlim/P1010373.jpg)
Here's the text that accompanied the photos:
Salt Up Date July 31st, 2008 9 pm Pacific Coast time.
This just in from Larry Volk (Our very reliable source) :
Today, Thursday he took a trip out onto the salt. He reports the salt to be dry, hard and mostly smooth. The water that hit during our last trip in mid July is gone and additional dragging will be needed to fine tune our courses prior to SpeedWeek. Larry drove out to the 8 mile and reports that the courses look good for their entire length, that's all three courses, one long and three short. The water that stood on the salt for the past week or so has improved conditions over and above what they were during mid July before the storm hit us while we were there working. There were two film companies on the salt shooting commercials today. Our work force will arrive, in mass, a week before SpeedWeek and begin the final touches to not only our race courses but all the other things necessary to stage your event. On behalf of the entire SCTA and BNI Board, we look forward to seeing you all at "The Greatest land Speed Event Of The Year", SpeedWeek 08. Mike Waters Chairman BNI
There you have it, folks. Look forward to some fine days on the Salt in only a couple of weeks.
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excellent news!!!
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goes back to the days before WW I and is a reminder of the original mining operations on the salt flats. There have been breaches in it before now but they usually just filled with water. A BMW streamliner ended up in a breach in the mid 1990's when the driver got flustered, stayed on it too long, missed going to the catch net, blew by the starting area and was stopped in a big spray of brine. The car was on display at the US, BMW factory the last time I heard about it. After that the breach and other parts of the dike were repaired. Lucky for the driver it was the open shallow pond rather than a big hump of dirt in his line of sight. He cut his leg while scrambling out of the car and ended up in a SLC hospital having the cut disinfected.
If I remember, it was on a return run that is why it was headed towards the dike. It was a nice liner, with M power and painted to match. Too bad the bright white and morning sun did not allow the clocks to pick him up. A trip to the hospital and no record.
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.... The dates for the 2009 meet have tentatively picked as August 8 to 16.....
After last year we would have loved to do this year but it is just to much logistically and financially hauling everything from England two years on the trot.
However, we are committed to coming back next year to see if we can push the record (P-P250) up a bit further and also to have a pop at another class with a second bike :-D
So my question is as to how firm are the proposed dates as we need to start booking leave etc employers over here like plenty of warning if you are planning to disappear for the best part of a month.
Good luck to everybody running this year