Saving the Salt

[John Burk]

We were there in 1960 when racers entered the salt off Rt 40 . I'd say they raced at about the same area . I do remember the salt on my 55 Chevy was a light dust you hardly noticed .

[Bob Drury]

  Sid, mighty dry but the mornings are a hell of a lot nicer.......................................

[kiwi belly tank]

Dry is good Bob, kinda how we like our salt.
It's been a while since I saw "salt dust" a Bonneville, it definitely goes back before the color change from white to yellow.
  Sid.

[flak monkey]

  As much as we all hope Speedweek will happen as scheduled, The folks that I feel the worst for are The Bike Racers from Europe that have shipped their Bikes over for the second year in a row.  They stayed at the same Hotel and floor as I did last year, and they were not your normal excited First Timers if you know what I mean. And just like last year, for some of them as well as some of the North American racers, it was the only chance they may have or had to ever visit Bonneville.
  I encourage any and all of you who have never been able to actually witness a event at Bonneville to attend Speedweek even if only one short course is available. 
  You will never forget the experience or the racers who unless trying to diagnose and repair  their vehicle will take the time to visit with you and patiently answer your questions.

Thanks for the sympathy vote! Our bikes are already in LA waiting to be picked up, the return shipping cost for the 10 bikes in a 40' container is just over $18,000. Our flights from the UK to LA are all booked and non-refundable (at $1600 per seat) along with van/car and hotels. Whatever happens, our money's already locked into coming this year.

At this stage all we can do is hope the salt conditions are good enough to get some runs in. We will just have to wait and see.

[PorkPie]

it DOESNT MATTER.....

ie 2009 WOS...showed up to a LAKE, some veterans that drove over 4 days "knew" there
was no hope and left....inspections on access road pavement.....2 days later salt opened up... some of the fastest runs in history were made, Poteet
ran a doorslammer 300 + first pass after the impossible conditions 2 days prior

this is Bonneville.....

Joe, was this not the year when a sit on biker nearly exceeded the 300 mph barrier......

http://www.landracing.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=245&pid=12242#top_display_media

...just a picture from the photo gallery.....

 

[jacksoni]

  Current (600a) local radar suggests rain over the track area.

[Stainless1]

Pork Pie... I Had to change your post a little..... I hope you don't mind    
see you in a couple of weeks

[hotrod]

Current radar storm total image shows just a trace over a wide area, so probably just those light random sprinkles, but this evening and tomorrow are forecast to have up to 50% probability of some rain.

Where and how much as always is an unknown, but worth keeping an eye on for those concerned with travel plans.

[Eldon S]

I am new to this.  I can understand rain will happen, but does anyone remember so much worry and the possibility of having no long course, this far in advance?  That is what is worrying me.  Most years it seems everyone just assumes it will dry.   

[hotrod]

I think it is a reflection of the fact we had a rain out last year.
Folks are antsy to get back on the salt and that is making them anxious.

The weather is what it is, it is a cost of doing business on the flats.

Watch it to understand the situation, but there is nothing you can do about it.
You make your best guess based on the info you have and play your hand.

As  a storm chaser I have a long time interest in weather and watch it with fascination, but there is no point in getting hyper about it and worrying.
I have sat out on the plains on days they said were sure to produce serious weather only to enjoy blistering sun, and a long hot day, and other days which were not supposed to do much that got very interesting.

Weather is a chaotic system, you cannot predict it and there is no point in trying to beyond 2-3 days. Even the super computer models fail at 4 days.

The two best predictors of the weather, are:
Tomorrow's weather is very likely to be similar to today's weather.
The weather on day x is very likely to be similar to the weather on day x for the past few years.

Trying to read the tea leaves 3 weeks in advance is a fool's errand, just watch and see what happens until you get inside that 2-3 day window that has some proven predictability.
Even then the odds are only slightly better than you would get by flipping a coin, since the weather forecasts are only correct about 60% of the time.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Remember that very light sprinkles are good for the surface.  They'll help to glue the loose stuff on the top together and maybe help reduce the potato chips to more substantial flat salt.  Right?  Am I just dreaming that I'm right?

[hotrod]

Not that is worth much, but that is my perception.
I think those light trace rain sprinkles are part of the mechanism that results in well consolidated salt as it should promote cross bonding between individual crystals.

[velocity]

Anyone on this thread who believes the BLM is doing its job of protecting the Bonneville Salt Flats needs to start a thread that extolls their good works. THIS thread does not believe the BLM has done its job and demands the BLM staff do the job it is chartered to perform. Unwilling or incapable staff needs to be replaced sooner rather than later. If the tire BLM leadership is of the same mindset then would be best if the management of the land be transferred to the State of Utah Parks and Recreation which does have a fine track record of caring for its public lands.

This is not a threat, this is the opinion of many, all American citizens who have the right complain about governance failure.

The BLM has failed in its governance of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Kevin Oliver is the latest name in a string of several names through the years -- all failed to protect the Bonneville Salt Flats. If anyone is lying in bed thinking about ways to undermine the racing community, that person is unhappy and who needs a new job anyway.

Be crystal clear here, these are verifiable complaints about failure to perform, not threats.

The land speed racing community requires answers and action and they need it now.

[MRK]

This morning I read an article in the LA Times about the "May Miracle". See attached.
Could it be that the salt is still there just covered in a thick layer mud??
There was a comment made that under the thin layer out there now is mud so thick that the equipment used to prep the courses was getting stuck when they went up there before the T&T. It was also stated that under that layer of mud was "pristine" salt.
This article would seem to explain the mud. If the mud is that thick, it seems it will take some time and maybe years to wash away and reveal the pristine salt below. I'm not discounting the effects of the mining just giving a perspective on that mud.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-may-miracle-drought-20150717-story.html#page=1

[velocity]

I believe, based on the mountain range orientation in the background, that the white salt upon which the two people are standing is located in the Salduro Loop where the salt is always nice, white and thick. They doubtless are at the Interstate 80 rest stop that is situated nicely to give travelers the false impression that the salt flats are in pristine, untroubled condition. It is my opinion that this is a deliberate act, to keep public opinion at bay by providing an illusion of health, as I have never been able to unearth any factual reason for keeping the Salduro Loop dykes in place.

Few will get off the interstate and drive down the access road to get a real, unvarnished look at the condition of the flats.

This situation is glaringly apparent to anyone flying over this area in a light plane - something I have done almost every years since 1997. The Salduro Loop has never been anything but perfect white salt when I fly over it.