I am not usre that you wanted a 'how to guide'......
How good the mapping is in the western USA or indeed does Google Maps or similar have satellite images? For us in the UK there are no 'secret' runways. Find those that are in a radius of the miles to Bonneville or less from your location. I drove past a number in the Tonapah region in '98
Some of these bases are sure to have facilities that are dormant for part of the year and are being held on 'care and maintenance'. USAF/RAF Fairford is an example - the stealth bombers only come over during time of heoightened world tension.
If you know which of the bases has runways that are either at or over 2 mile, then the task becomes one of cultivating the base commander. Get him/her interested and then you can move on to the matter of dealing with those who have to agree to the day or weekend hire. If anything like the UK this is when you run into the regional or national estates people for whom it could just be 'too much to bother with'. But keep in the back of your mind that the people and the facilities have been paid for by your tax monies. All of them work for you.
If you are fortunate there will be a community at the base that interacts with the local non forces community - towns, councils and such like. Once at a 'local' level there will be a mix of elected officials (someone has voted for them) and permanent offices (paid persons). In the case of the elected officials they will have to 'earn' their votes in the next popular pole and so they could be keen to demonstrate support for an activity that promotes the town and surrounding area. Racers have to eat, sleep, and dare I suggest afterwards, drink. Any LSR event brings in money to a town (exscept perhaps the Bonneville experience where gamblers and golfers with more money may be levered aside). Get some representatives on your side and meetings start to happen. People that matter start to get a warm feeling about the proposed event.
It might be easier for us in the UK to organise a single car/team activity - not so many folk to worry those in charge - but LSR has a sound family background which can be demonstrated from reports on this site. Selling the sport as being non disruptive is the way forward - make it easy for the base by providing staff as well as insurance, that ease their involvement. Example - If the task is to check all vehicles, have your racers turn up in batches ready for their hoods (bonnets) to be opened and trunks (boots) and enclosed trailers to be searched. Do not send everyone along at the same time but do not spread out the duration either. Start samll in numbers and build gradually.
Once you get the feeling you will be allowed on the base select places and again assure thos in command that folk will not wander from set positions - agree these with the base and marshal them yourself.
Of course getting onto the facility is just the start - once you have held an event make sure that you will be allowed back the next time of asking. Much like working with the BLM, make sure that you leave the site cleaner than when you arrived - get rid of any object that could become/cause FOD.
Final thought at the moment - whilst racers know what they want to do for organising an event some of them will probably have to give up a race weekend to be the organisers. Do not try to do both jobs (preparing a car and preparing the event).
When this 'hobby' became expensive, I gave up racing to become an organiser and I think some teams over here in the UK were grateful for that.
Malcolm UK
