Hi all -
As a non-racer (so far, anyway), the number of classes available to both bikes and cars can be pretty daunting. During my six-hour visit to the World Finals in Oct., I met a fellow who was attending Bonneville for the first time. We walked the pits together, I gave him a capsule explanation of how to "read" the classes lettered on the various cars - engine size, blown or natrually-aspirated, fuel or gas, etc. He seemed pretty impressed at the number of different types of vehicles that could compete for a record.
What makes it all work is the fact that Land Speed Racing is all for the pure enjoyment of speed - no prize money, no sponsorship dollars that are dependent on TV airtime to recoup the sponsor's investment, no unlimited dollars devoted to cashing in on as many records as possible.