Records Fall and Temperatures Soar – the SCTA’s 2024 Bonneville Speedweek
The staging lanes were packed with colorful racecars waiting for their shot at destiny. The drivers got strapped in, received last-minute instructions from their crew, and waited for the starter to give them the “okay” sign. The smell of racing fuel filled the air. They gave their gloves one last tug, snapped their helmet visor shut and then – they were gone. A crowd of spectators gathered near the starting line with CB radios in hand listening intently as the announcer read off the speed as the car raced past each mile marker. The cheers got louder as the cars went faster. This is land speed racing at the SCTA’s Bonneville Speedweek.
This was the scene that played out over and over again during SCTA’s 76th annual Bonneville SpeedWeek, held August 3-9,on the Bonneville Salt Flats. After two years of bad weather, racers were welcomed with sunny skies, good salt conditions, and hot temperatures. The Salt Flats may resemble the surface of the moon, but it felt more like the surface of the sun as temperatures topped the 100-degree mark nearly every day.
The annual car show at the Nugget Casino in nearby Wendover on Friday night unofficially kicked off Speedweek in grand style as hundreds of hot rods from every corner of the U.S. filled the parking lot. The Nugget is the place to be each night if you want to grab a cold beer, catch up with old friends, and recap all of the day’s action.
In 1967 Burt Munro raced his 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle across the Salt Flats, stopping the clocks at 184.087mph, famously depicted in the movie The World’s Fastest Indian. His record still stands today. But records are made to be broken and that’s what draws people to the Bonneville Salt Flats. This year nearly 350 racers came to SpeedWeek to try and race their way into the SCTA record book.
There were sleek streamliners, lakesters, roadsters, and belly tankers, but also a wide variety of Corvettes, Camaros, Dodges, Fords, Plymouths, Volkswagens, trucks, motorcycles, and so much more. Most classes at Bonneville are determined by five criteria: body, aerodynamic modifications, engine size, supercharged or not, and the kind of fuel used. There’s a class for everything at SpeedWeek and engine combinations from mild to wild that you won’t see anywhere else.
The Speed Demon team, led by Steve Watt and Kenny Duttweiler, were more determined than ever to have a successful SpeedWeek after the passing of their partner, driver, and teammate, George Poteet, who passed away on July 16. Poteet was well known in the hot rodding world and was a legend on the salt. The soft-spoken businessman from Memphis, Tennessee, drove the Speed Demon from 2007 to 2021 and set numerous SCTA and FIA records. Poteet’s accomplishments were unmatched, having driven faster than 400mph more than 50 times, which is more than all other competitors combined.
During SpeedWeek, Chris Raschke wheeled the Speed Demon to the fastest run of the meet with a 446.716mph pass to earn the Speed Demon team their 12th Hot Rod Trophy – the second for Raschke, who also earned the 17th spot in the 400mph Club with his new B/BFS record of 432.274mph.
After seven days of racing, 108 records had been set and thousands of memories had been made. Alex Taylor, the co-host of Hot Rod Garage, joined the 200mph Club after setting the C/CBALT record at 235.638mph in the Hot Rod Magazine Special, a 1980 Camaro owned by Keith and Tonya Turk. Speaking of fast women, Anita Strasburg recorded the fastest lakester speed ever when she ran 379.974mph (B/BFL class), which is the fastest run ever by a female in a wheel-driven car. Strasburg also set the record in the D/BFL class at 341.972mph.
Donnie Cummings set the AA/BFR (Blown Fuel Roadster) record in the wicked-cool 911 car at 284.225mph, topping Dwayne McKinney’s 20-year-old record of 282.356mph. The famous ’34 Ford roadster is powered by a 510c.i. blown fuel nitro Hemi and actually ran over 300mph a couple of days later but was unable to back it up. The AA/BFALT record of 290.755mph had been untouched since 1991 but was eclipsed by Jeffrey Ferguson, who reset the record at 303.685mph in his 1980 Pontiac Trans Am.
It’s crazy to think that there was nearly a 400mph difference between the Speed Demon’s record run of 432.274 mph and Carré Stéphane’s record-setting speed of 38.130mph on his 1955 Velosolex moped. But it’s this kind of variety that’s makes SpeedWeek so great.
The need for speed comes in all shapes and sizes. From 16-year-old first timers to 75-year-old veterans who have been coming to Bonneville Speedweek for more than 50 years, male or female, everyone is welcome. It doesn’t matter what you race; land speed racing is like one big fraternity. Lifelong friendships are made on the salt and the camaraderie is unlike anything else in motorsports. Bonneville has a way of drawing you in, and once you’ve been you want to go back; it’s called “salt fever.” Every racer will be determined to come back next year and try to run even faster because that’s what you do on the salt.
Photos by Marc Gewertz
