I have never attended Bonneville and planning to make the trip this year. What are the best days and dates to attend (probably 1-2 days only)? I would like to see the cars and some runs. I am assuming the August 5-11 is the big event, they have a lot of stuff in their calendar. Looking for smaller crowd days if possible to see more, or does it matter?
Do it!... just go, you won't regret it. The Friday , Saturday , Sunday seem to be the most popular days to go. After that a lot of weekend warriors leave and the weekdays are less busy but still alot to see and do......if it doesn't rain....UGH!
Cars don't run until Saturday. Yes, room rates go down even on Monday, but day by day so do the number of entries. Room rates in Ely, Nevada, are very reasonable. The commute is about 90 minutes, well worth the $100 or so more you'll pay for in Wendover -- and you get to stay in an old-fashioned town. Might be an option in coming and going.
The hotel rates are lower on the weekdays because there are fewer people gambling in the casinos. Thus lower demand for rooms.
Catching the drivers meeting on Saturday, watching the first runs down the track, priceless. Plus the crowd is not an issue, we are spread out for miles and miles
We show up on Thursday to set up our pits. Friday is a great time to walk the pits and look at cars and bikes. Also take time to hang out and watch tech inspections. Just stay back out of the way
I saw a news story recently about the terrible conditions on the salt. Probably a good idea to monitor this.
Yea, I heard the salt is under water now. We made the trip last year as our first trip and the whole week was rained out. I hope to go again someday.
The salt is almost always under water this time of the year. The largest part of every year is underwater. It begins to dry out in the spring and by late summer is usually dry and hard. Probably the best time to go, is when World Finals is run. Usually in late September or early October. The problem with that time is that you are in the cusp of the change from salt flats to salt lake for the winter. Speeds are up, temperature is down, hotel rooms vastly cheaper, but, since it is in the changing stages, it quite often rains at least once during the meet. When that happens, the meet is done. We have had one day rains in August during Speedweek and the weather was hot enough to dry the track. In October there is no way for that to happen. To me, it's worth the gamble. If you want to see how good October can be, watch "World's Fastest Indian". That was filmed during World Finals 2004. We watched the racing AND the filming in perfect weather .
Really hope you guys get to run this year on a really good surface. Last year was disappointing, and Mother Nature owes you............
Interesting and good to know. And, I have seen that movie (several times) and was hoping for that kind of salt last year. I’m sure I’ll gamble again sometime.
Look around on this site for past years' events, questions, and planning. keep asking questions and you'll form a plan. Just be ready and willing to accept bailing right before or right off the whole thing after you get there because of the weather. Take it and go on. My 2021 year was perfect. It all worked out great. Last year, nothing you could do about it but suck it up and leave. If you get on the Landspeed website you'll find pertinent weather info and talk up-to-date stuff. Might be a good idea to have a contingency travel plan if things don't work out. Visit Utah! I've decided it's much like the casinos you stay in out there. Win some, lose some. I've found that Bonneville is the best place left in the world where you can get up close and personal with drivers, cars, owners, etc. and talk to them about the event. There's more in-between or downtime. Or better yet find a crew from your town before you go and do something to help them out. Hope I get to make the trip this year. Also hotel deals at the casinos as packages open up in march.. Unless you ask about this rooms will appear to be booked.
I check the weather in Wendover almost every day and currently they are their winter moisture cycle so there's moisture of some form several times a week. Than does change when summer gets here.
I have a buddy from Australia that has come, and we have taken him to Speedweek 3 times, in 14,19 and 22. It has rained out all three times. I tell him it is "The curse of the Aussie" I will let the public know if he decides to come this year.
If you are all into the show or goings on in the parking lot at the casino the weekend is the time to go. Some guys who go to Wendover for that don't even venture out on the salt. To me out on the salt is where the fun is, Seeing those cars that you have seen in event coverage for years on end and even for decades in some cases, Strolling the pits and standing back and watching the thrashing of the bigger crews and sometimes talking to the guys who do it all themselves. In 1988 I got out of my 51 Merc to take photos of a nifty little roadster and it belonged to Bruce Crower and he took the time to explain the car to me. About that time a Chrysler K car came flying up way too fast and about the time Bruce says "who the hell is that"? it wheels up and Don Garlits and his wife hop out. Somewhere in the Garlits snapshot archives there is a shot of a guy in a straw cowboy hat standing next to Bruce Crower with a bit of a silly grin. Funny part was my dad didn't know who either was at the time and was getting ansy to go on and see what else was going on. Which leads to the next thing. Don't take anyone along who gets bored and whiny. Male or female. It is not a place for anyone who gets bored easily. They don't understand why you are so interested in that old coupe or roadster and are listening to every word that the owner says while you click off photos like crazy even though you have followed it and him for the past 25 years every year in the coverage in the magazines and then on the net. They don't get it that it may take as much as ten minutes between runs on the long course when everything goes right. If your lady likes to sit and read make sure she has a new book a comfy chair and plenty of her favorite beverage in the cooler and don't fuss when she wants to sit in the shade and read the book. As much as I loved my dad, I had a lot more fun by myself ten years later when I took off in my 48 on Sunday night, got there Monday afternoon and spent a lot of time on the salt until the rain storms ran us out on Thursday (1998) that was pre casino parking lot car shows though. My Avatar is my truck sitting close to the starting line that year. I slept in my little tent at Bend in the road and showered at the truck stop for 5 bucks a day. Take a beach umbrella with a base you made that you can set up on the salt rather than a canopy that you have to set up. Then you can collapse it when you walk off so the wind doesn't pick it up. If you drive a roadster you can even use it for shade as you sit in the car and watch the cars. Take way more water and gataoraid type drinks than you think you will drink and snack and lunch stuff unless you would rather buy lunch out there. Good sunglasses and sunscreen are something you need. Every story about guys getting sun burns where they don't want them while out on the salt have a lot of truth to them. My dad never wore a pair shorts in his adult life and he had sunburns on his legs above his socks. He normally wore light weight Khaki pants in the summer and had oxfords on rather than boots. I'd stick some spare cash in the back of my wallet for T shirts and "Merch" that some of the racers might have for sale in their pits. That may be a once in a lifetime thing to get one of their shirts or ?? I should have traded my bought at Walmart T shirt for one to a guy who had a fit over my shirt and wanted to buy it and I wasn't thinking that a racer 100 ft away had a shirt that I really wanted. Absorb, have a blast, take lots of photos to share and create some life time memories.
If you go to the world of speed event later in the year you can take a car (if it meets requirements) and try for the 130 club, if they still do that.
There are a lot of guys who should do just that. A lot of them think that their street car is way faster than 130 though. There is always someone around who thinks you can show up at Speedweek and run your street car without understanding all the regs.
I made it to 129.6 and change the year I drove out and had a try, the salt wasn't the best that year.
There are no crowds, Ive been 3 times I would go every year if I could ! It’s an experience like no other! Make sure you go to the Nugget every night cars are next to none and try to hit some of the party’s and picnics
I will be there Friday after driving my roadster out from Tennessee, I was just there last Sunday on another roadster cross country tour and the salt looked good, but of course that can change in hours. Really looking forward to this trip because I have never been there during speed week. I will be driving my black 32 and camping at the bend at least one night or more if a room doesn' t open up. Also throwing in a shot of being there last week in with my friend in his roadster.
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