land-speed
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Re: Salt Flats International Course

To: <kturk@ala.net>
Subject: Re: Salt Flats International Course
From: "Wester S. Potter" <wspotter@jps.net>
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 01:21:17 -0600
Thanks Keith
I have been interested in racing on the salt since I caught "salt fever" on
my first visit in 1951.  I built a street driven car to race in 1960...53
Stude 5 window with a 293 sb Chev but they caught me on a new roll cage rule
that year and I gave up on it.  That rule and the 55 Chev that boosted the C
Gas record to 155 that year.  Traded it a couple of months later  for a
friends equity in a 1960 Austin Healey 3000 that was almost new.
Currently I am secretary for the USFRA ...the replacement for my old friend
Mary West who I met on the salt in '51.  No race car...kids in college...but
I feel the need to put my efforts where they can do some good. I am
responsible for some of the stuff on the USFRA web site at saltflats.com
including the pictures of the fast bike trophy in progress.
 I know Gary and Tom.  Tom and I were accused by some of looking alike so he
shaved off his beard.
----------
> From: "Keith Turk" <kturk@ala.net>
> To: "Wester S. Potter" <wspotter@jps.net>
> Subject: Re: Salt Flats International Course 
> Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 22:00:46 -0700 
> 
>First and foremost... Welcome to our Place to hang out and Bench race....
>there are no rules other then being polite... if it interests you and your
>interested in LSR then bring the subject on...
>
>Spelling and Grammar aren't counted here... and I appreciate your immediate
>desire to pitch in the info on the international course.... I will ask you
>a couple of questions by replying to all instead of individually...  Lots
>of conversations take place one to one... I try and keep most my stuff out
>in the Open arena as I feel we have a need to perpetuate the list as a
>place to ask questions and receive answers....
>
>Take a sec if you would .... (Like myself several folks here on the list
>don't have a ton of history on the other folks) and tell us a bit about
>your interests at Bonneville... are you running a car and what kind... what
>have you run in the past and what would you like to run in the future... 
>
>I am fascinated with the quality of folks we have here... from Tom Bryant
>to Wendy Jeffries... it's been a great place to learn and hang out...   The
>information is Archived at www.listquest.com and you can go back and type a
>subject and anything said about it in the past will be available to you...
>Pretty neat deal...
>
>Take care and once again welcome.... Keith  D/GALT  1980 Camaro with the
>current ECTA record at 180.361mph   ( most likely not a record setter at
>bville but my dream of driving on the salt is absolutely going to happen
>this year)
>----------
>> From: Wester S. Potter <wspotter@jps.net>
>> To: Keith Turk <kturk@ala.net>
>> Cc: land-speed@autox.team.net land-speed@autox.team.net
>> Subject: Salt Flats International Course
>> Date: Tuesday, July 13, 1999 3:06 PM
>> 
>> I'm new to this group but have a bit of experience with the salt
>flats...If
>> I may give an answer to Keith...
>> The international course is the one used by all land-speed attempts from
>the
>> nineteen thirties on.  It was the course of choice because of the
>> length...some thirteen miles most recently.  It begins just north of I-80
>> and parallels the Salduro Loop at the start and passes between the loop
>and
>> the end of the access road.  The northmost part aims for Floating Island.
>
>> When John Cobb ran there he looped to the east up there to get more
>length
>> for his runs.  With the flooding onto the area north of the freeway of
>> magnesium chloride in November of 1993 from the Reilly ponds, that course
>> broke up...turned granular like sugar...and there were some serious
>> incidents because of it.  We had to move the course several times to even
>> have something to run on and have had to do so ever since.  The course we
>> have used recently is the "hot-rod" course which crosses the
>International
>> Course at the six mile area.  It has been used when the longer
>International
>> Course has been too wet.  That area north of the dike is where Ab
>Jenkens,
>> and the Brits and the 1970"s runs by Bobby Isaac had their ten mile
>> endurance circles.  If we have a nine mile course this year you can be
>sure
>> it is on the International Course.  That is the area of the greatest salt
>> depth and the longest area of good salt.
>



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