Because you are known to me for either:
1. having an incurable case of salt fever;
2., having a curiosity about the fastest cars on earth;
3., having a friendship with me and my mad existence . . .
Below is a review about the Bonneville book written by Dr. Frissell,
publisher of "WomenWithWheels."
The review was published on-line at: .
http://www.cars.com/carsapp/national/?srv=parser&act=display&tf=/estor
Speedy Regards,
"LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth
LandSpeed Productions
Telling stories with words and pictures
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"Bonneville Salt Flats"
By Louise Ann Noeth
Motorbooks, Inc.
156 pages, $39.95, hardcover
Reviewed by Susan Frissell for cars.com
Competing against time is what racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats is
all about. Talk about determination and nerves of steel, these folks
have it. Whether they're racing a car, truck, motorcycle, or even a
bicycle, these characters are out to set their own record to gain
entry into the exclusive and elite 200 Mile-Per-Hour Club. Named for
an American army captain in the 1870s, Salt Flats is located in
western Utah. Most commonly recognized as the place where Craig
Breedlove broke the land-speed record in 1965. Top speed: 600.601 mph.
"Bonneville Salt Flats" is the most thoroughly researched history of
racing on the flats to date, complete with stories of records set,
mishaps and victories. "Bonneville Salt Flats" takes the reader back
to the days of that early record-setter Ab Jenkins, who in 1910,
became the first person to drive across the Bonneville Salt Flats. At
60 mph, Jenkins drove his Yale motorcycle, bumping over the salt beds,
and over the wooden railroad ties to avoid knee-deep mud.
A more appropriate choice to author "Bonneville Salt Flats" couldn't
have been found. Louise Ann Noeth, a.k.a. "Landspeed Louise," by her
own definition, is a motorhead and speed freak. Among her other claims
to fame, Noeth has the honor of being the first female editor of Hot
Rod Industry News and Hot Rod Hotline.
"Bonneville Salt Flats" beautifully chronicles vintage racing,
modified racing, production and special construction racing at the
Salt Flats, from 1909 through today. Readers will have the opportunity
to get a feel for what racing on the flats is all about. There are
probably a great number of people who have never heard of the Salt
Flats, much less racing on them. Noeth's book helps transport the
reader there. It's full of humor, fact and great photographs, many of
them taken by Noeth.
Without a doubt, David Abbott (Ab) Jenkins was the "father of salt
racing." He put the Bonneville Salt Flats on the international racing
map, through persistent marketing of the flats' virtues. The flats
provide an ideal racing venue. There's plenty of room to race, with no
barriers to crash into; the salt is a moist, concrete-like consistency
that aids traction; racing on the sand has a cooling effect on tires,
allowing for greater speeds than possible on concrete. At the flats,
Jenkins set hundreds of speed marks between 1910 and 1955, and notable
records; for example, finishing a 2,710 mile run in 23 hours and 2
minutes, doing all the driving himself. A man of great faith, Ab was a
devout Mormon who believed in safety first. Having set more world
records than any driver, past or present, Ab's congenial outgoing
personality is what folks voted for when they later elected him mayor
of Salt Lake City in 1940.
We learn about Captain Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville, the Salt
Flats' namesake. A native of France, Bonneville fled to the United
States after the French Revolution. Exploring the West, Bonneville led
a not-very-successful expedition, which did not include the salt
flats. However, he did send his Chief Lieutenant Joseph R. Walker to
scout the territory - which included the salt beds, and Walker named
the area in Bonneville's honor.
The first set of wheels to attempt to cross the Salt Flats was the
wagon wheel, belonging to the infamous Donner party. In 1846, the
Donner party made a decision that led to their demise: They took the
Hastings' Cutoff, a wagon train shortcut that passed north of Floating
Mountain (10 miles beyond where world land speed records would be
set). The salt crest was thin and easily broken through, causing the
wheels to become stuck in the plastic-like mud. Trapped by mud, the
pioneers lost time, only to be marooned by a snowstorm. From then on,
those traveling West avoided the Salt Flats.
Noeth gives us a glimpse into the 200 Mile-Per-Hour Club (2 Club); the
prestigious, "once a member, always a member" club for those who've
driven the Salt Flats at 200 mph. Now 320 members strong, the 2 Club
was dreamed up by Lou Kimzey, editor of Hop Up magazine, and Dean
Batchelor, and announced in the June 1953 edition of the magazine.
Although there was some debate about who was the first 2 Club member,
most likely it was Willie Young in 1950. However, the first woman to
qualify isn't so hard to remember: Marcia Holley drove an average of
229 mph on a motorcycle in 1978, only to return in 1985, qualifying
again for membership, this time in a car. In 1953, all members of the
200 Club drove streamliners.
Noeth provides the reader with a rundown of classes and divisions of
racing vehicles, from the original three categories, which included
roadsters, lakesters, and streamliners, to the sedans and motorcycles
of later years. Of the three original categories, the roadster is the
only one maintaining its basic, original definition, the author tells
us. American-made, the roadster is a convertible body unaltered in
height, width or contour. Originally modified roadsters, lakesters
today are special-construction cars with uncovered wheels. A
streamliner was any type of fireproof constructed body. Today the
fastest racers on the salt, streamliners are obvious by design,
housing the driver snug inside. Changing dramatically over the years,
today's racers can be seen in electric vehicles, diesel tractors,
minibikes, and everyday street cars souped up to run.
As Noeth tells it, regardless of what people racing at the flats do in
their day job, they become transformed when racing on the salt; they
become a family bound together by speed. A fascinating bunch, these
unusual people Noeth introduces us to, are, in her words "time and
distance groupies, landspeed racers, speed freaks, and people who
follow a skinny, black oil line" in their quest to set a record.
Reading "Bonneville Salt Flats" has inspired this reviewer to make a
visit. One gets the feeling after reading the book though, that a
visit needs to be soon, due to deterioration and salt loss. In 1990,
efforts were begun to "Save the Salt," as this loss became a concern
for racers and environmentalists alike. Consequently, a monitoring
process was put in place, including tracking salt loss and/or gain,
and full cooperation from racers. When racing, all participants must
place a tarp on the ground under the car to prevent leakage of any
fluids onto the salt. There is much to learn when reading "Bonneville
Salt Flats." If the book has one fault it is the absence of any kind
of map indicating just where these flats are located in the state. I
pulled out an atlas so I could find it.
"Bonneville Salt Flats" left this reviewer wanting to learn more.
Attending Speed Week in August has become a new goal. Sign me up,
Landspeed.
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