The Bonneville Salt Flats are where every true blue motor racing fan wants to be every August, September, and October because this is when the annual speed meets are held to decide the fastest humans on two- and four-wheels. However, there is a lot more to the 30,000 acre Bonneville Salt Flats than just motor racing. It is an ecologically fragile landscape that is so barren that not even the simplest plants can grow here. The reason for this is that in this vast salt plain you can find salt at a depth of even six feet. The salt is everywhere on this flat plain, so flat that you can actually see the earth curve into the distance and the mountains yonder seem to float in thin air.
The Bonneville Salt Flats first rose to racing fame when Malcolm Campbell from Britain became the first man ever to drive an automobile at more than 300mph. This was way back in 1935. Since then the Bonneville Salt Flats have seen the bar raised to 714.144mph which is around 1149.30kph. This record was established in 1997 by Andy Green and in the process of establishing this record, Andy became the first man to achieve supersonic speeds on land.
Check out this video of this bike hitting 365mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats. It has been taken from a miniature camera fitted between the exhausts.
(Photo Courtesy of jotor)
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