The decals say it all. A steadily growing number of East Coast Timing Association (ECTA) landspeed racers run at Bonneville. The late-June meet is the traditional tune-up for cars and motorcycles going to The Salt in August for Speed Week. Rain interfered a bit with the proceedings, but several records were set and several new entries made their debuts. Rule of thumb, developed over years of running, is that what ever speed is turned on Maxton�s mile track is about 80 percent what will be done at Bonneville, salt conditions (and engine limiters) permitting. Thus a 150-mph clocking at Maxton could mean a 180 top end at Bonneville. The HRM Spl. Camaro bore a 572 BBC with suitably monstrous four-barrel.

Helping out was ECTA VP Keith Turk (2,02a) of the SoAl (as in South Alabama) group. He and wife Tonya have driven the car, as the C-post notes, but top speed honor goes to the �Burger,� with a 243-mph run at Bonneville (about 20percent above the 213 reached at the Texas Mile).

On hand was seriously Bonneville-addicted, straightline speed devotee David Freiburger of Hot Rod Mag editorship fame, making many runs despite a broken shifting hand.

Ace Allen�s slippery Chevette

John Wennerberg, in checkered shorts, checks out Scott Guthrie�s newest bike, while Guthrie models newest in biker intimate lingerie. John (aka Seldom Seen Slim) cycles in with his wife from Michigan to do motorcycle tech inspections. What do you do with your old Busch car? Wayne Jesel puts his 370-inch Dodge Nascar-type engine in it (bigger bore, shorter stroke than the 358� engines in Nextel Cup cars) and has Jimmy Barton speed through the traps at 223 mph (606-86b). Machine is former Jesel-Luginbuhl car that was driven by Casey Mears a few years back. Jesel previously had the 925-hp engine in a big Dodger pickup that Barton tooled to over 205 at Maxton.

Smaller circle-track cars also participate, with a variety of engines.

�Big Al� runs the staging lanes and starting line.

The McMeekin Brothers and Williams brought this low-drag Nissan to Bonneville last year with an injected flathead Ford. Purists howled. So, this year, they gone to something totally different: a 4.0-liter IRL Olds Aurora V8, which they run on methanol. They�ve had to turn down the max rpm below the original 10,300 to prevent con rod stretch on the long five-mile full-throttle passes at Bonneville. Looks good, runs better.