We go to Bonneville and we have a GREAT Time... little do we know of the huge amount of work that goes into this event. It's not just the planning, and the setup .... the salt has to be prepared for racing... and that is no small job. It's thanks to great volunteers who care so much about our hobby that we have this legendary event every year. Our friend Ron Main, is one of those dedicated to seeing this event take place each year and last week Ron sent us some pictures taken when the crew took off to Wendover to get the salt ready for this years event.
On June 26 at Wendover Ron Main met with :
Mike Akatiff
Mike Cook
Mike Cook Jr.
Ken Puccio
Dennis Maning
Dan Warner
Larry Volk
For the next four days this team worked on getting the salt flats packed down for everyone to benefit.
80 tons of salt was put at roads end by Shelton ( with BLM permission) on right and graded
Larry Volk borrowed a water truck from Mike Crawford (Bonneville Museum Project) to wet it down and wheel pack it.
It turned out great.
The first mile of salt was parallel to I-80 and about1/4 thick and buckled up for miles (potato chips)
So I got started. I hooked on the old Vesco wheel packer and started to pack a 1/2 mile by 300 feet
spot near the old internal course .It took $100.00 of fix-a-flats. There were only six tires that would hold
air. Most of the tires were cut or the air leaked right through the rusted wheels. The worst problem was
all the wheel bearings were gone or rusted and frozen.
You can see on the right, the salt is starting to pack down after hundreds of passes
See on the left after a few hundred more feet.
What a difference.
Have lost three tires and many more are flat. This wheel roller was built over 15 years ago
We need a new wheel packer.
You can see the 300 foot by 1/2 mile patch adjacent to I-80 just one mile east of the truck stop
If you get stuck this is the guy to call
R.I.P
Mike Cook Jr. dragging the international course.
Blue bacon in Salt lake will get the salt off four 30.00
Most of you also are unaware of the danger of eroding salt that puts our Bonneville races in danger. There has been an organization founded to work with the BLM to preserve the salt. Please take a look and do what you can to support this effort. It's very important to our hobby.