Happily, mainstream media is starting to recognize the tremendous efforts of land speed racers — the fastest people in the world!

The  a  7-minute segment on Mike Cook’s Bonneville Shootout Saturday,  November 5th at noon (EST), part of the NASCAR nationwide pre-race show.

Can’t wait? No problem, watch the fast-paced, energy-laden mini-saga here:

espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7190038&categoryid=2378529

Rocky Robinson, the fastest rider on 2 wheels at 376MPH didn’t wait; he checked in with me saying, “Just watched the ESPN video of the Shootout. Awesome job. Wish I could have stayed around to be part of it. I sure hope you are coming back next year. If me and the team decide to come back, we’ll get her right, I promise.  Love your work.“ 

Well, I love you too Rocky! you, the team, the bike, and especially Tricia who gets scared crazy when you’re thundering across the salt but stands by you nonetheless! What a gal!

Look for the Poteet & Main’s Speed Demon, Charles Nearburg’s Spirit of Rett, Richard Assen from New Zealand, Rocky Robinson and Mike Akatiff’s Ack Attack, Leslie Porterfield, Mike and Terry Nish running for their glory story of speed.

I’m included as well, waxing with affection about the greatest motorsports venue on the planet, the place where more records have been set, lost and regained at higher speed than any place on earth — all done by amateurs, on shoe-strings budgets to test an idea, a hope, to make a dream come true. This where the age old question is put and answered, How fast will it go?” with every run across the salt.

George Poteet in the Speed Demon Streamliner

Boys of Bonneville Movie Trailer from Price Museum of Speed on Vimeo.

Boys of Bonneville DVD (NTSC)

Racing on a Ribbon of Salt

$19.95 + $ 5.00 shipping & handling

Continental USA, Hawaii and Alaska only

Foreign orders will incur additional shipping charge.

Narrated by Patrick Dempsey

81 minutes. Not rated. 

For Individual Home Use. (No Public Performance Rights)

Ships in 1 week (domestic) or 2 weeks (international).

Boys of Bonneville is also available for public non-theatrical screenings, speaking engagements by the filmmakers and special events. For details contact: film@boysofbonneville.com

REVIEW by LandSpeed Louise

When it comes to “car films” you can count really great ones on one hand. Add Boys of Bonneville to that hand. Because I have such a “Lioneess” proective approach about land speed racing and its people I get pretty cranky when TV and film folks screw things up and then run for cover screaming “creative license”  — especially when I helped them out one way or another. In this case, I was rather pleased with how things turned out. And in the spirt of full disclosure, understand that  I was interviewed for this documentary and appear on screen. 

That aside, this wonderfully crafted documentary has absorbing historic footage combined with a fine cross-section of folks who speak with authority (Hugh Coltharp, Gordon E. White) and sometimes only awe (Jay Leno) about David Abbot (Ab) Jenkins (1883-1956) whom many steadfastly believe is the “Father of salt racing and his son, Marv Jenkins.

It was Ab’s dogged determination that put the Bonneville Salt Flats on the international racing map, not to mention the hundreds of speed marks he set there proving the salt’s worth.

Considering his limited resources, Jenkins racked up remarkable achievements. What distinguished him from his contemporaries was his precise use of local, “tribal” salt knowledge and unlimited guts. He was a deeply religious man who put his faith in God, and by God, he went far.

Jenkins was often oxymoronically called “The World’s Safest Speedster” because he set more world records than any other driver, past or present, yet he was prouder of his million-mile “no accident” street driving record than all his speed and endurance records combined. His watchwords were simple: Safety First.

Moreover, the vintage film footage shows first-hand what a relaxed champion he was — exiting his Bonneville Salt Flats racing machines after a grueling 24-hour endurance run as though he were climbing out of a limousine on Broadway.

It took several decades later to topple Jenkins exhausting, 48-hour endurance record. As for the marks that have fallen, it required the efforts of several drivers compared to Jenkins single-man driving shows. However, many still remain intact today.

One-time considered Utah’s “one-man public relations machine,” Jenkins racing fame got him elected Mayor of Salt Lake in 1940 without ever giving a speech, or spending a nickel on a campaign. He served until 1944.

I am grumpy about one glaring omission . . ., The film doesn’t explain how, after setting dozens of speed records with the Pontiac Series 860, the General Motors decided to rename the car the “BONNEVILLE” in honor of Jenkins stunning achievements with the car — at age 76 no less. Find me a senior citizen race car driver today with such a pedigree. Stirling Moss, maybe, Andretti is too young and Nigel quit driving years ago. As far as I know, and I have been asking this question for more than a decade without getting contradicted, the Pontiac Bonneville is the only car to have EARNED its name and not simply be given its name by the sales and marketing people.

Ab Jenkins was the certainly the first person catch “salt fever” and luckily he passed it on to succeeding generations with a need for speed. When Jenkins died at age 76, on August 9, 1956, the world was a little slower for him having done so.

Back in California I had the happy duty to volunteer as a judge and speaker for a variety of camera clubs, county fair photo competitions and school events.  Moving to the St. Louis area, it was starting from scratch in terms of local “tribal knowledge” and I’ve come to adore my GPS  like Lewis and Clark must have loved their compass.

It takes awhile to immerse ones self in the local culture. A few months ago I read a news item on an exhibition by the St. Louis Camera Club and gave them a ring to see if I might be of service to the group. Not just another quaint bunch of hobbyist photographers, I was bowled over to discover this was the second oldest camera club in the United States,  only four years short 100 active years! Only the New York Camera Club is older. The group has more than 500 members and meets not once a month, but once a week attracting a full room every seven days. That means plenty of volunteer coordination and personal time by the five program chairs (color, nature, photo travel, photojournalism,prints)  to dream up topics and seek out speakers. Besides the executive board and directors, there are 18 fully staffed committees and a well-designed website: www.stlcameraclub.com.

It was to this august body of visual enthusiasts that I trotted out my presentation on land speed racing talking about what goes on at Bonneville, but focused on the 1997 Supersonic Showdown in the Black Rock Desert between the British and Americans. As usual, most of the audience didn’t have a clue about the sport so it was a delight to give ‘em peek at the world’s fastest fun and games.

In the second half of the evening, I judged several competitions — very difficult because the club has some damned talented shooters in the ranks.  Afterwards, about a dozen folks invited me out for desert and/or drinks at a nearby watering hole. A real friendly and gracious bunch. I have been already invited back to give another talk in January on Bonneville and class racing. When the unsolicited letter of thanks came I thought it would be interesting to share the experience with all of you.

Land speed racing has a long and storied heritage, much like the American wild west, but all the ponies are under hood these days. Mostly unknown outside automotive and motor sports circles, my presentations offer an intimate perspective into “go fast” Americana  where the “can do” spirit finds ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  Men and women, young and old,  the highly skilled next to the mighty lucky, put on a boisterously brilliant mechanical circus set on sparkling white salt laboratory where dreams come true on a certified time slip. With each run, the question is answered, time and time again:  How fast will it go?

If you have a school, club or business gathering that might get a kick out of learning a bit about the worlds’ fastest cars, trucks and motorcycles, get in touch with me through his website and we can discuss how to bring the stirring spirit of high-speed adventures to your group. I always have such an incredibly good time doing these shows. From a giant, packed room at Roush Racing, the overflowing main lecture hall at Ferris State University, colleges, high schools and primary schools to the keynote luncheon speaker for the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC), numerous SAE chapters across the country as well as museums around the world, bringing the sport of land speed to the public is rewarding as it is enjoyable.