My first set of photos from Bonneville was all about the strange beauty of its landscape -- salt, sky, mountains, light, and vast, limitless space. As I said in that post, it was my first trip to the Salt Flats, and I found the other-worldly landscape almost overwhelming.
This collection is different. It's about the amazing cars and bikes that I saw and the cool people that I met at the Southern California Timing Association's [SCTA] Speed Week 2011. As you'll see, however, the Bonneville's landscape never ceases to provide a gorgeous backdrop for photography.
Crew members push Fred Lobello's belly tank lakester toward an inspection station. As the name implies, this purpose-built land speed racer was made (in 1969) from the belly fuel tank of an airplane, in this case a US Air Force Convair B-58 bomber. All competing cars and motorcycles undergo a rigorous inspection to ensure that all required safety equipment is present and that they comply with the rules for their classes. Bonneville, August 2011. Update, 2 September 2011: Many thanks to Randy Chenowth for identifying himself and Jose Serrano as the team members in the photo. Randy is on the left. [Photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2011. Click on any image to see a much larger version.]
An SCTA inspector gives the Heady Endeavors '34 Ford coupe the once-over. The car holds the record in its class. Bonneville, August 2011.
Jim Leininger's 750 Honda undergoes inspection. Like the Heady Endeavors Ford, it holds the record in its class. Bonneville, August 2011.
Bonner Denton talks to a Japanese television crew about Bonner's Bad Berkeley, a highly modified '59 Berkeley sports car, powered by a big ol' Donovan V8. Bonner teaches chemistry at the University of Arizona, making him, by my count, one of two "Professor Speeds" at the event. (The other is Robin Dripps, about whom I'm writing an article for the Charlottesville Daily Progress.) Bonneville, August 2011.
SCTA volunteer (and land speed racer) Bob Sights directs traffic. In the foreground is the Kilmer and Sons '31 Ford competition coupe. Bonneville, August 2011.
No doubt about it, Bob Sights is as friendly and helpful as he looks in this picture. He took pity on me, a Speed Week rookie, and showed me one or two of the ropes. Bonneville, August 2011.
I didn't get this guy's name, but he claims that his homemade turbo hat, fashioned from a fiberglass sousaphone bell, really cools him off. It probably builds the neck muscles, too. Bonneville, August 2011.
The drivers' meeting takes place on Saturday morning, before any cars or bikes go down the track. Bonneville, August 2011.
Carter Lloyd's beautifully engineered front-wheel-drive '28 Ford roadster was the very first car to go down the long course at this year's event. The man in the orange hat -- George Calloway, racer, photographer, and SCTA volunteer -- is another one of the people who made Speed Week such an enjoyable experience for me. He was extremely generous in sharing his knowledge of land speed racing.
Believe is or not, folks, that bright red tube is a motorcycle. Unfortunately, the Arrow Williams machine and the fellow inside -- who is lying flat on his back and peering out through a periscope -- are about to take a tumble, less than a mile down the track. Luckily, the driver wasn't hurt. Bonneville, August 2011. [Remember, you can click on any photo to see a much larger version.]
Darold Cummings prepares to make a pass on his Gilera. He eventually set a class record at 76.056 mph. Not bad for a 125cc bike! Bonneville, August 2011.
Riding his 1000cc Suzuki, Ralph Hudson (you'll see him again below) set a new record in his class, posting a top speed of 225.596 mph. Most of the cars and bikes are so highly geared that they need a push (usually from a truck or SUV) to get going. Bonneville, August 2011.
A unidentified roadster pops the 'chute to slow the car, before the driver applies the brakes. The car is about five and a half miles from the starting line and has just entered the shut down area. Bonneville, August 2011.
The Bean Bandits (a historic southern California land speed and drag racing team that's been around since 1949!) and Slappy's Garage combined to set a new class record 123.331 mph with this '50s Ford Mainline. (No, I'd never heard of a Mainline, either. Had to google it.) Bonneville, August 2011.
As I was saying, everybody that I met at Bonneville really was as friendly as can be. (Well, almost everybody.) And I can personally confirm that an ice cream sandwich from the big yellow truck tastes awfully good after a long day of shooting. Bonneville, August 2011.
Wendy Jeffries and King Kong. Wendy, who edits the Bonneville Racing News, is one of the many people who helped my get my bearings during Speed Week. Behind her is the SUV that serves as her mobile office. The silver screen provides shade, a rare and precious commodity on the Salt.
It looks like sunset, but it's not. The rosy glow comes from the rising sun. That's Ralph Hudson, again, and he's about to set another class record. Riding a 650cc Suzuki, he managed a top speed of 202.570 mph. Bonneville, August 2011.
Crew members and spectators watch Ralph Hudson as he disappears from view -- over the curvature of the earth. Yes, the Bonneville is one of the few places where the earth's curvature is easily visible to the naked eye. Here, on Bonneville's eight-mile "long course," the neither the starting line nor the end of the course can be seen from the announcer's booth at the five-mile mark.
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Note: I'll post the photos that I made of Robin Dripps and the Gibby and Dripps racing team only after my article about them has run in the Daily Progress.
I love that shot of bike #3536! It shows the concentration and team work needed to set records in the unique environment of the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Posted by: Wendy Jeffries | 08/30/2011 at 10:47 PM
Top photo of the Lobello belly tank being pushed by 2 crew members.. They are Randy Chenowth & Jose Serrano
I'm Randy Chenowth , do you have any more photos of the Lobello race team
Posted by: Randy Chenowth | 09/01/2011 at 04:32 PM
Hi, Randy. Thanks very much for the information. I'll add the names to the caption. As for other photos of the car, I'll have to go through my files. I'll send you an email if I find anything good.
Posted by: John | 09/01/2011 at 07:09 PM