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The salt flats were first used for motor sports in 1912, but did not become truly popular until the 1930s when Ab Jenkins and Sir Malcolm Campbell competed to set land speed records. A reduction of available racing surface and salt thickness has led to the cancellation of events at Bonneville, such as Speed Week in 2014 and 2015. [2]
Roland Robert Free (November 18, 1900 – October 11, 1984) was an American motorcycle and automobile racer best known for breaking the American motorcycle land speed record in 1948 on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. A picture of Free, prone and wearing a bathing suit, has been described as the most famous picture in motorcycling. [1] [2]
First 300 mph (480 km/h) pass, first absolute record set at Bonneville [38] November 19, 1937: Bonneville Salt Flats, United States: George Eyston: Thunderbolt: Internal combustion: 2 × 36.7 L (2,240 cu in) V12 Rolls-Royce R supercharged aero engines: 311.42: 501.16 [38] August 27, 1938: Bonneville Salt Flats, United States: George Eyston ...
In the nine times he raced at Bonneville, [8] Munro set three world records: in 1962, in 1966 and in 1967. He also once qualified at over 200 mph (320 km/h), but that was an unofficial run and was not counted. Following the misspelling of his name in an American motorcycling magazine in 1957, Bert Munro changed his name to Burt. [1]
Jenkins' interest in motorsports began with racing motorcycles on dirt tracks and across country. He then became interested in land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. He was instrumental in establishing Bonneville as a location for such events, and in attracting overseas drivers such as George Eyston and Sir Malcolm Campbell to compete ...
Combs died on August 27, 2019, after crashing a jet-powered car while setting a land-speed record as part of the North American Eagle Project on a dry lake bed in the Alvord Desert, Oregon. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] The crash was caused by a failure of a front wheel, likely caused by hitting an object in the desert, which caused the front wheel ...
He achieved international fame in 1960, when he became the first American to break the 400-mph barrier, driving his Challenger 1 to a one-way top speed of 406.60 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats and surpassing John Cobb's one-way world record mark of 402 mph. Thompson then turned to racing, winning many track and dragster championships
He set his final land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah on 3 September 1935, and was the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph, averaging 301.337 mph (484.955 km/h) in two passes.