[1]Images: SCTA [2]
If you were planning to take part in the annual Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats this August, you know that unseasonable rain that fell last week has canceled the event. But according to Autoweek [3], you may have another chance to participate in a pseudo Speed Week in the next month or so. Check out what the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) [4] is dealing with at the Salt Flats as we speak.
[5]Chief Starter Jim Jensen stands in the standing water at the Bonneville Salt Flats that cancelled this year’s Speed Week.
The Bonneville Salt Flats acts as a Mecca of sorts for car enthusiasts and speed freaks alike, especially during the annual spectacle that is Speed Week. Unfortunately, the geography of the Salt Flats that makes it so appealing for racers is the same that makes it collect standing water poured from the sky during random storms.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what hit the Bonneville Salt Flats last week, causing the salt to retain buckets of water, in some places measuring a couple feet deep. While the water will eventually dry up, the SCTA determined that the standing water wouldn’t disappear fast enough to hold the 2014 Speed Week as planned August 9th through the 15th.
In an official announcement, the SCTA stated that the SCTA Board is discussing the possibility of extending their next event at Bonneville, which is the World Finals set for September 30th through October 3rd, to a full week to potentially make up for the rained out Speed Week.
While countless participants and Speed Week fans are undoubtedly disappointed with the recent turn of events, the unseasonable rainfall and collection area that the Bonneville Salt Flats provides are unavoidable factors of taking advantage of the optimal terrain of the Salt Flats. Just like most of you, we hope to see a make-up of sorts for this year’s Speed Week in the near future!
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