My
Memories of Bonneville Are All a Blur
By
Gale Banks
From the Official Program of the
49th Annual Bonneville Speed Week 1997
Before
there was drag racing... Before there was NASCAR...
Before there was off-road, Baja, SODA, SCORE... Before
there was road racing, IMSA, Trans-AM, Formula One,
FIA... Before there were Indy cars, sprinters, midgets,
hobby stocks, rally cars, Pikes Peak, Destruction Derby
and the World of Outlaws. Before there were Mears,
Unsers, Andrettis, Foyt and Barney Oldfield. Even before
Wally Parks...
There
was Speed.
Testing
top speed started with the first automobile, and I'm
willing to bet, the second automobile was intended
to beat the first. Even the most uninitiated person
holds an opinion about speed. Stop anywhere while towing
your racer and somebody is bound to ask, "How fast
will that thing go?"
Hot
rodders have been answering the "how fast" question
on various California dry lakes since before World
War II. During those early years Bonneville was basically
a rich man's playground, where monster land speed cars
ran under the old AAA sanctioning, while the dry-lakes
hot rodders looked on with envy.
Enter
the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA).
They wanted to run "hot rods" at the Salt. A recent
letter from Wally Parks explains what took place.
Dear
Gale:
Alex
Xydias told me you're having some difficulty unraveling
the history of hot rod cars running at the Bonneville
Salt Flats. Here, right from the old horse's mouth,
are some details of the history of hot rod cars
running at the Bonneville Salt Flats:
In
1948, when I was secretary and general manager
of the SCTA as its first full-time employee, we
had contacted the old AAA regarding the hope we
might run our cars on the Salt. In a reply letter
from Mr. Art Pillsbury, then the AAA's chief steward
for auto racing in the United States, we were advised
that "the world record in Class C is 203 mph and
it is highly doubtful any hot rod will ever attain
that speed."
Some
time after that not-encouraging response, I contacted
the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce, whose secretary,
Gus Backman, was in charge of its Bonneville Speedway
Association—entrusted by the state and U.S.
government as the official custodian of Bonneville's
Salt Flats.
Mr.
Backman suggested a meeting to discuss the SCTA's
proposal, and I invited Mr. Lee Ryan, senior member
of a publicity group with whom we were planning
SCTA's first Hot Rod Exposition, to accompany me
for the Salt Lake City presentation. As neither
of us had transportation suitable for the journey,
we invited Bob "Pete" Petersen to join us on the
trip with his 10-year-old Mercury club coupe as
our hopeful round-trip conveyance.
After
our proposal, in which Lee Ryan added a valuable
element of maturity, Mr. Backman agreed to allow
the SCTA one "trial" event on the Bonneville Salt
Flats, with any future consideration pending the
first event's outcome. Needless to say, the initial
venture in 1949 was a pronounced success. And due
to SCTA's diligence in operations, plus the cooperative
support of Union Oil Company and Hot Rod Magazine,
the Bonneville National Speed Trials became an
historic annual occasion—one that has lasted
for half a century—threatened only by the
condition of the Salt.
Wally
Parks
Named in the 1949 entries were enough heroes to last me a lifetime. Today,
Speed Week is the crown jewel in what has become a summer of time trials.
And Bonneville, the Mecca of Speed.
While
the story here is "fast," it's the people—what
they build and bring to race—that makes this place
so incredibly interesting. Bonneville is about dreams—and
sometimes even fantasies—brought to life after
months or even years of effort, and towed to this place
each year with only one thing in mind: Speed.
Stirred
by Bob Petersen's Hot Rod Magazine, I started hot rodding
in 1954 by building a B-blocked, C-cranked and Riley-headed
'31 Ford Model A. But it was my '53 Stude coupe and
a guy named Bruce Geisler that got me to the Salt,
and neither of us has been the same since. By the way,
my first run at the Salt was 150.00 mph, a perfection
I have yet to duplicate.
After
the run, I checked the valve lash on my 327 Chevy.
Two intake rockers were clear off the studs. So much
for those trick rocker nuts. To my knowledge, that
was the first run by a 90° Chevy V-6 at the Salt.
One
run. Then it rained, and we all went home to return
the next year. Ah, Bonneville...
My
business turned to turbocharging and marine engines
in the '60s and '70s, but we always had our hand in
something "salty." One of the most bizarre projects
belonged to (then Air Force doctor) Al Abbott, who
wanted to purchase one of our big block marine endurance
engines. His intent was to set the Bicycle Land Speed
Record???
Turns
out, he was doing this while drafting a '55 Chevy coupe.
But, during practice runs his engine kept kicking out
parts with Al in its wake. Our boat-motor solved the
problem and Al got the record, cycling somewhere in
the 145 mph range. Al's brother sat in the trunk observing
and running the throttle, with another guy up front
doing the steering and shifting.
Like
I said, the story is the people.
And
the people can be very special. In 1981, the Sundowner
Corvette brought giant smiles to the faces of Bob Kehoe
and myself by giving partner Dwayne McKinney a 240+
ride. We broke the record a ton, and proceeded to celebrate
in a friend's motorhome with the blender at full rpm.
We neglected the valve work needed on our engine in
Geisler's Hanky Panky Studebaker. Near the end of the
day, Doug Cook knocks on the door to say, "Hey Gale,
I finished the heads for the Stude." Hell, I'd forgotten
all about them. Doug had his own stuff to work on,
but that's Bonneville... I'll never forget it. Today,
Doug's son Mike will be found prominently placed in
this program.
Through
the years, having raced in almost every form of car
or boat, I find that my most meaningful memories come
from the Salt: Dipping my jeans and T-shirt in a 55-gallon
drum of borate solution (couldn't afford a fire suit.)
Attempting to float my '56 Bel Air tow car on the way
to the highway (it sank). Watching the guy next door
bore a block in his motel room (El Patio). Running
a Pontiac Firebird with factory sponsorship (talk about
pressure!). Taking away a Porsche world record with
a GMC pickup (the Syclone). My membership in the Rod
Riders with Bill Burke as president (a true gentleman
who influenced me greatly.) And living with the antics
of my lifelong partner, Bruce Geisler (three all-nighters
in a row, and still laughing.)
Bonneville
is the last bastion of the amateur racer and, like
Doug and Mike Cook, it's family and friendly. People
with big heads are rare. I've seen direct competitors
loan parts and tools to each other, sometimes even
helping the other guy wrench. Then they'd go out and
pump Salt with the prime intent of blowing the other
guy off.
Speaking
of pumping Salt, you'll find no taxiing aircraft (jet
cars) at Speed Week. Here, all the cars put the power
down through the tires, just like God intended. The
best at that for more years than I can remember is
Elwin "Al" Teague. Refining his Lakester into a Streamliner
and marching well into the 400's, Al typifies what
Bonneville racing is all about—limited budget,
hard work, racing savvy, natural engineering talent,
finding more speed year after year and laying down
a sound that defines this place. This unassuming man
does not like confining spaces, yet sits in a very
claustrophobic place and gets in the wind with an authority
that is the envy of us all.
Bonneville
is about hard work and heroes, high- and low-buck,
victory and defeat, fathers and sons, dreams realized
and "wait'll next year." But, it's this year, and you're
here. If you're racing, good luck. If you're spectating,
check out the machinery—the ingenuity is awesome.
Pick your favorites and see how they do. Most of all,
enjoy the meet, whether you're in it or along the sidelines
People
say, "in Life, Timing is Everything." But here at Bonneville,
I like to say, "Everything is Timing!"
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