Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Aug. 5, 2024.
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
One of the many natural features that make Utah special is the Bonneville Salt Flats. And for at least one group, its spacious, flat, smooth but moist surface makes it ideal for speed.
As in 30,000 acres of spacious surface. This time of year, land-speed record aficionados turn their attention to the Salt Flats, a beautiful remnant of Lake Bonneville. They call it Speed Week.
On Aug. 5, 1963, Craig Breedlove set land-speed records in his famed Spirit of America, clocking 407 mph at Bonneville. The record changed hands eight times in the next two-plus years, culminating with Breedlove’s final mark set of 600.6 mph on Nov. 15, 1965.
News articles of the day show how Breedlove battled Tom Green and Art Arfons on the Bonneville Salt Flats, setting then breaking each other’s speed records during the 1960s, a golden era of American motorsports.
During one of Breedlove’s record-breaking runs, he lost his brakes and his parachutes. Unable to stop for more than a mile, his car slammed into telephone poles before landing in a salt pond. Breedlove escaped unscathed.
Thirty years later, Breedlove had planned to try to break the land-speed record of 633 mph in 1996, but he crashed and had to abandon the endeavor.
Breedlove was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993, the Dry Lakes Racing hall of Fame in 1995, International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000, and the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2009. He died in 2023 at age 86.
Here are some fun stories from Deseret News archives about the Bonneville Salt Flats, Speed Week, the challenges the salt flats face and other related issues:
“Bonneville Salt Flats — Speed week”
“A race against time on the Bonneville Salt Flats”
“Saluting the women who broke the gender barrier at Bonneville Salt Flats”
“New diesel engine land speed record set at Bonneville Salt Flats”
“Qualifying complete: Breedlove eyes record”
“Breedlove narrowly avoids disaster”
“Racers whip across Utah’s famed Salt Flats after 2 years off”
And if you are wondering, the World of Speed week is set for Sept. 6-9 this year.
And what about the future of the Bonneville Salt Flats:
“Bonneville Salt Flats study underway, but racers say time is running out”
“Opinion: Making the Great Salt Lake into a national park”
And for information’s sake, British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green set the current record of 763.035 mph in October 1997. He used a 54-foot-long, 12-foot-wide car to hit the mark at Black Rock Deseret in northern Nevada.