Chad hit the salt running on Monday zapping photos and glad handing with hot rodders and gearheads he’d not seen since least year’s running of Speed Week. Tuesday he helped make a 2 cylinder Big Block run, watched records fall, and even talked to Jimmy Shine. Notable action from Monday included the Poteet and Main Speed Demon running nearly 430mph, Lee Sicilio recapturing the AA/Production record at over 239mph, and the Lefevers and Jesel machine capturing the C/Gas Modified Roadster mark.

It has been relatively quiet thus far as competitors are working their tune-ups into full war mode for the middle and end of the week. The record setting action will escalate throughout the week and we’ll be there for it all. Chad will be sending dispatches as big stuff happens and we’ll keep you up to date at the fastest men and women on Earth run for records all week long!

2011 BONNEVILLE SPEED WEEK GALLERY:

2011 BONNEVILLE SPEED WEEK GALLERY: TUESDAY ON THE SALT!  Note: Tomorrow’s gallery will be our biggest yet by far. Stay tuned.
TUESDAY UPDATE:

Tuesday was as action packed as you would expect, but in a slightly different way. Normally Saturday and Sunday are the biggest days on the salt, and the crowds slowly start to thin throughout the week. This doesn’t mean the action is any less bitchin, but as the week goes on it’s the big guns that are still out on the salt hammering on records. In fact, Wednesday is always a big day because they move the courses on Wednesday to fresh salt and that means fast times for the big boys who have gotten their tune-ups dialed in.

This year the crowds are thinning quicker than normal, but those big guns are still firing like mad. Notable moments from Tuesday included Jimmy Shine and Wayne Jesel thrashing to replace a bent spindle on their roadster after Shine nearly turned turtle in the car on Monday and rode one front wheel much further than the manufacturer rated it, all while qualifying for a record. A mad dash to Salt Lake City to get a new one had one in the pits for repairs on Tuesday morning and, according to our sources, got them in the record books once again. BangShifter’s Ed and Linda Van Scoy are out killing the salt fighting for one measly mile per hour in search of a record in 2011. Multiple minor problems have slowed their progress a bit, but fresh salt could mean a record tomorrow for them.

On the Freiburger and Turk front, Mike Copeland, Chad, Freiburger, Turks, Van Scoys, Timneys, Keith Dorton, Doug Robinson, and a few others helped turn a blown up Big Block into a much less powerful 2 cylinder that is now in line on the short course waiting to run on an open record tomorrow morning at 7:30. Expectations are low, and the projected 40ish mph run certainly won’t be the fastest speed for the car, but it might be the funniest. When Chad asked Freiburger about running for such a slow record, his reply was exactly what we’d expect. “Dude, we came here to get records. They might not be the records we were aiming for originally, but they are records none the less.”

Our plan is to have a complete cumulative list of all records that have been set for Speed Week 2011, sometime Wednesday. In the meantime, notable records include the following.

Blowfish with Danny Burrow behind the wheel gets him a Blue Hat for entering the 300mph Club

Spirit of Rett A Gas Streamliner 353.825 on a 350.728 Record

BMR Racing C Fuel Roadster 286.329 on a 273.280 record with Alan Fogliadini driving

RPM Racing, with Richard Holdner tuning, G Blown Gas Coupe 188 on a 186 record

Jesel and Cook Thunder Racing D Fuel Modified Sports 235 on a 221 record with Mike Cook driving.