It’s almost akin to being a fighter pilot, in a way. You check your safety gear before you even sit down into the seat. You have the protective garments on. The helmet is securely fastened. Your crew helps you belt up, makes sure your head restraints are in place and fitted properly. Meanwhile other checks are being performed…verifying that the engine is ok, the rubber is good, the windscreen is cleaned. Breathe. You get settled in and start preparing for what’s about to come next. It’s only a few miles, but that is really disregarding what you are in for. Things happen on the salt. People have spun their cars at well over 300 miles an hour. Craig Breedlove’s six-mile-long skidmarks are still in the Guiness Book of World Records. But you can’t let the fear grip you. Understand the risk, understand that you have mitigated the risk as much as possible and know that you can react. After that, don’t think about what could happen that hard. Breathe.

You’re at the line. You feel the thump from the push truck as you start to make forward momentum. Once you’re on, you pull away and open the taps up as much as you dare. It’s now you, the salt, the sky and the machine, operating as one unit. Do it right and you’re a hero. Add in luck, and your name goes in a book somewhere until someone faster rolls up. That’s the way Bonneville goes.

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