So here’s the place that we’ll be telling you all the 2013 Bonneville Speed Week news that is fit to print…and probably a bunch of junk that isn’t but that’s our problem and not yours. Basically this is the place you need to check about 100 times a day to see who is fast, who is in impound, who set records, crashed, or blew their stuff to smithereens. Think of this as Hunter S Thompson style Bonneville reporting. If we catch wind of an interesting tid bit or story, this is where you’ll find it. The newest stuff will be posted at the top, and older stuff will get kicked down the page. We have established a network of intelligence on the salt that will be reporting back to us from all angles and courses. If this works, it’ll be epic. If it doesn’t we have no one to blame but them….remember that. Just kidding.

Update 1:25 Salt Time – 

Here we go! –The impound area is filling up with record qualifiers. The first car down the salt today was the Poteet and Main Speed Demon which is being powered by a B motor at this time. They record they ran on is a long held mark that was set by Al Teague some years ago. With a qualifying speed in excess of 420mph and (we believe) and exit speed over 430mph, these guys are poised to take this record by a wide margin. They are in impound and will be on the course at day break.

We need to get some details but another notable qualifier was the diesel pickup that ran 220 on a 202 record. This becomes really cool when you learn that the truck is a later model F-250 and the engine is a V12 Detroit Diesel. We’re going to try and hunt this team down when they have some free time and blast a feature on the truck. We want an upclose look at all that Detroit Diesel power in the engine bay!

A notable change this year is a the stoppage of using the CB radio to announce times and incremental speeds as cars head down the course. All of the information is coming over the radio on the 88.9 FM frequency.

There are four courses running this week. The shortest is where salt rookies begin their experience and licensing process, the longest course is reserved for cars capable of 175mph plus, and the middle courses are where lots of the neato old stuff that can’t run the big numbers live. Bear in mind that these courses are miles and miles long, and are spread by distances that are nearly impossible to verbalize. This is my first experience here and to say that I am flabbergasted would be the understatement of the week. This is truly unreal.

The hot rod contingent is in full force with eye candy patrolling the pits and sitting on the salt. We give lots of credit to the guys who drove from all corners of the country to be here. We ran into a couple cars with Vermont and Connecticut license plates! That’s one hell of a ride!

We’ll be back later with more information for you. The week is just getting started and the stories are just starting to form up. Stay tuned. As news breaks we’ll be on it. 

Update – Driver’s meeting has been completed, competition on the salt has begun and we’re awaiting the first big numbers and information from our bevy of “men and women on the scene”. Weather is beautiful with a side of blazing heat and all systems are go at SCTA Speed Week 2013!