Everybody knows about Bonneville. The Salt Flats are one of the most riveting geographical features on the North American continent, and at night might be one of the most surreal places I’ve ever stood at. There’s immense history there and nothing I’m going to say will take away from that. But Bonneville isn’t the only hallowed ground where speed freaks can get their fix. El Mirage, the dry lakebed in California that you have probably seen on many a car commercial over the years, is another place where racers can go foot-to-floor in the pursuit of land speed records. And in good news (for once), it appears that there may be a way to keep the access to the lakebed open permanently, in a bill that is currently working it’s way through Congress.
The bill, H.R. 857 (California Off-Road Recreation and Conservation Act) will designate six ORV areas in the Southern California area as “National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Areas” and would prevent developers and federal officials from barring entry into said areas. In addition to El Mirage, other locations would be Dumont Dunes, Rasor, Spangler Hills, Stoddard Valley and Johnson Valley. SEMA, The American Motorcycle Association, The Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association, The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council and the Motorcycle Industry Council have all put their backing on the bill, which will face the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
El Mirage stands out as one of the longest-serving locations for the SCTA, having been in operation as a hot-rod testing spot since the 1920s. Cementing the lakebed’s status as an ORV park that can’t be messed with would be a valuable score for racers who live for high speeds in the desolate vista of the Mojave, a trail of dust in their wake.
(Courtesy: Hemmings Daily)
