Flooding on the Bonneville Salt Flats outside Wendover, Utah, has forced the cancellation of motorcycle land speed racing events scheduled for later this month.
The 2022 AMA Land Speed Grand Championship and the FIM Land Speed World Records events comprise the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials, which were scheduled for August 27 to September 1.
“We are all disappointed that we are forced to cancel. We have spent a year plus preparing for this event and investing in improvement,” explained Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials organizer Delvene Reber. “Like you, we have spent a year-plus preparing for this event and investing in improvements. This year we were implementing racer-driven improvements that include new flagging, course line improvements, and other racer-driven updates.”
The portions of the salt flats that comprise the land speed racing course have between four and ten inches of water covering the surface. With less than a month before the flag was scheduled to drop, there is no possibility that the water could recede and the salt dry out enough to allow acceptable track conditions for competition.
The event also includes the unique Run Watcha Brung category. A rider can get two officially timed runs down the salt, get a timing slip, and own bragging rights to having run a motorcycle on the legendary salt flats of Bonneville. However, riders in the Run Whatcha Brung class are not eligible to set an official result recognized by either the AMA for a national speed record or the FIM for a world record.
Reber indicated that BMST will be in touch with participants soon with further information. Additional updates will be provided on the BMST website. Reber has already announced August 26 to 31 as tentative dates for the 2023 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials. Rules for the AMA Land Speed Grand Championship are spelled out on the sanctioning body’s website.
