Wester,
Good to have you on the site. Your input is quite a historical view of
the place we all love. Not too many people I talk to today even remember
the 10 mile circle. I am certain that we will be on the international
course, as you stated, there is no other area I know of that will give
us nine miles. It is exciting to here the reports on conditions out
there.
Wes, I didn't shave my beard because of your likeness, I feel honored to
be compared to you. I did it for my mother a few years ago. She said she
would like to see my face again before she died. She is now 94 and going
strong.
Tom
"Wester S. Potter" wrote:
>
> Thanks Keith
> I have been interested in racing on the salt since I caught "salt fever" on
> my first visit in 1951. I built a street driven car to race in 1960...53
> Stude 5 window with a 293 sb Chev but they caught me on a new roll cage rule
> that year and I gave up on it. That rule and the 55 Chev that boosted the C
> Gas record to 155 that year. Traded it a couple of months later for a
> friends equity in a 1960 Austin Healey 3000 that was almost new.
> Currently I am secretary for the USFRA ...the replacement for my old friend
> Mary West who I met on the salt in '51. No race car...kids in college...but
> I feel the need to put my efforts where they can do some good. I am
> responsible for some of the stuff on the USFRA web site at saltflats.com
> including the pictures of the fast bike trophy in progress.
> I know Gary and Tom. Tom and I were accused by some of looking alike so he
> shaved off his beard.
> ----------
> > From: "Keith Turk" <kturk@ala.net>
> > To: "Wester S. Potter" <wspotter@jps.net>
> > Subject: Re: Salt Flats International Course
> > Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 22:00:46 -0700
> >
> >First and foremost... Welcome to our Place to hang out and Bench race....
> >there are no rules other then being polite... if it interests you and your
> >interested in LSR then bring the subject on...
> >
> >Spelling and Grammar aren't counted here... and I appreciate your immediate
> >desire to pitch in the info on the international course.... I will ask you
> >a couple of questions by replying to all instead of individually... Lots
> >of conversations take place one to one... I try and keep most my stuff out
> >in the Open arena as I feel we have a need to perpetuate the list as a
> >place to ask questions and receive answers....
> >
> >Take a sec if you would .... (Like myself several folks here on the list
> >don't have a ton of history on the other folks) and tell us a bit about
> >your interests at Bonneville... are you running a car and what kind... what
> >have you run in the past and what would you like to run in the future...
> >
> >I am fascinated with the quality of folks we have here... from Tom Bryant
> >to Wendy Jeffries... it's been a great place to learn and hang out... The
> >information is Archived at www.listquest.com and you can go back and type a
> >subject and anything said about it in the past will be available to you...
> >Pretty neat deal...
> >
> >Take care and once again welcome.... Keith D/GALT 1980 Camaro with the
> >current ECTA record at 180.361mph ( most likely not a record setter at
> >bville but my dream of driving on the salt is absolutely going to happen
> >this year)
> >----------
> >> From: Wester S. Potter <wspotter@jps.net>
> >> To: Keith Turk <kturk@ala.net>
> >> Cc: land-speed@autox.team.net land-speed@autox.team.net
> >> Subject: Salt Flats International Course
> >> Date: Tuesday, July 13, 1999 3:06 PM
> >>
> >> I'm new to this group but have a bit of experience with the salt
> >flats...If
> >> I may give an answer to Keith...
> >> The international course is the one used by all land-speed attempts from
> >the
> >> nineteen thirties on. It was the course of choice because of the
> >> length...some thirteen miles most recently. It begins just north of I-80
> >> and parallels the Salduro Loop at the start and passes between the loop
> >and
> >> the end of the access road. The northmost part aims for Floating Island.
> >
> >> When John Cobb ran there he looped to the east up there to get more
> >length
> >> for his runs. With the flooding onto the area north of the freeway of
> >> magnesium chloride in November of 1993 from the Reilly ponds, that course
> >> broke up...turned granular like sugar...and there were some serious
> >> incidents because of it. We had to move the course several times to even
> >> have something to run on and have had to do so ever since. The course we
> >> have used recently is the "hot-rod" course which crosses the
> >International
> >> Course at the six mile area. It has been used when the longer
> >International
> >> Course has been too wet. That area north of the dike is where Ab
> >Jenkens,
> >> and the Brits and the 1970"s runs by Bobby Isaac had their ten mile
> >> endurance circles. If we have a nine mile course this year you can be
> >sure
> >> it is on the International Course. That is the area of the greatest salt
> >> depth and the longest area of good salt.
> >
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