Priceless tips about racing on the salt at Bonneville from the FIM record holder Andy Sills.

Land Speed Racing is Not a Drag Race

• At Bonneville there are two courses-the short course is 3 miles long and the long course is 5 miles long. The anticipated speed determines which course the rider will use. In either event, the speed is measured over the course of the last mile so there is generally plenty of time to get the bike up to speed before you hit the speed traps
• Land speed utilizes what is known as a “flying start” because the acceleration of the motorcycle is not important as the rider has a very long approach to the timing traps. In fact, many streamline motorcycles are pushed by a vehicle until they have enough speed to balance and stay upright and then they are launched down the course.
• A top fuel dragster can hit 300+mph but the challenge in land speed racing is to sustain the speed for one mile. If a dragster were to proceed for a mile it would likely blow up the motor.

Got Salt?

• The salt beds of Bonneville are 4+ feet thick providing a hard flat base but the actual surface provides variable traction
• The surface quality is the result of many dynamic factors like moisture content, ambient temperature, usage, etc
• The salt surface can be dry /hard or it can be moist/soft or anywhere in between. Feel and experience will allow you to adjust accordingly
• The track is prepared each day by dragging a plow-like device over the course to even out the surface removing ruts, both natural and motorcycle made
• The surface of the salt, though slippery to the touch, generally gives the rider a hooked-up feel as you travel down the course. If there is a black line it marks the outside boundaries of the course
• The “black line” does not run down the center of the course. At the BUB Speed Trials there is no black line. The course boundaries are marked by flags space at intervals down the course
• Each mile is marked accordingly with a banner/flag so the rider knows where they are along the way
• To maintain a straight line down the course, most riders pick a fixed point in the horizon and aim for that. I target my spot on “Floating Mountain” rather than using the sidelines to guide me

Getting From Here to There

• Getting on the throttle too hard or too quickly will spin the wheel in any gear resulting in the loss of traction but the bike will maintain direction and traction is regained by managing the throttle accordingly
• A balanced, even, steady throttle with relaxed gear changes maintains traction best
• Keep your hands light on the bars
• Course corrections are made more by pressuring the bars rather than by trying to steer the bike
• On the K12 I ride relatively upright up to 130-140 (4th gear) mph to position the bike and “get into” the ride. I move around some on the seat fore and aft and get comfortable, take a deep breath then tuck in fully; head, elbows, knees, feet and remain still. Finally, I shift into 5th then 6th gear and let the bike take me through the traps

The Zen of it All

• Take a deep breath before you leave the starting line
• Don’t be in a hurry, you have plenty of time and distance
• Remember to shift (I run the bike to the red line and I shout out the gear each time I shift)
• Before you tuck in, look around and realize your place in the vast whiteness of it all.
• Take another deep breath and remember to be aware of the mile markers
• Finish your gear changes as you are looking through the windscreen pointing to your target on the horizon, then; feel the quiet, your body now still, your sight set thru to the horizon, your mind clear of any further tasks
• Its time to enjoy
• Appreciate the moment, how fortunate you are to be there, how incredible it all is…the peace of it all.
• Enjoy the ride, there is no need to “drive” the bike, let the bike take you and ride through the finish
• Well after the finish marker roll off the throttle but stay in your tuck as you are still going faster than you think (I have a natural tendency to want to pop up as soon as I cross the line, but that can be a rude if not dangerous move … It’s not the Tour de France afterall…). Look for the exit ramp (marked). Check your speedo and don’t sit up until you are below 100 or so.
• Start to slow down applying the brakes evenly (you can actually grab all the brakes you want on the ABS K12 and the bike confidently comes to a quick, linear stop- but its not necessary), careful with your downshifts and pull off the course fully before heading back to the pits

If it was Easy They Wouldn’t Call it Racing or Why Things are Not as They Appear to Be

• You are in the high desert. The salt flats are at an elevation of some 4200’. There is a power loss factor of 3% for each 1000’ of elevation

• The weather changes quickly and can change often. Rain, wind and heat all effect the salt and the outcome of your ride. Rain will shut the course down but even two inches of standing water can disappear in a day…or not. Speculating, theorizing, hand wringing, and voodoo are all part of the experience. Optimism is your best defense. Science is sketchy…ask the crustiest old dude out there if you want answers.
• Be patient. Some times the event runs slowly….you will get your turn and it is worth the wait. Stuff breaks, what else is new? Salt has a way of creating problems you cant anticipate but usually you can recover and keep going
• Nothing works out as planned… that’s why its called racing
• Did I mention that nothing works out as planned? That’s why getting a record is not so easy and only one person on the planet has that honor in any particular class…. though many have tried before you
• Jack Costella (35 time world land speed record holder, visionary, philosopher/poet who makes Burt Monroe look like a swiss banker) says “it takes seven years to get a world record”. If you get one sooner, you are one of the lucky ones…go immediately to a casino in Wendover and bet the house limit…perhaps you are on a roll
• Everything is conspiring against you like the salt, the weather, the best laid plans of mice and men, your machine, your competitors, your timing, your desire;......that’s land speed racing. It’s a journey so enjoy the ride, eventually it will be your turn in the sun if learn from your miscalculations and you just hang in there
• Leave your ego behind. We’re all in it together. The salt and our love for speed make us brothers and sisters… on the same mission, each with our own vision of how to get a record.
• Dennis Manning (the fastest motorcycle, streamliner, on earth @ 350.884 mph) says ” when you get a world land speed record its not like all other motorcycle racing where all you have to do is beat the number two guy…you have to be faster than all the worlds fastest riders who have come before you”...powerful stuff
• Celebrate the diversity of ideas, designs, people, and aspirations. Ask for help, there is a rich database of experience and wisdom standing right next to you. Speak your mind but listen carefully because anybody who is racing anything has a opinion worth considering
• Consider, contemplate and look around. Bonneville is an amazing place and you have the good fortune to be among the few who have the opportunity to partake and celebrate its legacy

I Told You So

• Salt is very corrosive over time. You must remove all salt from the bike as soon as you can. Go to the hand wash in Wendover and use the power sprayer to knock as much off as possible. Then when you get home, you must remove all the body panels and get in every nook and proverbial cranny ( think proctologist), were talking on your hands and knees with toothbrush and dental pick, probing, poking, spraying, blasting….. you know the drill. Check these websites for further info on salt protection and cleaning products: o www.starbrite.com o www.salt-x.com o www.saltaway.com

• It gets hot, it gets cold, remember what your mom said about taking a jacket and wearing sunglasses and lots of sun screen
• Bring everything you need with you because its way farther than you are willing to go back to if you forget something.
• If you like good food, your probably in the wrong place…pass the salt

One Last Thing

• READY, FIRE, AIM… HAVE FUN