The Bonneville Speed Week is one of the most legendary motor racing events annually. In my opinion, it is at a similar level to the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man, the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And for the second consecutive year, the Speed Week could not be celebrated. A hard blow for speed lovers. Traditionally, Bonneville has been perfect place to break speed records , with special vehicles which in some cases can exceed 600 quietly km / h.
Decades of potash mining are destroying the surface of the salt plains of Bonneville.
A gigantic plain where salt is traditionally built and has successfully created tracks over 16 km in length, on a compact salt that perfectly supports the weight of the vehicles. Until now. It seems that weather – which some blame on climate change – and mines across the lake Bonneville could end up with one of the holy grails of speed. The problem this year was the rain a few weeks ago that dragged sludge into the salt flats .
This would not have been a problem for some time, the organization would simply have moved their tracks: a lake that covers an area of nearly 15,000 hectares. The problem is that since the early twentieth century, Bonneville has been exploited by different mining companies for the extraction of salt and potash. Mining companies occupy a part of the plains, and even deny that their activities cause the salt depletion , it is common knowledge among competitors that the current state of the surface is at fault.
It seems that 2015 could again lose its Speed Week , directly affecting hundreds of businesses in the area, where they are housed and fed the thousands of people attending its annual meeting in the Utah desert. In addition, research teams from universities and companies – many solar cars or experimental technologies are tested in Speed Week – also lose an excellent testing ground. The organization will soon take a decision on whether or not to hold the 2015 Speed Week.
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Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
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