Just before sunrise, racers line up for inspection to ensure all safety measures are followed and cars have the right equipment for the class of racing they are in.

Contrast is jacked up, tonality is lost and it gets hot… In fact, because of the high albedo of the salt, photography in the brightness of mid-day is pretty difficult. Much has been written about the magic hours of photography and how one ventures out at uncivilized hours to capture light that is unique in the 24 hr cycle and there is no exception to this on the salt. Like the last time we came out, Ann and I got up early and were off to the salt flats by 3:45am in an effort to get out there for pre-dawn colors and to capture the light of sunrise. How many automobile companies are being run by “car guys”? Not many I’d wager…Īt any rate, it was actually nice to have Speed Week a bit calmer as there was less chaos, littering and general disrespect seen out on the salt this year compared with previous years. The problem is that for most automobile manufacturers, they appear to have lost the passion for the automobile. For most manufacturers, cutting back on their racing programs is a mistake as the automobile has always been about passion and racing is one of those marketing efforts that inspires a fervor like no other. This year seemed a bit more quiet than in previous years likely due to the economy and the global carpocalypse that has manufacturers pulling out of racing events left and right in an attempt to staunch the flow of misspent cash. I missed Bonneville Speed Week last year due to an unfortunately full schedule, but you can click on the following links to see Speed Week 2007, 20 ( Update: 2011 Bonneville Speed Week here and 2012 event here).

Bonneville salt flats speed week 2017