ELECTRIC CAR BY BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
Speed demons have been making pilgrimages to Bonneville since the early 1900s, when "Terrible" Teddy Tezlaff drove an open-cockpit car 141.7 mph. By the 1960s, jet-powered machines that look like ground-skimming rocket ships were breaking 600. The former lake is located off Interstate 80 along the Utah and Nevada border. The vast expanse has no trees or shelter, but is partially covered by a layer of naturally occurring salt. The surface on the salt is hard and flat. There are miles to reach extreme speeds and, more importantly , slow back down with the aid of rear parachutes. The area is public land, so anyone can enter official events like Speed Week or World of Speed and drive most anything, as long as the vehicle passes safety inspections.
photo credit: © 2011 detnews.com
edited text: Jason Harper via © 2011 bloomberg.com
video credit: Brigham Young University
video credit: Brigham Young University
