USdesert
tracks
El Mirage
The 10km-longdry lake
in theMojaveDesert
hosts six land speed
weekends a year, from
May toNovember.
Around 120drivers take
part and spectators can
campon the lakebed
subject to some simple
rules (“If youbring it in,
you take it home”).
Bonneville
Salt Flats
TheSCTA also runs two
major events at the
BonnevilleSalt Flats,
nearWendover, Utah.
Larger thanElMirage, a
number of land speed
recordshavebeen
set here: in 1935Brit
SirMalcolmCampbell
became thefirst person
todrive acar at over
300mph (he averaged
485kph), inBlueBird.
Black Rock
Desert
Some 160kmnorthof
Reno, inNevada, the
BlackRockDesert has
overtakenBonneville
for land speed records,
aswell as a site for
amateur rocketry. Jet-
propelledThrust SSC
became theworld’s first
supersoniccar here in
1997, reaching 763mph
(1,228kph) –mach 1.02.
helping to“buildstuff” like thestreamliner (named
after itssleekshape) they’reworkingon.
Sowhat’s theattractionof speed racing?“Togo
fastandbreaka record inyourcategory,”Bill says.
Andwhatdoyou thinkaboutasyouspeeddown
the lakeatover200mph (320kph)?“You’re feeling
thecar tomakesureyoustaystraight–dirtdoesn’t
givegoodgrip–andwatching thegauges.Themost
important thing is rightbefore thestart line, Igoover
andoverwhat todo if there’saproblem, likeafire–
it’squiteaprocessand I like toget intomyhead.”
Berlin-basedphotographerMarkusAltmann
firstheardabout theraceswhenhevisitedLAasa
teenagernearly30yearsago.Hereturnedmanyyears
later tophotographElMirage’s landspeedracers.
For theshoot,Altmannpositionedhimself,his
lightsand twoassistantsat theendof the race track,
where racershadpassed the timing lineandpulled
thechute.Normally thedriversarealoneherewhile
theywait for the teamcar tocomeandpull them
back. “Theywereusuallysmilingheavilyat this
point,”Altmannsays. “It’samixof adrenalineand
excitement. It’s like theexpressionof funwhena
childdoessomething for thefirst time.”
Mostof thedriversmetAltmann for thefirst time
at thispointandwerephotographedagainst the
openexpanseof the lake. “Oneguydidn’twant to
havehispicture taken:his transmissionbrokeand
hewasangry.Anotherheardon the radiohebroke
a recordandhewas totally thrilled,hewanted togo
straightbackandcollecthis timestamp.They’recool
guys, they’reheroes.”
scta-bni.org
ElMirage is twohours’drive fromLosAngelesatnormal speed;
Norwegianflies toLosAngeles fromOslo,Copenhagen,Stockholm
andLondon.Bookflights,ahotelandarental caratnorwegian.com
FabianValdez
FabianValdez races
for theBeanBandits
team, whichwas
founded in SanDiego
in 1949by Joaquin
Arnett, who raced
dragsters early on.
The teamhas raced
several different type
of cars at El Mirage
andBonneville for
the last decade,
including street and
modified roadsters,
streamliners and
productionpickups.
CORBIS; REUTERS
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