The Rookie Record – When Harvey Went to Bonneville

The holy grail of land speed records resides in the vast solitude of a formerly thriving prehistoric lake. 14,000 years ago, this epic lake flooded out, evacuating the equivalent of Lake Michigan into Idaho’s Red Rock Pass. This devastating flood would last for over a year, continuously moving trillions of gallons of water with speed and intensity beyond anything we can comprehend today, reshaping much of the state of Utah. The devastation eventually subsided, yielding miles of vivid, white salt-encrusted landscape known today as the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Long before mankind dreamed of speeding across land, this very same place teemed with life; a fluid world of its own, now enchanting mankind to challenge the fluid dynamics of air, in their quest for more speed. Today, the searing heat and desolate landscape reveals an almost lunar quality of unfathomable scale. But as much as the landscape itself draws one to the majesty of nature, it is the remarkable call of competition, challenge, and innovation that every year draws legions of dedicated motorsports enthusiasts to exceed the coveted land speed records for their class.