◄ Back to Driving Force, Spring 2014
A Century of Salt Fever
SEMA Action Network Helps Restore Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) in Utah is where land speed racing began 100 years ago. Since 1914, legendary racers have set speed records and achieved their personal best times. The BSF race track is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and located on land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
For decades, the BSF decreased in size as potash was removed from the salt by an adjoining mining operation. Recognizing the damage that had occurred, the racing community partnered with the mine operator in the ’90s to pump salt onto the BSF. About 600,000 tons of salt brine was pumped last year, and millions of tons have been pumped since the program began.
In 2011, the SEMA Action Network (SAN) joined the Save the Salt Foundation and a number of prominent motorsports organizations to form the “Save the Salt Coalition.” The Coalition’s immediate mission was to make sure the salt pumping program was permanent. This was accomplished in 2012.
The Coalition is now pushing forward to expand the pumping program and pursue other restoration alternatives. The current focus of attention is to conduct a dry salt laydown this spring on the first two miles of the International Track. If successful, it would provide a second and more targeted method for replenishing salt around the race tracks.
Mark your calendars: the landmark’s two annual races, Speed Week (August 9–15) and World Finals (September 30–October 3), will take place later this year. For more information, visit www.savethesalt.org.