BONNEVILLE
"Proof that God loves us, and wants us to go fast"

Welcome to Bob's Salty Blog!
2009

Hi, my name is Bob and this is my Dad Dalton.
We have had the privilege to be part of the extraordinary team of
volunteer's at the BUB Meet For the last 5 years!
I have collected a lot of pictures, memories and stories over the last 5 years
and I try to share them here.
If you see ANY inaccurate, wrong or just plain dumb Information, please e-mail
me with any information that will help keep the story straight.
If you see your own picture, and I don't have a description, please send me the story, please! e-mail
I have separate the pictures by year with the links below.
So here you go........
The View from the 3 Mile.

2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | HOME

I want to start with this picture.

On Sunday morning, August 30th 2009 racing officially started at the BUB meet.
The first run of the meet was a memorial pass honoring the late Cliff Gullett.
The hauler, filled with family and friends was given permission to run down the track.
The "TEAM" was concerned that a chunk of salt may fall off of the hauler or truck so they CHOSE to
run down the side of the track for the safety of all the riders.
Actions will always speak louder than words.
My Mom, Dad and I all have great memories of Cliff from our time on the salt and our thoughts and prayers
still go out to his Family and Friends.
Below are links to more information and pictures of this Landmark Race Team.
Godspeed Cliff

Ladies and Gentleman I give you Mr. Marty Dickerson.
Mr. Dickerson is a legend of the salt and an all around good guy.
In the 2005 movie "The Worlds Fastest Indian" Burt Munro (played by Sir Anthony Hopkins) was helped by many people.
The movie concentrate's on three people that helped Burt the most. The first is Tom Moffit, another legend of the salt.
Then Burt Runs into the also now legendary Rolly Free (played by William Lucking) The cigar smoking, cowboy hat wearing, general speed junky, and Mr. Marty Dickerson (played by Walton Goggins) the mustachioed, enthusiastic side kick to Rolly.
Marty is a legend in his own right with many many LSR records and I have had the honor of launching him two times.
(He ran record runs both times!)
This year, Marty rode Steve Hamel's 1950 Vincent White Lightning to a Qualifying pass of 157 MPH and a return pass of 152 MPH for another record!

By the way, Marty"s Qualifying pass was faster than than Steve (the owner of the bike) could put down for the rest of the week!
Please come back Marty!!!!! I think you bring us all good luck!
(Picture by Nick Roberts)

This is the hanger that the Enola Gay was kept in, this is by far the coolest view of any hotel room I have ever had at Bonneville.
If my facts are wrong on any pictures have inaccurate information please tell me so I can keep the story straight,
If you see a picture that does not have a description, and you know any thing about the bike or rider PLEASE send it to me at
E-mail and I will add it to the site!

Saturday was Registration Day so I got the chance to spend some time in the pits.
This is the Tech Line with the Z-Man Racing team with Young Sporty.
I love this team and it's great to see old friends on the salt!
This is the Z-man team's 6th year at the BUB meet and I consider them all good friends.
By the end of the meet that Blue Z man shirt that that CR is wearing would be mine!
Thanks CR!

The 71 bike ran a lot of passes. This is the first Triumph Bonneville to run a turbo charger with any success
and rider Alan ran the wheels off this bike all week.
More Info Courtesy of WobblyWalrus
The bike #71 belongs to Matt Capri, the "grand old man" of Hinckley Bonneville land speed racing.
He has helped a lot of racers from this country and around the world with their new Triumphs.

This twin motor BSA never ran from the 3 mile so I never even got to hear it run.
I hope they ran good because the quality of this build was second to none. I bet it sounded awesome!

Behind the BSA is Leslie Porterfield's turbo Busa.
Leslie rode this bike to a personal best of 240 MPH!

This little liner hales from England and sports a vintage Vincent motor.
The quality of the build was beautiful and every thing about this machine was outstanding!

This is the MV Agusta pit. In the Italian tradition these bikes are very beautiful, very fast and very expensive.

The Australian teams, and at least one very fast Kiwi were out in force this year!
This year was truly an international speed trials with teams from Australia, England,
Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany and the Czech Republic to name a few!

Leslie Porterfield showed up with a new hauler and a whole stable full of fast bikes.

Leslie was awarded the 2009 AMA female rider of the year. This girl can wrench, ride and then do a photo shoot all in the same day!

I am pretty sure this is the bike Leslie rode to a personal best of 240 MPH and change!

I bet my staff shirt there is a great story here!
If anyone knows more info on this team please send it to me at E-mail

To the Porsche guy and the Corvette guy, when you get home, put a sprinkler under your car and let it run for a month.

Max is here with the Lambky Liner looking to go fast. This liner sports two Vincent motors and is a work of art!
I only saw it make one pass this year but it was the fastest I have ever seen this liner run.
I have said it before and I will say it again, someday this bike will go real fast and surprise a lot of people.
Good luck Max and we all hope to see you next year.

Wow, where to start, This is the Buddfab Liner, built and ridden by our favorite NASA rocket scientist.
Eric Noyes and John Buddenbaum have ran this liner to 144 MPH with a 50CC motor.
This year they ran a 125cc motor and went an unbelievable 187 MPH on there down run and a 182 MPH return pass!
For me this was the most impressive feat of the meet! Do the math Wow!
Also in this pic is my boss Denis Manning (AKA BUB) checking in to see what the "Rocket Scientist" were up to this year.
To John and Eric, Congratulations on a stealer performance for your machine and team! I cannot wait to see what you guys will do next year!

Right next to the BUDDFAB boy's was pitted this liner that started it's life as a glider airplane.
This liner got the nick name "the Guppy" by the track crew but it ran great.
This is also the most difficult machine I have ever had to push off the track.
Please come back guys, this is the kind of unique thinking that makes Bonneville the coolest race course on earth.

OK, what do you say? This team comes all the way from Canada and adds that special touch of class to our event.
Don't worry folks, This Rolls Royce gets an almost frame off cleaning every time it comes back from the salt.
If your going to drive a Rolls Royce on the salt you better have one special motorcycle to go with it.
See Below.

This is the sexiest Bonneville bike I have ever seen. It deserves to be towed by a Rolls Royce!
Just look at it! WOW

Cool! Someone had to decide between a museum or Bonneville.
I will always agree with this owner and see how fast she goes.

In the pits of the Fritz!
I have a special place in my heart for racers that also volunteer to help put on the BUB meet.
Fritz is a legend in his own right and also volunteer's his time an expertise to our event.

The US Military loves all Land Speed Racing fans and we love them!
Every Year we get a flyby pass or too from our friends in the Military
This year we were treated to this helicopter and then some A-10 Warthogs gave us a little private show.
Thank you guys..
They serve so we can race.
If you see a Man or Woman in uniform, thank them for their service.

This 999 Duck is the pride and joy of our good friend Jack Tate.
Jack bought this Ducati in Oregon and rode it all the way back to his home in Indiana.
How's that for an Iron But ride!
Jack not only races at our event but is also a volunteer track worker.
Jack has a dream of going 200 MPH on the salt and I plan on being there to see it.

This truck was with our 2009 Female Spirit Award winner Tracy Snyder.
Tracy and her crew are great people and I always look forward to seeing them every year.

This is a shot from the same spot of the Administration trailer and announcers tower.

This is the BUB Seven pit.
I had the privilege this year to see the bike going through Tech Inspection.
This bike is normality parked 30 feet from my desk at work. I have traveled around the country with the
Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows showing this bike to the public.
I learned more about the bike in 20 minute's than the entire 5 or so years I have been with BUB.
The bike did not set a record this year but Chris Carr did ride it to a personal best speed of 355 MPH and change.

The Swiss Performance team this side car went over 200 MPH in both directions for a new record!
The Swiss team came to race and ran the wheels off every bike they had.

All the way from Australia and New Zealand the A-Ward Racing Team. I cannot say enough good things about this team.
To Richard, a proud Kiwi, and the entire Ausie crew, congratulations on your achievement's, thank you for the very cool shirt,
and I truly hope to see you all next year at the BUB meet!
Cheers!

Check out this beautiful build. This bike was purpose built for the salt and I must say the quality and craftsmanship on this bike
was Spectacular Kit Axelson is the owner, builder and rider of this fine Buell. He ran all week and I hope he got a record!

What can I say, if this bike does not get your blood pumping see a Doctor, You might be dead.

The program identifies this as a 1952 JAP Norton.
This New Information comes from Russ William's
It is a actually a Brough Superior likely from the late 1930's. I am not sure of the exact model, but it is more than likely an SS-100 (well modified).
The Brough name on the tank is more readable on image 072.
Thank you Russ for helping me keep my information accurate.
And some more info:
Hi Robert, Odgie from England here. I was sent a link to your salt photos - wow!!!! Superb stuff! I do have a little more information for you, the bike you have down as a possible Norton 1952 or Brough Superior (bike number 880). The engine is indeed Brough Superior, and will date from the 30's. But the chassis is definitely Norton. It is a Featherbed frame, plus forks etc, and is of the 'Wideline' type, so will have been produced between 1950 and 1960 (when they changed to the 'Slimline' type). This chassis was by far the best handling of all British bikes of the period, used on the Manx Norton for road racing, but the most common modification for the road was to replace the Norton engine with a Triumph twin, making the legendary 'Triton'. You also occasionally also see them with BSA engines in, or even Vincents, but I've never seen one powered by a Brough before!!! Hope you don't mind me making the correction...? I know a little about British bikes (see my website, www.odgie.com). Cheers from the UK Odgie :-)
Thank you Odgie!

Well folks, the saga continues...09/18/2009
Dear Robert, I followed a link from the Vincent-HRD website to your wonderful display of images from this year's speed trials. You asked for information about bikes pictured.
I'm afraid this isn't quite accurate.

It is a 1952 1100cc JAP motor fitted into a Norton Featherbed chassis by my friend, Englishman Eric Patterson, with the help of fabled specials builder and racer Dave Degens, first known for his Dresda Tritons and racers in the 1960s. Not many people know that JAP continued building vee-twin motors after WW2 and this lump has magnesium cases and alloy top ends, hence the protective black paint. Note the twin BTH competition magnetos, one for each pot, driven by a bevel gear. This was a Brough Superior and Morgan 'extra' for serious sportsmen who didn't want to have compromise on precise ignition timing with a single points cam. Eric Patterson set an AMA world record in the ride-what-you-bring-class at Bonneville last year with his Norton-JAP Special but I don't yet know how he did with it this time. I know he was hoping for 150 mph. Last year, first time out, he did 112 mph on road tyres. The next day, Eric set a new class record - modified frame, pre-1956 1000-1350cc engine - at 119 mph, the record having been held by an Indian for two years at 110.02 mph. The next run set a world record at 121.79 mph and the bike was also clocked at over 135 mph on a fun run. Eric owns and runs the famous Kempton Park Autojumble in England, along with the Southern Classic Bike Show. The bike is also road legal and is sponsored by Brough Superior Motorcycles Ltd, hence the name on the tank, who are producing brand new replica Brough Superior SS100 machines using replica JAP vee-twin motors.
Best regards, Prosper Keating, Paris
Thank you Prosper!

This is one of the Bennett's Performance machines. These guys are always fast, always professional and always nice folks.
I always look forward to seeing this team at the 3 mile because they are one class act!

This very loud bagger made pass after pass.
You saw the High Country Harley Davidson pit's earlier and this is one of the bikes they campaigned at the 2009 BUB meet.
Did I mention how loud this bike was? It was like a 6.9 on the Richer Scale!

This is a pic of my Mom working in the administration trailer
These Gal's are some of the hardest working people on the salt.
They are here before sunrise and some of the last volunteer's to leave at the end of the day.
The next time you pick up a timing slip, buy a shirt or ask a question please remember these Volunteers
are working 13 to 14 hours a day or longer to make this meet happen.
A sincere thank you goes a long long way.

OK, if the National Museum of Motorcycles is missing a bike we never saw it. Right?

This is a shot of the cockpit of the Visionline Racing teams "Lazy Boy Liner"
Take a good look because this is the future of our sport.
To Willie, Robin, Gary, Scott and the rest of the Visionline Team,
I tip my hat to you guys and eagerly await seeing what you guys will come up with next!
I don't care what everybody else says, you guys are all right in my book! LOL

This is Warner and his Dad, Warner was our youngest competitor this year at age 14.
Warner saved his money, bought and built his bike, and came out to race just like his Dad.
Warner got his record and when I asked him if he intended to up his own record he told me "No this is my relaxation day"
As we all get older we need someone to pass the torch to. I believe with guy's like Warner coming into the sport, it will be in good hands.

This Vincent side car is another build that will drop your jaw right to the salt!
This is also a great picture of a nice clean Out Board starter system.

Team RGM,
I would love to know more about the history of this machine.
It has the look of a machine with a very interesting history!
E-mail

Visionline Racing,
http://projectvisionline.com/default.aspx
Take a good look, This is just the half way stage for this team.
They are in the process of building a full blown streamliner to go after the title of "Worlds Fastest Motorcycle".
To Scott, Robin, Willie, Gary and the rest of the Visionline Crew, I wish you the very best of luck and the very happiest of endings.
They say the greatest joy is in the journey, not the destination. "They" were not land speed racers.

FUN FACT!
The Training wheels are raised and lowered by a highly modified rechargeable Mikita drill.

Over the last couple of years the track crew has given this machine the nick name "The Lazy Boy Liner"
It earned this nick name by being safe, reliable, fast and most important, comfy!

This bike comes to us from Don Mills and the Two Ton Racing team.
There is some beautiful work on this Busa. Is it just me or does this thing look like it is going 200 MPH standing still?

I do believe this is Wink's golf cart, I know I saw him driving it.
If you don't know who Wink Eller is do a Google search. There are way to many links to try and post.

This is right after the 6am Course Workers meeting on the first day of racing.
We do this every morning at 6 am sharp for every day of the meet.
Everyone is grabbing bottled water and ice and heading out to their assigned course stations.
These are the people you will have to trust your life to for the next 5 days.
It takes a lot of very dedicated people, working very long hours for free, to make this event happen.
For many of these volunteer's this is their first time on the salt, let alone have they have ever been exposed to anything
as intense or challenging as working an 11 mile long, land speed race course made of salt, in one of the
harshest environments on Earth.
This year I am proud to say we had a record number of return volunteer's and a record number of new volunteer's.
Most of the new people are support crew members from dedicated Bonneville racers but many others are taking their vacation, time off from work,
blowing their yearly savings, or just missing time away from family to make this event happen. Please remember that!

This is a view from the 3 mile after it got light enough to let the competitors on to the salt.
Land speed racing is not for people that like to sleep in!

This is Woz,
For most of the BUB meets history Woz has been the "Voice" of the event on the FM radio broadcast we send out from the tower.
Wos, is also a big part of the awards ceremony and it was great to have him back..

In the center of the picture is are own racer, volunteer, and all around nice guy Jack Tate.

Ramsey and Joe,
When you do something bad or stupid on the salt you get to talk to Ramsey.
In most cases you will get a polite warning to "please do not do that again."
This is good advice. Please take it.

This is a picture of Dad, taking a picture of the HDT team pits.
These guys started out as a small team with a great idea for our troops.
They started building diesel powered bikes and used the BUB event as their proving grounds.
I am very proud to say that versions of these bikes are now deployed all over the world giving our fighting Men and Women that extra little edge!
I sit here writhing this the day after the 8th anniversary of the attacks on New York, the Pentagon and the American way of life.
I tip my hat to every member of this team.
When these guys go fast, we all win.
More info http://www.hdtusa.com/company.php

Once again we all need to be mindful of insurance people from the Smithsonian, The AMA Museum, Barber and other museums looking for missing bikes.. We never saw them, right?

Seriously, The more I look at this picture the less qualified I feel to say anything about it..
If anyone knows anything about the history of this incredible machine please send it to me at E-mail

While we are on the subject of Indians........
I think this bike may have come out of the same stable.

This is a look at a typical pit.
All teams are required to put down tarps to protect the salt from oil drips and other contaminates.
The salt is a precious resource and we always try to leave it cleaner than we found it.
Another way to help protect this legendary place is to knock as much salt off of your vehicles as possible before you leave.
This is required at Lake Gardener in Australia and I think we should all adopt this policy.
Just think how many tons of salt gets carried off every year on cars and trucks that could be saved.
The salt used to be much thicker than it is now and thanks to groups like Save the Salt it is starting to get thicker again.
This is a very slow process so the less salt we take away the better.

Some teams pride themselves on unconventional thinking as demonstrated by these guys Pop-Up.

This Gentleman was very entertaining!, and a prime example of the fascinating people you meet at Bonneville.
I am going to use my "Quote of the Meet" spot here. If you are easly offended please skip this part.
"Women ?, I love Women ! As a mater of fact I have done everything I have ever wanted to do to a Women except Kill One!"
If you laughed, we all go to hell together!

Everybody is looking west towards the 0 mike.
To launch from the 0 mile you first have to prove that your bike go at least 175 MPH on the 5 mile course.
All day long bikes go by the 3 mile at well over 200 MPH. As far as I am concerned it is the best seat in the house.

Scott Knudson, former Indy Car Rookie of the Year, crashed this machine in the middle of the timed mile.
The safety crew put it back on it's wheels, Scott fired the motor and drove it back to the pits.
This machine is so tough and reliable the team had it back in race ready condition in just a few minutes!

And then someone goes and builds something like this. I assure you this is not a prop for the next Bat Man movie.
This machine is all about "Hotel Alpha"!
I will not even attempt to describe this machine but I highly recommend checking out their website.
To rider Jason, and the rest of the crew, congratulations on all you have achieved so far, and the best of luck for your very bright future.
OK, for those who don't know, "Hotel Alpha" is military speak for "Haul Ass!".
http://www.confederate.com/confederate3/index.php

This is a great Que. (A Que. is a group of riders released from Pre-Stage to my track position. Pre-Stage will usually send me 10 riders at a time.)
The Buell Blast is one of the Klock Werks girls.
Right behind her bike is Hero and his bad ass Dyna, representing Las Vegas Harley Davidson.
Robin Lambert from the Visionline team is in the yellow leathers, so the Lazy Boy Liner (AKA Vision One) is here as well.
I think that is the NRHS hauler in the back ground round out the field.
And this Guy with the the cool shirt that says " I'd rather be a racer for a day, than a spectator for life"

Oh, did I forget to mention that Roger Goldammer is back?
Roger came to Bonneville 3 years ago for a Biker Build Off episode and
came away with the Biker Build Off trophy and a serious case of salt fever!
Roger has been back every year since and brings beautiful one of a kind machines to see how fast they will go.
More Info http://www.goldammercycle.com/hispeed/main.php

If you take enough pictures, every once in a while you get lucky.
I was trying to block the sun with my hand to get a shot of the cockpit of this awesome machine.
I swear there is no Photo Shop trickery in this picture.
The deeper you look the more you see.
I would love to hear what anybody else has to say about this picture.
Do you think it's art? Do you think it's crap? I truly would like to hear feedback on this pic.
E-mail

Once again, you are looking at some of the hardest working volunteer's on the salt.
The Gals in the Administration tailor after another 13+ hour day.

The Fat Book Flyer
What a beautiful bike!
This bike was built for Bonneville with parts that anyone can purchase from their local Drag Specialties dealer.
This bike has been ridden by Pete Davis for a bunch of records over the years and this bike just keeps going faster and faster.

I wanted a picture of Horst taking a picture.
Horst Rules!
Once again, just do a search for Horst Rosler because there are way to many great links to post.

He knows if you are sleeping, he knows if your awake. He knows if you've been good or bad so you better be good for goodness sake!
The Buell Brothers & Sisters Race Team has a paintrent saint we all call Santa.
You will never find a more dedicated, goofy, gifted group of folks in the world.
The Buell Brothers and Sisters represent the very best of our sport!
And now a word about Cheese.
Burnett Dairy Cooperative
Eat some of the worlds best cheese and support "Save the Salt" at the same time.
Show your support by making a purchase from this great company.

This is a shot of an A-10 Warthog giving us a flyby pass!
If you are in a tank, and you are not on our side, this is likely the last thing you will ever see.

You can tell by the shadows that it is morning again and racing is just about to get started for the day.

When Dad and I went to pick up this years rental we were informed by the very attractive rental agent that we were receiving a free upgrade!
This is it.