Bonneville Speed Week Races Will Begin Sunday After 1 Day Rain Delay

Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats Speedway will begin on Sunday, one day later than scheduled, to allow the salt to dry out after heavy rain.

Speed Week is held by the Southern California Timing Association and includes the world's fastest speed trails. The association provided this information yesterday:

The Bonneville Salt Flats has experienced a flash cell that came over within the last hour. The storm left additional water on the salt that had been drying out nicely. Therefore the SCTA has decided to delay all activities one full day. Inspection will be held Friday, with the first racing day now scheduled for Sun Aug 10. Please do not use the access road as you will be turned around.

Watch the SCTA website and Facebook page for updates and information.

The Salt Flats are managed by the Federal Bureau of Land Management. BLM offered these details:

A flash thunderstorm cell over the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) in the last few hours left additional water on the flats, which had been drying out nicely after rains earlier in the week. The Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) decided to delay all Speed Week activities for one full day. Inspection will be held Friday, with the first racing day now scheduled for Sunday, Aug 10, 2014.

The BLM and SCTA asking that all spectators avoid camping on the mud or driving on the salt flats until both the flats and mud have dried out. The area is currently patrolled by law enforcement officers and all vehicles will be turned around until further notice.

Spectators are allowed to watch races. SCTA provided this information:

Entrants come from all over the world to participate in the week long event. Spectators are allowed to walk through the pits, view the vehicles, and talk to the drivers and crew members. Public parking is south of the pit area, on the west side of the race track, outside the cones. Be sure to bring a hat, dark glasses, sunscreen and shade from the sun. Don't forget a camera with lots of film/memory/tapes, because you will want to remember everything you see and hear. Binoculars are also a great idea since the race vehicles are at least 1/4 mile away as they travel down the course.

The Salt Flats are located in a remote area between Salt Lake City and Wendover, NV. There are few resources nearby. People who visit the area need to be sure they have adequate fuel, food, water.