It was finally race day for World Finals 2011 – Bonneville Salt Flats and we met up at for breakfast at the Salt Flats Café at 6:30, ate and quickly headed for the salt. The sky looked to be on fire, as the sun arose above the line of the horizon and it is quite the sight to behold.
We arrived and parked of course, on the salt (everything is on the salt) and headed over to the drivers/riders meeting. It was amazing, as on most occasions over the past few days – the expanse of the salt dwarfed how many were there. Not today. There were hundreds of people gathered in the bitter, chilly, damp morning air talking about rules and safety. How to get to the run-off roads and how to navigate the vast “white” before us.
Justin and I were eager to see where we could go as media, so we met with Joanne of SCTA and got our credentials….and a life lesson of “do it our way or no way”. We had our marching orders and would not disappoint.
We made our way to grid at 9:00 to find Chad with Greg Tracy’s Hayabusa on the trailer. Greg and his father arrived shortly after and we hung out and talked as the rain clouds started to roll in. The Weather Channel stated a chance of showers but we held our breaths that they would pass. The closer we got to 10:00 race time, the more intense the rain started falling.
A few cars lined up to run but only the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 completed a run at 212.199mph. This was the only pass we got to see before they shut down racing for the day.
The rest of the afternoon we spent in the hotel until we ran off to dinner at “The Steakhouse” at the Rainbow Casino. This was fine dining at a great restaurant with great friends. We caught up with Chris Nazarenus, My Life at Speed, Andy DeVol, Dumonde Tech, Greg Tracy and his father as well as Chad and Mandy Newman, Area 51 Motorsports. 4 Sets of friends from all walks of life and from all over the country. We sat eagerly catching up on the days events, as well as what the future holds. At the end of the meal we got word that the racing was cancelled for the rest of the event.
Despite the news that the 2011 World of Speed was cancelled, the journey, the friends and the experience made everything worth while. Thanks again ML@S for the opportunity to follow Greg Tracy and his pursuit for Speed! Check out my photos and full gallery below. – Eric Gearhart
Fire in the Sky: Sunrise on the Salt
Greg Trachy and his Father on the Salt for Sunrise
219.911 MPH Pass Galant VR-4
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