SPORT
Chasing a Legacy on the Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah offer an iconic backdrop for land speed events.
9 September, 2016
The Utah salt flats have been hosting auto-racing events for over a century.
It took seven years to complete and five months to build, but in the end, it took just five miles (eight kilometers) for the Challenger II to hit 406.6 mph (654.36 km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in August. For Danny Thompson, the Speed Week win was bittersweet, as he edged out his father's best land-speed time by one-tenth of a second.
The elder Thompson was a Bonneville racing legend who built his own cars from scrap and, in 1960, became the first driver to break the 400 mph (643.7 kmh) barrier on the barren moonscape of the salt flats. Since then, only 10 other drivers have ever achieved those speeds – that is, until Danny became the "Twelfth Man."
The elder Thompson was a Bonneville racing legend who built his own cars from scrap and, in 1960, became the first driver to break the 400 mph (643.7 kmh) barrier on the barren moonscape of the salt flats. Since then, only 10 other drivers have ever achieved those speeds – that is, until Danny became the "Twelfth Man."
Images: Car and Driver
Racing is in the younger Thompson's blood, but this 2016 run meant more than getting his name in the record books. The Challenger II, with its handcrafted blue aluminium skin and elongated frame, was his father's racer. It was built in 1968, but Mickey Thompson never had the chance to compete with it. Bad weather and vehicle breakdowns cost him the opportunity; a 1988 murder at the hands of a business partner cost him his life. His grieving son mothballed the dream – and the car the two had planned to race as a team.
It wasn't until 2003 that Danny returned to Bonneville after retiring himself. By 2010, the 50th anniversary of his father's salt flats racing achievement, Danny had decided to pursue the Challenger II dream again. He left his home in Colorado for California and the all-consuming restoration project.
It wasn't until 2003 that Danny returned to Bonneville after retiring himself. By 2010, the 50th anniversary of his father's salt flats racing achievement, Danny had decided to pursue the Challenger II dream again. He left his home in Colorado for California and the all-consuming restoration project.
The Challenger II is built on the same aerodynamics and original chassis designed by Mickey, with all-new engineering to reflect today's technology. The aluminium skin is made from 68 handmade panels attached by Dzus buttons to the subframe.
The engine – built from Ford 427s in the Challenger II's pervious life – delivers 5,000 horsepower performance with two nitro-fueled Hemi V8 engines. The engines are cooled by the fuel rather than water, further reducing the racer's weight, which will drop by 227 kilograms during the course of a run as the Challenger II burns through 189 liters of the nitro blend.
The engine – built from Ford 427s in the Challenger II's pervious life – delivers 5,000 horsepower performance with two nitro-fueled Hemi V8 engines. The engines are cooled by the fuel rather than water, further reducing the racer's weight, which will drop by 227 kilograms during the course of a run as the Challenger II burns through 189 liters of the nitro blend.
That fuel is stored in two 114-liter aluminium tanks, designed to hold just enough fuel to complete the Bonneville run. All told, the 9.75-meters long vehicle weighs 2,359 kg when fueled, with the lightweight aluminium a key to keeping the Challenger II's overall heft down as Danny seeks out his family's place in the record books.
At Bonneville, drivers compete only against the clock and the ghosts of legends who came before them. The official time is determined by averaging the top speeds recorded in two different runs; Danny's father, for example, wasn't eligible because rains wiped out his second run just as he stood ready for the records in 1968.
Image: Bangshift
At Bonneville, drivers compete only against the clock and the ghosts of legends who came before them. The official time is determined by averaging the top speeds recorded in two different runs; Danny's father, for example, wasn't eligible because rains wiped out his second run just as he stood ready for the records in 1968.
Image: Bangshift
There's no cheering from the bleachers as there is with NASCAR fans. Bonneville is more silent and desolate because the salt flats are exactly that – flat – with the bluish salt as far as the eye can see. Fans and friends come with their own chairs to watch a buzzing blur go by in the distance.
Danny's achievement is a family affair made all the more poignant by his father's legacy, but Mickey's competitive spirit lives on. That means that Bonneville is really about speed. Danny will put the Challenger II to the test again in September, when he races against the Speed Demon team, this time for the world record. The competition can go 436 mph (701.7 km/h) or more, but Danny – racing with the memory of Mickey at his side – thinks he can best them in the Challenger II at 450 mph (724.2 kmh). Perhaps even 470 (756.4).
Danny's achievement is a family affair made all the more poignant by his father's legacy, but Mickey's competitive spirit lives on. That means that Bonneville is really about speed. Danny will put the Challenger II to the test again in September, when he races against the Speed Demon team, this time for the world record. The competition can go 436 mph (701.7 km/h) or more, but Danny – racing with the memory of Mickey at his side – thinks he can best them in the Challenger II at 450 mph (724.2 kmh). Perhaps even 470 (756.4).
Banner image: Hemmings Daily