Im not a history expert but here are a few bullet points of the
Bonneville 200 MPH Club: Most of this info came from a piece written by
Greg Sharp in 1981. DISCLAIMER COMING! I am not an authorized spokesman
for the Club, and as such, the following is MY understanding of the
history (with Gregs help).
Dean Batchelor (So-Cal Special) & Lou Kimsey (Hop Up Magazine) got the
idea over lunch at the Copper Skillet in Glendale in May, 1953.
Bill Quinn (Publisher of Hop Up) agreed to sponsor the club.
Batchelor made the announcement of the clubs inception in his editorial
in the June, 1953 edition of Hop Up. It was entitled simply 200 MPH
Club An excerpt from that piece says Its about time our small group
of record holders and go-fast boys at the dry lakes and Bonneville are
given the recognition they deserve
Another excerpt the only way to get in, is to drive a car two ways
over a measured mile at a clocked speed of 200 mph or better. It is not
necessary to set a record to qualify, and the time has to be certified
by the AAA or the SCTA
More The limitations of membership, such as admitting foreign drivers
who come to Bonneville or record runs made in Europe, will be left to
the members themselves. Once a member has qualified, he is in for life.
In 1953 only 5 men were eligible for membership:
1. Willie Young
2. Art Chrisman
3. George Hill
4. John Sonny Rogers
5. Otto Ryssman
The 1st official meeting of the 200 MPH Club was held September 2, 1953
at the Bonneville Nationals and the 5 charter members voted to include
LIVING foreign drivers who met the requirements. 3 more names added to
the roster:
1. Capt. G.E.T Eyston
2. Rudolph Caracciola
3. Col. Goldie Gardner
Capt. Eyston was at the meet that year & was elected the 2 Clubs
first president.
Trivia fact for you Ardun fans ;-) The first to qualify in a vehicle
other than a streamliner was Leroy Holmes driving the Scottys Muffler
Ardun-powered Belly tank lakester; Sept. 5, 1953 @ 201.15
In mid 1955, Hop Up evolved into Motor Life and was sold to Peterson
Publishing. It was at this time that Grant Piston Rings stepped up and
became the sponsor.
Trivia fact for you motorcycle fans ;-) On Aug 4, 1956, Wilhelm Herz of
Germany rode (drove?) a 500 cc supercharged NSU motorcycle streamliner
to a world record at Bonneville of 210.640 under FIM timing. (Glen,
where were you!)
For Keith ;-) In 1956 58 year-old Donald Healy qualified in an Austin
Healy 100 at 203.06 MPH (but then you knew that, huh?)
There are a LOT of highlights from the first decade of the club (and a
few lowlites) but my typing skills (and your attention span ;-) )
prohibit going any further with this. SO, I offer MY OWN opinions on the
Bonneville 200 MPH Club, from 1953 to date. Since very little is written
about the early days much of my opinion is based on MY observations of
certain events.
1. The people that dreamed up the 2-Club had no fancy agendas It
was simply to recognize the accomplishments of hot-rodder lakes racers.
(Ironically, neither of the organizers ever qualified for the very club
they founded)
2. The club appeared to be very loose in organization in the
beginning. Rules for membership evolved as racing changed. I havent
been around long enough to cite the rule changes & their reasons, but
Ill bet there are people on this list that can shed light here.
3. I believe Ugo is correct in his observation that the charter members
admitted certain foreign drivers because they were ALIVE. (see exerpt
from Hop Up about first meeting) I dont believe the founders had
xenophobic tendencies. MANY foreign drivers had exceeded 200 MPH, but
did not meet the two-way rule.
4. My guess is that the after-the-fact inductions came about by vote
of the members. I wasnt there so I dont know.
5. I think minimums are just common sense. Example: When the records
were combined in about 1995, a TON of opens were created. I have a
friend with a rat-powered Chevy truck, and he entered as, and set a
record in A/FCC of 173.057 mph. (verify by going to 1996 rule book)
Anyway, if Kiefer had gone 200.001 should he have gotten a red hat just
because he was at the right place at the right time? I dont think so,
as George Fields has the record in that class now at 264+ mph. a
record to be respected.
6. In order to keep our sport evolving, the rules of the 2-Club have
to keep pace with the changes. The new classes coming will create a
bunch of Red Hats the drivers should have to earn them, not take
advantage a class re-alignment as the example I gave above. If the
2-Club needs to honor more Jet classes, then maybe the SCTA needs to
add classes like they did with turbines.
7. For me, one of the main allures of the salt is its rich history &
traditions. The 2 Club is part of that rich history & tradition. While
the Club is not the goal of all racers (some of the greatest talent on
the salt is in the vintage category and as such, 200 mph may be an
impossibility, and many small engine classes may never achieve the
speed) but for many, it is a tremendous motivator to achieve a goal. In
any case, what harm does it do to recognize achievement? If you are not
impressed with any of the Hat Clubs, fine, but why put them down?
8. Keith said it best Aint nobody getting rich here. The officers of
the Bonneville 200 MPH Club are elected by the membership and volunteer
their time & efforts. Perfection is difficult when 50 years of
volunteers come & go.
9. Glen mentioned this: The history of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club needs
to be written now- while many of the earliest members are still alive.
It might, just might, answer many of the questions posed on this thread.
Enough of my ramblings, I guess Ill go out to the shop and sort nuts &
bolts..
Ed
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