Tom & Jack;
Thanks for the eye witness memories. Keep 'em coming! You're the Best.
Tom Shannon
Magna, Utah
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Tom Bryant" <saltracer@awwwsome.com>
Reply-To: "Tom Bryant" <saltracer@awwwsome.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 09:31:07 -0800
>As Jack says, there was no access road before the freeway was put in.
>(Actually, the access road has altered the salt conditions.) You entered the
>salt by driving off the highway through the ditch and onto the salt at seven
>or 12 miles east of Wendover, between a couple of 55 gallon drums. We used
>the 12 mile entrance a few years when the salt was under water.
>
>As I remember, there was only a single black line down the middle of the
>course. What amazed me about the black line was the pictures of the English
>cars straddling the line on their runs. I always avoided the line because it
>was slick!
>
>In those days communication was by telephone which required a line put down
>from the starting line to the nine mile and another from the starting line
>to the timing tower and wire laid down for the speakers at the starting line
>and the pits. Lots of wire to pick up at the end of the meet and check out
>before the next meet.
>
>I always worked the nine mile on record runs and it was interesting to hear
>the phone communications and also hear the sounds in real time. Through the
>phone you would hear that the car had shut down at the five, but in real
>time it was still sounding loud and clear for several seconds longer.
>Another thing that got my attention was the sound of the car coming toward
>the nine mile while shut down. It was so quite at the nine that the sound of
>the tires rolling on the salt could be heard for quite a distance.
>
>I may have said this before, but I was the one that received Bert Munro on
>his first down run for record. When he rolled in, fuel had soaked his right
>leg and his face was full of salt. He said, "I say its a might salty out
>there". I tried to get him to take it easy for a couple of miles on the
>return run so he would get his speed in the correct mile, but he laid on it
>from the nine and blew the engine, failing in the record attempt.
>
>Tom, Redding CA - #216 D/FCC (I kind of miss those days)
>
>
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