SeMa’S HeRitaGeSeMa’s roots are firmly planted at Bonneville. Memberproducts and sponsored race teams have helped set scoresof world records on the racetrack that nature created.

When it was formed in 1963, the “Speed equipmentManufacturers association” represented companiesproducing performance equipment for many land speedtrailblazers. in subsequent years, the industry blossomed andthe renamed “Specialty equipment Market association” nowembraces the entire distribution chain, includingmanufacturers, distributors, retailers and marketers.

Speed equipment will always represent the heritage ofSeMa. in fact, Bonneville played a crucial role in SeMa’sformation. Bonneville, along with el Mirage, Muroc andother southern California dry lakes, were primary venues for

industry pioneers to try out new products in the 1930s and40s. these pioneers would adjust their equipment whenracing and then go back to the garage to create the nextgeneration of speed equipment. Many of these inventors thenstarted companies and helped create race sanctioningorganizations.

Founding SeMa members like ansen, B&M, Crager,edelbrock, eelco Manufacturing, Grant industries, Halibrand,Hedman, iSKY Racing Cams, Je pistons, Milodon, Mooneyes,Schiefer Manufacturing, trans-dapt, Weber Speedequipment and Weiand have been joined by scores of othercompanies that produce high performance parts. Whether itis a 1932 hot rod, a 1960s muscle car, a streamliner oranything in-between, Bonneville is the proving ground forSeMa member companies and their customers.

Salt depletion aS oF aUGUSt 2015

Vintage photos courtesy Hot Rod MagazineFront/back cover photos courtesy LandSpeed Productions

1846ill-fated donner-Reed party crossesthe Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) onthe way to California.

1907Western pacific Railroadcompletes tracks across BSFnoting numerous constructiondifficulties due to the salt thicknessand hardness. Salt mining beginsat BSF but eventually converts topotash production.

1910 Future Salt lake City Mayor abJenkins becomes first person to ridea motorized vehicle across BSF.

1914First unofficial land speed recordset by teddy tetzlaff, who notesthat the salt surface coolness didnot overheat tires. tire companiesbegin sponsoring events as wayto test tires.

1915Salt Lake Tribune article observesdestructive activities from saltmining: “The world’s greatestnatural speedway is being torn up and ground up anddispensed to the public in cartonsand packages.”

1917potash mining begins.            

1917-1918Brine collection ditch dug at Salduroloop, with spoils piled up to createthe dike. the dike’s mud tailings willinfiltrate the adjacent racing area’ssalt crust in future years throughwind and water erosion.

1919-1925victory Highway (Highway 40)constructed across BSF. 

1932�–�1957ab Jenkins begins a three-decadecareer setting 56 speed andendurance records. 

1935First World land Speed Record(300 mph) set by Britain’s SirMalcolm Campbell. new recordprompts land speed racingcommunity to move from daytonaBeach, Florida.

1946U.S. Bureau of land Management(BlM) becomes BSF custodian.

1947Britain’s John Cobb runs 400 mphrace car on BSF as part of Utah’sCentennial. the official programdeclares “The salt is like concrete...Its extreme hardness gives speedingcars maximum traction…” 

1949First “Bonneville national Speedtrials” (precursor to modern“Speed Week”).

1956General Motors names the 1957pontiac model “Bonneville” afterab and Marvin Jenkins set everyamerican record with the new car.

SavinG tHe Bonneville Salt FlatSthe Bonneville Salt Flats is a unique land formation innorthwestern Utah that beckons visitors from around theworld. For racers, its surface is unequaled. the hard saltcrust is perfect for both speed and safety. But there is aproblem. the once 13-mile race track is now less than eight miles due to salt erosion.

For more than 50 years, the land speed racing communityhas sounded the alarm that Bonneville is being destroyed bygovernment mismanagement and neglect. the U.S. Bureauof land Management (BlM) has been the land’s custodiansince 1946, and the agency’s traditional response to theracers’ concerns has been to call for geologic studies. at least six studies have been completed over the decades and a seventh is underway. Frankly, Bonneville has beenstudied to death.

the Bonneville Salt Flats are over 60 miles long and dividedin half by railroad tracks and highways. land speed racingbegan in 1914 and since 1932 the racetracks have beenlocated on the north side and the potash processing plant onthe south side. the two activities existed in harmony until the1960s, when the BlM began issuing leases allowing salt tobe transferred south through miles of ditches north of thehighway without scientific proof that there would be nodamage to Bonneville. potash is extracted from the saltthrough solar evaporation, and the salt is a waste product ofthe process.

Until 1997, the salt transfer was a one-way street. the BlMallowed an estimated 50 to 75 million tons of salt to beremoved from Bonneville and not returned. in fact, much ofthe salt is currently located in a huge mine evaporativeprocessing pond that sits on land controlled by the BlM.

1840s�/�1900s 1910s�/�1920s 1930s�/�1940s�/�1950s

KEYMOMENTSIN TIME

1963Federal government issuespotassium leases covering24,670 acres adjacent to therace venue. Fourteen miles ofcollection ditches allow forwithdrawal of salt brine. 

1965Mining company requestspermission to begin pumpingfrom the collection ditches forpotash processing.

1966Mining company abandonsSalduro loop ditch.

1960sRacers first notice a problem withthe salt crust.

1963�–�1970Craig Breedlove (“Spirit ofamerica”), art arfons (“GreenMonster”) and Gary Gabelich(“the Blue Flame”) focus worldwideattention on jet and rocket-poweredcars. Records increase from 394mph to 622 mph.

late�1960s-1970sStudies undertaken by UtahGeological and MineralogicalSurvey and the U.S. GeologicalSurvey to determine extent of saltloss at BSF.

1970last World land Speed Record setat the BSF by Gary Gabelich. Saltloss forces international landspeed racing community to moverecord-setting venue to Black Rockdesert, nevada and otherlocations due to reduced length ofBSF race track.

1972interstate 80 constructed acrossBSF replacing Hwy 40.

1973BSF hydrogeology studied by UtahGeological and Mineral Survey.

1974Utah Geological and MineralSurvey study compares salt crustthickness between 1960 and1974, concluding there was a100% decrease in cubic yards ofsalt crust over 4 feet thick duringthat time period.

1975Bonneville Salt Flats Race trackadded to national Register ofHistoric places.

1979U.S. Geological Survey and BlMstudy concludes: “Weather cyclesmay partly explain changes on the Bonneville salt crust. But theactivities of man, such aswithdrawing brine and constructingsurface-drainage barriers, havealtered the hydrologic environmentand have had a profound effect onthe salt crust.”

1982Britain’s Richard noble sets 633mph record at Black Rock desert.

198530,203 acres of BSF designatedas area of Critical environmentalConcern and identified as theBonneville Salt Flats SpecialRecreation Management area.

1989Save the Salt Coalition foundedby racers, businesses andcommunity members withcommon goal of saving BSF. 

1960s 1970s 1980s

the racing community and mine owner created a salt brinereturn program in the 1990s that was implemented with BlMapproval. When pumped at average levels of 1.2 milliontons/year, the program stabilized Bonneville’s crust anddemonstrated small increases. However, in recent years, thepumping has been severely limited.

the racing community has issued a comprehensive plan forrestoring Bonneville. the community is represented by theSave the Salt Coalition, of which SeMa is a partner, and theUtah alliance. the Coalition is an international group ofbusinesses and organizations with a vested interest inBonneville. the Utah alliance has partnered with theCoalition to provide expertise and governmental connectionsat the state and local levels.

the Coalition/alliance’s restoration plan, if implemented,will dramatically increase the amount of salt brine beingpumped every year and channel it through the Salduroloop, an unused salt reservoir artificially segregated from

the rest of Bonneville, to increase the brine salinity as it isdeposited on the salt flats. additional pumping infrastructurewill be needed but sources of salt and water have alreadybeen identified to accomplish the salt replenishment.

Since the BlM has not previously pursued a restoration plan, the Coalition/alliance is turning to lawmakers at both the state and federal level to support the effort. to date, the Governors of both Utah and nevada, alongwith U.S. Senators and Representatives, and the Utah Statelegislature have called on the BlM to take action. theseefforts have included plans that would direct the BlM torestore the international race track to its original 13 mileswithin 10 years.

Bonneville is listed on the national Register of Historicplaces and deemed an area of Critical environmentalConcern. Yet, the BlM has allowed its health to reach criticalcondition despite these designations.

Photo courtesy of LandSpeed Productions

1992Bonneville nationals and SpeedWeek officials forced to changeinternational timing proceduresdue to reduced speedway length,eliminating the required two-wayruns within an hour. officialsfocus only on setting nationalrecords. Save the Salt Foundation(nonprofit organization) isestablished to help raise funds tosave BSF. 

1995Save the Salt, BlM, the state ofUtah and the mining companynegotiate a voluntary agreementfor salt brine to be pumped ontoBSF for five years during thewinter months.

1997Salt brine pumping begins. U.S.Geological Survey study notesthat “maximum salt-crust thicknesswas 7 feet in 1960 and 5.5 feetin 1988” and concludes that“with an estimated net loss of salt from the shallow-brineaquifer, the dissolved-solidsconcentration must be maintainedby dissolution of the salt crust.”

20025-year pumping agreement expiresbut mining company voluntarilycontinues pumping operation.

2004BlM study of the 5-year pumpingprogram notes that the 6.2 milliontons of salt transferred did notproduce the anticipated 2-inchincrease in salt thickness.However, replenishment of theaquifer will eventually add moresalt to the existing crust.

2011Mining company and BlMprepare draft environmentalassessment (ea) on miningplan. Racing community urges a mandatory salt laydown component. 

2012BlM approves mining plan andfinal ea that requires miningcompany to pump at least asmuch salt as is removed. 

2013Racers observe continueddegradation of BSF andworsening conditions. Save theSalt Coalition seeks BlMpermission to experiment with adry salt laydown as a means ofextending the race track.

2014BlM denies request for dry saltlaydown absent an ea. theCoalition is permitted to deposit2,000 tons of salt on the mudsurface at the end of the accessroad to BSF racing area. 

2015 all 2015 racing events cancelleddue to rain and mudcontamination from adjoiningareas. Save the SaltCoalition/Utah alliance develop adraft restoration plan. Utah Gov.Gary Herbert and other high-ranking Utah/nevada lawmakerssend letters urging BlM to pursuea restoration program.

2016Coalition/alliance refine therestoration plan and pursueimplementation by BlM. Gov.Herbert signs a resolution passedby the Utah legislature urging theBlM to restore BSF to safe landspeed racing conditions. Save theSalt Coalition pursues federallegislation to give the BlM 10years to restore BSF race track to13 miles.

1990s 2000s 2010s

• Increase Salt Brine Pumping: dramatically increase the amount of brine being pumped onto Bonneville to at least 1 million tons/year.

• Reconfigure Salt Laydown: pump brine through theunused Salduro loop, a large salt area artificially segregatedfrom Bonneville. the brine would be fully saturated with saltwhen channeled back onto the salt flats.

• Sources of Salt/Water: an evaporative processing pondcontains at least 100 million tons of salt that could be returnedto Bonneville. new water wells could be drilled, if necessary,to dissolve and transport the salt in a brine solution.

• Remove Salduro Loop Dirt Berms: Carefully removethe dikes that artificially segregate the Salduro loop fromBonneville, which have eroded over decades and causedsignificant salt crust contamination.

ReCoMMendationS FoR SavinG Bonnevillethe following are key elements of a plan to restore theBonneville Salt Flats and its 13-mile long track.

Bonneville Salt Flats

YEARS

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