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54-433: The salt flats were first used for motor sports in 1912, but did not become truly popular until the 1930s when Ab Jenkins and Sir Malcolm Campbell competed to set land speed records. A reduction of available racing surface and salt thickness has led to the cancellation of events at Bonneville, such as Speed Week in 2014 and 2015. Available racing surface is much reduced with just 2.5 miles (4.0 km) available instead of

108-618: A 4 + 1 ⁄ 2  bhp (4.6 PS) motorcycle to pace him to 37 miles 196 yards (59.725 km) in a private test at The Crystal Palace , south London, in July 1900 but riders in the USA and in Paris had already done better. Some races mixed pacing with solo bicycles, tandem and motorcycle, with the riders given different start points in compensation. Bordeaux–Paris , a race of nearly 600 km (370 mi) from south-west France to

162-556: A 130-tooth chainring and wooden rims. Fred Rompelberg , using a dragster with a large shield as pacer, achieved 268.831 km/h (167.044 mph) on the Bonneville Salt Flats on 15 October 1995. The British absolute speed record is held by Neil Campbell, pedaling at a speed of 183.75 km/h (114.18 mph) on 25 April 2016 behind a modified Volkswagen Passat . He broke the previous record of 181.76 km/h (112.94 mph) set by Guy Martin in 2013 behind

216-473: A Dunlop quintuplet on 27 September 1897. The pacing tandems were ridden by professionals, of whom as many as 100 were under contract. Each competitor had six to eight pacing teams for races between 50 and 100 miles (80 and 160 km). Speeds rose when engines were added to pacing tandems. Arthur Chase and the Frenchman Émile Bouhours set English records behind powered tandems in 1898 and 1899. Chase used

270-466: A crash in front of 10 000 spectators at Boston, Massachusetts, USA. His rear tire exploded at 100 km/h (62 mph) and he was thrown under another rider's pacing machine, which "crushed the prostrate man in a dreadful manner." George Leander of Chicago said, "Only the clumsy get themselves killed" before starting a race at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Leander was thrown five metres (16 ft) into

324-506: A modified racing truck. Denise Mueller-Korenek claimed a women's bicycle land speed record at 147 mph (237 km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats on 12 September 2016. Mueller was coached by former record holder John Howard. It is not clear which authority was supervising the record attempt. On 16 September 2018, again at Bonneville, she took the world record with a top speed of 183.93 mph (296 km/h) behind

378-477: A new women's paced hour record of 43.461 at Vélodrome Buffalo. The first hour record behind a motorcycle was set at 34 miles (55 km) by Harry Elkes of the USA in 1898. He rode behind a motor-powered tandem. The first record behind a pure motorcycle was 68 km (42 mi) by Tom Linton of Britain at the Parc des Princes track in northwest Paris in 1902. The speed increased but records become more hazy because some were made under restrictions imposed by

432-447: A pacer in a car or more usually on a motorcycle. The cyclist (or stayer in this case) follows as close as they can to benefit from the slipstream of their pacer. The first paced races were behind other cyclists, sometimes as many as five riders on the same tandem. Bordeaux-Paris and record attempts have been ridden behind cars. More usually races or training are behind motorcycles. Cyclists started to use tandem bicycles as pacers in

486-482: A record that stayed unchallenged until 2005. During WWII, the US government ordered a halt to racing activities and Jenkins decided to run for mayor of Salt Lake City, winning handily despite spending no time or money campaigning. After the war, Jenkins resumed racing. On July 20, 1951, his car skidded on a puddle of water and struck a row of course markers at a speed of nearly 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). The radiator

540-452: A roller on a frame at the rear to create a uniform distance to the cyclist. Some riders objected when the UCI insisted on them in 1920. The pacer stands or sits upright to offer a maximum windbreak , and the handlebars are extended to facilitate the stance, in a standardized leather suit that allows for the same slipstream effect for any rider. Speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph) can be reached;

594-589: A safety razor after the last gas stop while circling the track at over 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) with no windshield. In 1956, Pontiac executives petitioned Jenkins to make a comeback. In one of his final interviews that June, he reported that his health was good and he felt up to it. Jenkins and his son Marvin to drive its stock-model Series 860 Pontiac around the famous 10-mile (16 km) salt circle track. The pair recorded an average speed of 118.375 miles per hour (190.506 km/h) shattering all existing American unlimited and Class C stock-car racing records in

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648-507: A sixty-eight miles per hour (109 km/h) run on the Salt Flats on an Allis-Chalmers tractor, which he remarked was "like riding a frightened bison" before building a series of cars manufactured specifically for the Salt Flats. In 1925, Jenkins was hired by Pierce-Arrow to soup up their newly introduced V12 engine which produced a disappointing level of performance at the time. He managed to coax 175 miles per hour (282 km/h) out of

702-411: A speech, or spending a nickel on a campaign. He served until 1944 setting 21 speed records while in office. His one-man 24-hour record averaging 161 mph (259 km/h), stood for 50 years, beaten in 1990 by an eight driver team. Jenkins's exhausting, 48-hour record is still on the books together with 15 other FIA records from 1940. After some full day runs, he would hop out clean-shaven, having used

756-406: A then world record of 244 km/h (152 mph). On 15 October 1995, Dutch cyclist Fred Rompelberg achieved 268.831 km/h (167.044 mph), using a special bicycle behind a dragster with a large shield. In 2016, Denise Mueller-Korenek claimed a women's bicycle land speed record at 147 mph (237 km/h). She was coached by Howard. It is not clear which authority was supervising

810-534: A total of 3,000 miles (4,800 km) in the process. He was due to attempt the 1931 Indianapolis 500 , but fell ill, and his car was driven by Tony Gulotta . The Bonneville Salt Flats became more popular during the 1930s as speed records were being broken regularly, so it was deemed that the sands of Daytona Beach or the Monthlhéry track in France were preferable to the sands of the Bonneville Salt Flats. During

864-473: A visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Often referred to as "The World's Safest Speedster," Jenkins was the father of salt racing. The distance he drove in 50 years included nearly three million kilometers, which included 42 coast-to-coast trips across the continental United States. There were two speed runs, however, after 1931, he confined his efforts to the track alone. Jenkins, a home building contractor in Utah who

918-402: Is most beneficial for each event. Large public meets such as Speed Week run as many as four tracks with several timed miles, usually starting with the second mile and running to the fifth mile. Smaller meets that typically only run world record attempts will utilize a single track, with one timed mile and one timed kilometer in the middle of the track. Additional marks and cones indicate the end of

972-708: Is the World of Speed, (similar to Speed Week) organized by the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA). The USFRA also hosts a "Test-n-Tune" event in the summer prior to the World of Speed. In October, the Southern California Timing Association puts on World Finals, a scaled-down version of Speed Week. This event tends to have cooler weather and often drier salt than Speed Week does. There are less spectators and it tends to draw serious racers, as this event

1026-882: Is the last chance to break a land speed record and be in the SCTA record book for that year. Each year, there are usually a few private meets that are not publicized scattered among the larger public meets. Numerous land speed records in various vehicle categories and classes have been set on the Bonneville speed way. In 1960, Mickey Thompson became the first American to break the 400 miles per hour (640 km/h) barrier, hitting 406.60 miles per hour (654.36 km/h) and surpassing John Cobb 's 1947 one-way Land speed record of 403 miles per hour (649 km/h). Other notable examples of Bonneville speed records include: Several motor-paced racing speed records have been attempted at Bonneville. In 1985, American cyclist John Howard set

1080-544: The Bonneville Salt Flats . He was instrumental in establishing Bonneville as a location for such events, and in attracting overseas drivers such as George Eyston and Sir Malcolm Campbell to compete there. He drove the Duesenberg " Mormon Meteor " to a 24-hour average land speed record of 135 miles per hour (217 km/h) in 1935. In 1940 Jenkins set the 24-hour record of a 161.180 mph (259.394 km/h) average that lasted for 50 years (until 1990). He died on

1134-623: The 1970s. Derny also built a street adaptation called the Solo as well as tandems and mopeds. The name derny is now applied to all such vehicles, regardless of manufacturer. It is used by the Larousse dictionary as a generic term for a small pacing motorcycle used in cycle races. The machine has to be bump-started. It can then pace riders up to 90 km/h (56 mph), although races rarely exceed 80 km/h (50 mph). Riders behind Derny-pacers ride conventional track bicycles. Bordeaux–Paris

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1188-473: The 9-mile (14 km) courses traditionally used for Speed Week. Historically, the speedway was marked out by the Utah Department of Transportation at the start of each summer. Originally, two tracks were prepared; a 10-mile (16 km) long straightaway for speed trials and an oval or circular track for distance runs, which was typically between 10 and 12 miles (16 and 19 km) long depending on

1242-576: The Road America race in August of that year. Jenkins was returning from a baseball game with Pontiac executives George Bourke and Robert Emerick on August 9 when he noticed a billboard with a farm tractor on it and started telling the men about his wild ride in 1935 when he suddenly grabbed his chest and passed away from a heart attack. The next year, General Motors introduced the 1957 Pontiac “Bonneville” in honor of Ab and Marv's achievements making it

1296-562: The Union Cycliste Internationale and others with no rules at all. On 12 October 1950, Karl-Heinz Kramer set the world record for absolute speed behind a motorcycle with 154.506 km/h (96.006 mph) on the Grenzlandring . Frenchman José Meiffret , set a record 204.73 km/h (127.21 mph) behind a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL on an Autobahn at Freiburg , Germany, on 16 July 1962. His bicycle had

1350-492: The air after 80 km (50 mi), fell to the track, bounced into the seating and died 36 hours later. A crash in Berlin on 18 July 1909 killed nine when a motorcycle careened into the stands and exploded. The historian Peter Nye wrote: The biggest machines were built by the pacers, using parts from other motorcycles, with engines as large as 2,400 cc (150 cu in). The largest had two riders, one crouched over

1404-485: The average is 60–70 km/h (37–43 mph). The bicycles are steel, sturdy and have a smaller front wheel to let the stayer bend forward into the slipstream. A Derny is a light motorbike typically driven by a 98 cc (6.0 cu in) Zurcher two-stroke engine and by being pedaled through a fixed gear, typically of 70 teeth on the front chainring and 11 on the sprocket on the back wheel. The combination allows for smooth acceleration and slowing, important when

1458-423: The back wheel to avoid crashes caused by the rider touching the back of the motorcycle, but there were few other regulations. Race distances extended to six days, although one-hour and 100-mile (160 km) contests were more common. Windshields were briefly allowed but abandoned after the world championship in 1904. Speeds rose and accidents became commonplace. An American, Harry Elkes, died of his injuries from

1512-458: The capital, was paced part of the way by cars in 1897, 1898 and 1899. So was Paris–Roubaix . The historian Pierre Chany said: "Cars made only a brief appearance in Paris–Roubaix. On the roads of the north, these noisy cars, high with wooden wheels with their tires nailed in place, raised huge clouds of dust. The drivers, wearing leathers, their eyes protected by huge goggles, were stepping into

1566-591: The car delivered loaded with options for $ 5,782 – approaching double that of the Star Chief Custom Convertible ($ 3,105) with which it shared the 124-inch-wheelbase (310 cm) chassis. Jenkins Peak was named in his honor in 1960. The mountain is located north of the Bonneville Speedway and is prominently visible from there. Motor-paced racing Motor-paced racing and motor-paced cycling refer to cycling behind

1620-414: The condition of the salt surface. Since at least the 1990s, track preparations have been the responsibility of the event organizers. Days or weeks in advance, the track preparers identify an area best suited for their track layouts and begin grading the tracks. Surveyors are brought in to survey the timing trap distances. A day before racing begins, the track markers are added. Originally, the straightaway

1674-557: The decreasing salt surface, such as pumping back salt, though this had no effect. In August, the Southern California Timing Association and Bonneville Nationals Inc. organize Speed Week, the largest meet of the year, which attracts several hundred drivers who compete to set highest speed in a range of categories. Bonneville Speed Week has been taking place since 1949. In late August, the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials are held. In September each year

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1728-406: The engine, driving a Pierce-Arrow along the Utah salt flats at over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) in a 24-hour journey along a 10-mile (16 km) course. As a result of the run, a total distance of 2,710 miles (4,360 kilometers) was covered. It was in the following year that he set out to break that record by driving 25 hours and 30 minutes at around 117 miles per hour (188 km/h) and making

1782-436: The first, and perhaps the only car to ever “earn” its name and not simply be “given” its name by an automaker. Of the 630 limited production run, each dealer got only one, making it the rarest of all Pontiacs ever produced. The new Bonneville was the fastest of the division – 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97 km/h) in 8.1 seconds thanks to the new fuel injected V8 that cranked out 300HP plus. All convertibles, all automatics,

1836-537: The handlebars to steer and the other sitting upright above the back wheel to protect the rider and to operate the engine. The pacers wore leathers, goggles and helmets but many riders wore a flat cap. The world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale , set regulations for pacing motorcycles in 1920. Until then standards had been set by the police, particularly in Germany, or by

1890-515: The historian H. M. Ellis. The races became faster as the pacers became faster. Paced races kept audiences enthralled for many decades in Europe and, at one time, in North America. Tens of thousands watched, especially in Germany. The popularity of this form of pacing declined in the latter part of the 20th century. There were few rules. Pacing machines had small rollers set sideways behind

1944-401: The land speed record in that race fell to another British competitor, Malcolm Campbell, who drove the aircraft-engine-powered Blue Bird V to a record two-way average speed of 301 miles per hour (484 km/h). Realizing that he needed even more power to stay on top, Jenkins equipped his car with a Curtiss Conqueror aircraft engine. The Salt Lake City newspaper Deseret News ran a contest to give

1998-447: The late 19th century. There could be as many as five riders on the pacing machine. Because of the long distances covered when following a pacer, these cyclists were called stayers, a term used in long-distance horse racing. Companies such as Dunlop sponsored pacing teams, and "tens of thousands" turned out to watch. A south London rider, J. W. Stocks, set British record of 32 miles 1,086 yards (52.492 km) in an hour behind

2052-436: The longer passing lane from the inner. Typically four to six couples compete in a race, covering up to 100 kilometres (62 mi) or racing over a set time. The keirin , a Japanese sprint with a paced start which has spread across the world, is a variation of motor-paced racing. A group of cyclists use a single pacer to get to speed and then sprint to the finish on their own. The first registered distance record behind pacers

2106-465: The process. Ab drove almost two-thirds of the 2,841 miles (4,572 km) himself gulping down milk and orange juice handed to him by his wife or daughter during his 30-second fueling pit stops. He did not smoke or drink alcohol. Father-and-son dominated the record book claiming a total of 28 records. The same year, Ab had the opportunity to drive a Pontiac pace car in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, at

2160-500: The record attempt. In 2018, Mueller-Korenek broke her own women's record and the men's record at a speed of 183.9 miles per hour (296.0 km/h). Ab Jenkins David Abbott "Ab" Jenkins (January 25, 1883 – August 9, 1956) was the 24th mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah between 1940 and 1944. He was a professional race car driver. Jenkins' interest in motorsports began with racing motorcycles on dirt tracks and across country. He then became interested in land speed records at

2214-472: The rider taking pace is centimetres from the pacer's shielded back wheel. A coupling between the motor and the back wheel ensures the machine will not stop dead if the motor seizes. The first Entraineur or Bordeaux–Paris models, with a petrol tank across the handlebars, were built by Roger Derny et Fils of the avenue de St Mandé, Paris, France in 1938. That closed in 1957, though another company, Derny Service of rue de Picpus serviced and rebuilt machines into

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2268-504: The size of the alternative track. The depth of the salt crust at Bonneville has also been decreasing, possibly leaching into a saltwater aquifer . Measured at as much at 3 ft (0.91 m) in the 1940s and 50s, it has been reduced to just 2 in (0.051 m) in 2015. Though recent studies have been made (since 1960), the causes of this deterioration are not clear, although the evidence points toward both local climatic changes and salt mining. Some strategies were devised to revert

2322-408: The slipstream effect and will quickly fall further back. The pacer then has to slow down so he can catch up and then accelerate without again losing his rider. Races are in velodromes or on other oval and steeply banked tracks to allow high-speed racing. After a flying start the cyclists link up with their pacers. Riding counterclockwise, passing can only be done on the right, a blue line separating

2376-419: The summer of 1935, the course was gaining international attention and in July of that year, Jenkins provided accommodations to British driver John Cobb and even relinquished his spot on the flats to him. During the course of the run, Cobb was able to break Jenkins' records and set a new one. In late 1935, Jenkins drove a new supercharged Duesenberg Model J which allowed him to retake his title from John Cobb, but

2430-436: The track and the position of timing equipment. The annual Speed Week was cancelled in both 2014 and 2015, as were many land-speed racing events, due to deteriorating track conditions. Heavy rains caused a layer of mud from surrounding mountains to flow onto the flats, covering approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) of the track. Although another section of the flats would normally be used, nearby salt mining operations had reduced

2484-478: The track promoters. World championships were held annually, except during wars, for 100 years, often separately for amateurs and professionals. Carsten Podlesch , who won in 1994, is the last and reigning world champion. National championships continue in several European countries and European championships are conducted annually. Motorcycles now used include the 750 cc (46 cu in) Triumph Tiger or BMW machines. The motorcycle for motor-pacing has

2538-417: The unknown! The riders hidden in all this chaos could see absolutely nothing and risked their life at 50 km/h (31 mph) on the edge of a razor. The noise was infernal and the column advanced in the stink of exhaust pipes." The first races were limited more by the speed a motorcycle could achieve than the ability of the rider to follow, with 50 km/h (31 mph) being a good average, according to

2592-656: The vehicle a name, which ended up being dubbed the "Mormon Meteor". Due to extensive modifications needed to accommodate the Curtiss engine, it quickly became the Mormon Meteor II and Jenkins broke land speed endurance records with it during 1936–37. In 1938, he debuted the Mormon Meteor III, setting even more records. The most notable was in 1940 when Jenkins managed 3,868 miles (6,225 km) in 24 hours at an average speed of 161 mph (259 km/h),

2646-443: Was an avid admirer. Jenkins became pals with New York Metropolitan Opera Singer Richard Bonelli when they were working as mechanics before Bonelli discovered he could sing. Bonelli attended many of Jenkins record runs and often instigated a song fest with spectators joining the famous baritone as Ab whizzed past. Jenkins racing fame coupled with his congenial, outgoing nature got him elected Mayor of Salt Lake in 1940 without ever giving

2700-533: Was born in 1883, gained his first taste of racing a Studebaker on the Union Pacific train from Salt Lake City to Wendover in 1925, beating the smoke-belcher by five minutes. A few years later, in 1926, he drove from New York City to San Francisco in a Studebaker touring sedan in 86 hours, 20 minutes, a time that was 14 hours faster than the train. A series of records were set in Pierce-Arrows as well as

2754-512: Was by Frederick Lindley Dodds of Britain, who on a solid-tired bicycle rode close to 16 miles (26 km) in the grounds of Cambridge University in 1876 during a 20-mile scratch race. A south London rider, J. W. Stocks, set an unbeaten British record of 32 miles 1,086 yards (52.492 km) in an hour behind pacers on 27 September 1897. From 1893 to 1895, Hélène Dutrieu set several women's paced hour records, ending with 39.190 km at Vélodrome Roubaisien. In 1896, Amélie Le Gall set

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2808-411: Was marked with a broad black line down its center. This was eventually changed to lines down either side, as the center line wore out too quickly. As the costs for painting the lines has gone up, organizations have switched to flags and cones as track markers. The last event to use black lines was Speed Week, August 2009. The number of tracks and the timed sections for each track are set according to what

2862-408: Was paced by Dernys for part of its route from 1946 to 1985. Cooperation between pacer and stayer includes the use of terms and signals understood internationally, because pacers and stayers may be of different nationalities. The stayer needs to be close to the roller to gain maximum profit from the slipstream; if he gets too close he may hit the roller and fall, if he falls too far behind it, he loses

2916-554: Was punctured by the accident and Jenkins had to halt his overheating vehicle. He had stopped three minutes short of breaking a new one-hour speed record and at the age of 68, he decided it was time to retire. Considering his limited resources, Jenkins enjoyed remarkable achievements, something on the order of Will Rogers with a motorized persona. He was a deeply religious man, who put his faith in God, and by God, he went far, especially driving his “Mormon Meteor” speed machines. Harvey Firestone

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