‘The World of Speed’ sends people 500 mph across Utah’s Salt Flats

WENDOVER, Utah — Recently, dozens of amateur speed lovers came to Utah to face the thrill of chasing 500 miles per hour. It’s all a part of “The World of Speed” which took over the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Every year, the event draws hyperfast looking cars and motorcycles from all over the world.

“We have a car here from New Zealand. I have a motorcycle here from Dubai. I have a driver that’s going to drive a cycle car from Australia,” said Dennis Sullivan, the president of The Utah Salt Flats Racing Association. “I have people from Washington, Minnesota, Florida, all over the United States.”

Some of the cars are designed to go so fast they have to be pushed off the line before they can dump the clutch and start, or as the drivers call it, “roosting salt.”

“We have everything from streamliners that go 400 miles an hour, and there’s actually one streamliner that’s topped 500,” Dennis said.

For nearly four decades the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association puts in several days of work prepping the course itself, laying out a thousand cones and 25 miles of wire for timing clocks.

“It’s kind of a passion, because there’s no prize money,” Dennis said. “This is probably the last true amateur motorsport. I don’t care if you spend a million dollars or if you build it in a single car garage, if you set a record, all you get is your name in the book and bragging rights.”

This year, there are 136 cars that get several chances along the 7-mile salt strip to go as fast as they can. “It’s every petrol heads childhood dream,” said Alan Boyter, who came from Brazil to race in Utah. “It’s the famous Bonneville. So it’s a bucket list item.”

During “The World of Speed” they have something unique for this event. They let amateur drivers take their safety inspected street car up to 140 miles per hour on a shorter salt track, just to give you what they call, “Salt Fever.”