10 Minutes To Improved Towing
December 1, 2022
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Passing The Bar
In the fall of 2003, I wanted to attend an open-track lapping day with my ʼ67 RS/SS Camaro. I have owned the car for several years and have autocrossed and drag raced it, but I never had the opportunity to run it at one of the local tracks, such as Nelson Ledges of mid Ohio, or BeaverRun.
SUM OF THE PARTS
Jason Whitfield never intended to hot rod a station wagon. It just sort of happened. You see, he had this Mitsubishi Diamante wagon that Rage Performance and NuFormz used as a parts-getter. After a few runs, the guys decided that the car needed some better tunes. As the parts pickup runs got longer, they decided to add TVs. When a few extra parts were lying around—like a Turbonetics T04/T03 turbo and an intercooler—they just sort of made their way onto the car. The parts were already paid for, so why not use them?
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Honda did the right thing in refreshing the looks of the aging DC2 Integra platform, but somewhere along the retooling process, the terrific driving experience for which the Integra was known was lost somewhere. The Integra Type-R was a no-frills, high-performance sport compact that bordered on being a street-legal racecar, but without the loud exhaust or kidney-bruising ride; the RSX Type-S just doesn’t have the feel that the older Integra had—instead of being razor sharp and agile, the RSX feels numbed and subdued by comparison.
Spotlighter
Bonneville: The Final Frontier
America’s Last Untamed Race Track
Bonneville is that final frontier, a place where a man or a woman with a better idea isn’t punished with a bunch of extra weight or politically ruled out of racing. It’s a place where a person with a better idea gets in the record book until someone with a better idea takes it away. It’s that simple, and it’s speed racing at its purest.
Author
Tim Gavern
Words & Photography
Why You Just Have to Go to Bonneville
If you’ve never been…quit your job, get a divorce, sell your dog. Sell your dog? Well, do whatever it takes, because you just gotta go and experience Bonneville at least once. There are no payouts, no big sponsors, just a bunch of old-school racers trying to go fast on the salt flats of Bonneville. And it’s not easy racing these days—it’s hard to set a record. The speeds are huge and it would take a lot of work and some dumb luck to beat some of them. But this doesn’t seem to matter to the competitors—they just build their cars and give it a shot.
A Banner Year on the Salt
2004 was a banner year for Bonneville. The salt was good, and the long course was 7 miles. There were 442 entries: 328 cars and 114 bikes, including 68 class changes. There were 156 records set: 89 cars and 67 bikes.
The Spirit of Bonneville
Bonneville is that final frontier, a place where a man or a woman with a better idea isn’t punished with a bunch of extra weight or politically ruled out of racing. It’s a place where a person with a better idea gets in the record book until someone with a better idea takes it away. It’s that simple, and it’s speed racing at its purest. You need to be there, so check it out.
*A Note for the Knuckleheads
Driving on wet salt is a serious and growing problem.
When the flats are wet or flooded, the salt crust becomes fragile and easily destroyed. Beneath it lies thick mud that will trap your vehicle—and the damage you cause can take years to heal, if it ever does.
This kind of carelessness ruins Bonneville for everyone.
It threatens racing, recreation, and the future of events on the salt. There are no excuses—if it’s wet, stay off.
You may also be held financially liable for any damage caused or for the cost of vehicle recovery efforts.
Check conditions before you go.
Travel and camp only on durable surfaces. Protect the salt flats, or risk losing access for everyone. For more info, CLICK HERE to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats Special Recreation Management Area’s website.
