Bonneville Speed Week
Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week is an annual land speed racing event held at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, bringing together hundreds of competitors aiming to set land speed records in various vehicles classes. The event has been held annually since 1949 and is a considered a must for land speed racing enthusiasts.
Bonneville Speed Week 2026 is going to be held between 1st and 7th August, featuring land speed racing, inspections and record attempts. It’s a week filled with speed, sound and salt that keeps fans and racers coming back for more – with what many call ‘Salt Fever’.
What is Bonneville Speed Week?
Land Speed Racing is a unique sport that consists of determined racers who drive hot rods, roadsters, belly tankers, lakesters, motorcycles, streamliners, and even diesel trucks. Speed Week at Bonneville Salt Flats is a week of racing each year in August, with entrants coming from all over the world to participate.
Spectators are allowed to walk through the pits, view the vehicles, and talk to the drivers and crew members – making this week at Bonneville Salt Flats the best time to visit. The spectacular scenery and racing conditions are incredibly popular with those who crave speed and innovation.
What’s significant about Bonneville Flats?
So, what are the Bonneville Salt Flats? They are a uniquely flat, hard and expansive 30,000-acre natural salt crust, formed by the dried-up ancient Lake Bonneville – creating the perfect conditions for high-speed racing. The long, straight tracks are essential for reaching speeds exceeding 300mph and the surface creates a perfectly flat speedway, allowing for rapid acceleration and safe stopping distances.
Wondering how to get to Bonneville Salt Flats? Located near Wendover, it’s over an hour from Salt Lake City, near the Utah-Neveda border. Summer and Autumn months create the best conditions, as there can be soft, wet areas during the Winter and Spring that make it dangerous for driving.
Bonneville land speed records
Bonneville has been a premier venue for land speed racing, hosting numerous records since 1914 – and we knew it would be the perfect place to achieve a world record.
Some of the most notable Bonneville speed records include the Fastest Electric Vehicle achieved by Roger Schroer in the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 in 2016, the World’s Fastest Bagger achieved by Laura Klock on the Harley-Davidson Road Glide in 2007 and of course, the JCB world record.
In 2006, the JCB Dieselmax, driven by Wing Commander Andy Green, hit 350mph to break the land speed record for diesel-powered cars – and it still stands nearly two decades later.
Find out more about our journey to breaking the record here.
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