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The Second Day
Michael "Woz" Wozniak, 09.20.2000

Well, I thought yesterday was perfect, and I didn’t think it could be topped but I was wrong. I started the day at the Bonneville Speedway before dawn this morning with John Chan who drove in from California yesterday. We got up and left the hotel before sunrise and made it to the speedway just as the sky was turning a golden hue streaked with orange and amber. We walked out onto the ultra flat lakebed and watched as the salt turned color from a dishpan gray to a brilliant white as the sun started to shine. It was breathtaking. After the sun rose I rode my Buell S-1 back to the Stateline Casino and Resort to pick up the rest of the crew who were on Buells. Three hooligans from Indiana and myself rode back out to the speedway watching carefully for the Utah State Trooper who had been lurking on the main drag leading out of Wendover. Yesterday, one of our group got cited for 45 in a 35, and I was stopped, I really mean stopped as the trooper ran into the slow lane where I was riding about 32 mph and stopped me in the street telling me that there was a fifty foot section of the roadway that had a 20 mph limit when the “lights flashed” Neither myself or my passenger at the time saw the lights, but we apologized to the trooper and as he was busy with disabled car he didn’t cite me. I had the feeling that if he weren’t busy, I too would have a citation as a memento of my visit to Wendover.

Once we were at the track we started to assist the crew who were busy fixing the tents that had been blown by the winds during the night. We repaired one, found the top to another and put the encampment back together. Then the beautiful motorcycle was taken from the trailer and once again I felt as this rolling work of art designed and built by Erik Buell over twelve years ago was going to succeed in breaking the existing Land Speed Record. Little did I know then how right I was.

We attended the riders meeting and listened closely to Gary who was instructing the large crowd about the track, etiquette, and what was going to happen today. After that we were allowed to join the racers on a sighting ride (I guess you could call it a sighting lap) down the seven miles of flat groomed salt. I remember seeing that black line at Bonneville in photographs and television shows, but I got to see it for real this morning. It was a slow ride, but we got to see the timing lights, the mile markers and the scoring tent. We returned to the pit area and then we got to attend the Rookie Orientation. That was interesting as well, as I have never been to the Bonneville Speedway before. Lots of things to learn.

After the Rookie Orientation, we got to put the racebike, that beautiful Buell RR-1000 on the retrieval trailer and got into the line that was forming for the first runs down the track. The wind had died down and the sun was shining and it was getting warm. Richard Nallin had his leathers on and the tension was mounting. We watched as the Team Elves' bike left the starting line third. The entire team waited anxiously as we were listening to the USFRA radio for the speed to be announced. 146.240 for the first run. We were racing, and it was terrific.

The second run was even faster. Then it was time to go for a record. A group of us got in Dave Gess’ van and rode down to the three-mile marker that is the end of the timing mile and we watched as Richard Nallin rode the Team Elves bike a whopping 156.865! A qualifying run was declared and the bike went to impound. How much excitement can one person take! The team cheered as we heard the record making run time, and followed the retrieval truck with Aaron Wilson at the helm bringing the bike to the impound area where it would wait for the backup run tomorrow morning.

Another fine day. Another day with the most wonderful Buell enthusiasts anywhere. This was only the second day. I have to wait until tomorrow and I know I won’t get much sleep.

Woz…