BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS - He designed, helped build, and drives one of the fastest cars in the world.
So, Tom Burkland of Ogden, what does it feel like to rocket across the Salt Flats at speeds approaching 450 mph?
“Like going 100 miles an hour down the freeway, only the freeway you’re driving on is covered with ice. . . . There is a lot of slipping and sliding and moving around,” he says with a smile.
And what’s the feeling inside the jetlike cockpit when it’s time to deploy the car’s two parachutes and stop the Burkland streamliner?
With his smile turning to laughter, Burkland says, “When those chutes open, it’s like hitting a brick wall with your car at 30 miles an hour. So it gets your attention. But it’s a good feeling, too, because you know you’re slowing down.”
Eight years ago at the Salt Flats, neither of Burkland’s two scientifically designed parachutes deployed. He ran an estimated six miles off the end of the eight-mile course, but the car stayed in one piece and eventually rolled to a stop at the base of a mountain.
“It’s a real busy 90 seconds, when you’re in these cars,” Burkland said. “There is not a lot of time to look around and enjoy the scenery. . . . There is an awful lot going. You really have to concentrate.”
Anyone who has a love for speed should experience the thrill of witnessing a machine like the Burklund at over 400 mph as it goes by. If that does not give you chicken skin, I don’t know if you are payin’ attention. Tom Burkland comes by his need for speed honestly, he got it from his dad.
“I probably enjoyed the designing, fabrication and building of the car more than actually racing out here,” Burkland said. “My dad and I, we have such a good time in the shop, building all this stuff and working on it. . . .
“[Racing] is kind of the necessary evil of building them because you can’t find a customer who will come into the shop, buy one of these things and bring it out here and race it. So you have to do it all.”
In his first trip across the Salt Flats, Burkland’s car went over 300 mph and set a record in its class. But it wasn’t enough for father and son.
“We were still on the access road - we hadn’t gotten back to [I-80] yet - and we started talking about what we wanted to do next,” Burkland said. “We asked each other, ‘Do we want to put more power into this car and go a little faster, or do we want to step up?’ ”
Grumpy’s answer would be …….Well, Yea!
If you want to experience this kind of speed, the next event scheduled is the ‘World of Speed’ coming on September 17-20 on the historic Salt Flats.
Thanks to Steve Luhm and the Salt Lake Tribune for the quotes.
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