Attention, speed aficionados, as your days of summer are rapidly approaching. The 2024 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials are running at the Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway from August 24-29. The event has several names and sanctions—Bonneville Motorcycles Speed Trials, AMA Land Speed Grand Championship, and FIM Land Speed World Records—and many ways to compete on the famed salt course about 60 miles west of Salt Lake City.
Competitive options run from the non-record-eligible Run Watcha Brung class ($200 for early entry) to eligibility to be recognized for an FIM World Record ($1045 for early entry). If you want a shot at an AMA record, the early entry fee is $695. Registration is open now, with the early entry discount ending on July 14. Spectator tickets run $100 for the week, or $25 per day.
To compete, you must be an American Motorcyclist Association member. There are several additional registration requirements for both AMA and FIM licensing to compete, with details on the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials website. If you have celebrated your 50th birthday, you’ll need a physical exam.
Many regulations are unique to the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials, which are held on an ancient (usually) dry lakebed. For example, no permanent infrastructure is allowed on the salt surface; everything necessary to stage the competition must be removed from the salt when it is done. To protect the salt flats, you must be diligent about preventing fuel, oil, coolant, or other substances from leaking onto the salt—a protective ground cover extending at least three feet from the competition bike must be deployed.
Can a rank amateur with a shoestring budget go to the BMST and come away with a record? Yes, and I have done it. You can read my 2014 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials diary here on the website. If you want to know more, I wrote a book—The Unlikely 1—on the experience.
