Due to salt conditions unsuitable for safe motorcycle land speed racing, race organizer Delvene Reber has announced that the 2023 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials have been canceled. The event was scheduled to run from August 26 to 31.
In an announcement on the BMST website, Reber said, “Our assessment team has reviewed current Bonneville Salt Flat conditions since remnants of Hurricane Hilary and related storm systems delivered significant rain on the Bonneville Salt Flats during the past 24 hours. Although there is wind, it is not drying the area and is instead pushing the water around, making multiple small moving lakes to contend with. The mobile lakes are now making ‘high ground’ a moving target to support track preparation, necessary repairs, and safe operations for all of our racers in time for the event to proceed.”
Reber, who is the Event Director/Owner of the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials, went on to say, “We put it all on the line every year, and after the 2022 cancellation, we were looking forward to an exceptional race surface and return of our amazing participants to twist the throttle and add their name to the record books. It is surprising and heart-wrenching to be canceling due to the impacts from Hurricane Hilary. We know that everyone wants an exceptional experience, and we are looking forward to next year when we will bring world-class FIM and AMA motorcycle land speed racing back to the Bonneville Salt Flats.”
Reber noted that despite hopes for enough dry, solid salt on the tracks as of August 19, additional rain from Hurricane Hilary expanded the area of salt covered by water and zones of soft, potholed salt to the point where suitable track conditions were no longer available by August 21.
“We’re disappointed that we’ll be unable to run the AMA Land Speed Grand Championship this year,” AMA Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant said. “We always enjoy holding this event, and it’s unfortunate the weather once again didn’t cooperate with our best efforts to run a successful event.”
The last Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials held at the Bonneville Salt Flats was in 2021. The event has dual sanctions—AMA Land Speed Grand Championship and FIM Land Speed World Records.
