Road & Track

Images featured in the January issue of Road & Track, in an article titled “Go,” about racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats. I’ve photographed there many times, and never get tired of it. The landscape is simple and graphic. The light is always wonderful due to the natural bounce coming from the whiteness of the salt. And the race car? Well, what can I say? I’m completely mesmerized by these crude, crazy cool, held-together-with-gobs-of-spit-and-prayers contraptions. If Dr. Frankenstein was into car racing, these are the speed monsters he would have created I’m certain. Take, for example, this belly tanker. In its first life it was the fuel tank from a World War II fighter plane. After the war, however, with hundreds of these fighters mothballed, resourceful hot-rodders - noting the aerodynamic potential of these fuel tanks - cut them in half and welded two lower-portions together to create these open-wheeled land torpedoes. The P-38 Lightning’s fuel tanks were a favorite - perfectly sized for an engine and drivetrain. The ingenuity, resourcefulness and madness it took to make these beautiful Frankensteins makes me smile.