The Mirage

RRX contributor Mark Gardiner checks in with a report on some very, very fast motorcycle racers.
Story and photos by Mark Gardiner

Paul Livingston told me where to go. “You can see the lakebed from way back in Phelan; you’ll see us on it.” Phelan (pronounced “felon”) being the nearest town, and “us” being the assembled racers and officials of the Southern California Timing Association.

Since I’m tracking several stories with land-speed racing themes, I’ll be up on the Bonneville Salt Flats for the two big annual events. I thought a recon trip to one of the SCTA’s month tune-up events at El Mirage Dry Lake would give me a sense of what I was getting into.

Even early in the morning, the long drop towards the lakebed is a lot like the descent into hell. Hot? Not close to the right word. One hundred degrees Fahrenheit is positively brisk down there. (Though “down” is admittedly relative; the altitude is still 2800 feet, making for a power-robbing though perhaps slightly cooler and thus barely life-preserving atmosphere.) Everything is dusty, faded, desiccated. Busted signs hang, one-hinged, advertising failed real estate promotions with names like “Sheep Creek Residential Ranches.” There’s not enough forage for sheep, there’s no creek, and even in SoCal’s insane real-estate market, no one is crazy enough to actually live here.

There were a few cars ahead of me on the road, which I assumed meant I was headed in the right direction. We all turned left onto the flat, featureless lakebed. At that point, all the cars in front of me fanned out. They knew what I didn’t; being in line is to breathe choking dust. Since I didn’t know where to go, I had to follow someone, but whom? I couldn’t see anything, but in my mind’s eye, at any moment, some streamliner was about to spear me at 250 mph.

Remember the massed-assault scene in Mad Max? It was like that.

The thing about SCTA rules is, there’s a class for anything. Cars and bikes run intermingled. There are new and vintage (pre-’55) vehicles, as well as a “pushrod” motorcycle class that serves as a bridge between the really old stuff and modern bikes. I had no idea what I was getting into; I came to see some of the modern bikes (there’s a heavy presence of Hayabusas) but was quickly drawn from the sublime to the ridiculous. Sure the five-liter, twin-engined Harley was cool, but not as cool as the flat-head Harleys and Indians that are still running out there. Or the Norton Manx frame with a Weslake speedway engine, modified to run on gas.

Walking around on the dry lakebed, the temp hits 100, then 110, and keeps going.

When I left San Diego at 5 a.m., it seemed like a good idea to wear my Road Racer X T-shirt. After all, it might help if there was any skepticism about my press credentials. I needn’t have worried. But there I was attired in stylish … black. This was an immediate conversation opener with the SCTA crowd, who have long ago learned that white clothing is essential to desert survival.

“You’re wearing black?!?”

I patiently explain that this is, if nothing else, good practice for my afterlife, which I’ve been assured I’ll spend in an exceedingly warm environment.

Still, it gives me pause to realize that the guys who build these truly wacky vehicles think I’m mad.

SCTA events are, but for the environments in which they are held, very spectator friendly. Admission is free, and while they’ll make you sign a waiver, you’re welcome to wander amongst the bikes at will. For gearheads in the SoCal area, a trip to El Mirage is a mandatory life experience.

If you want to make the hajj, here’s what you need to know:

Season: The SCTA races on El Mirage one weekend a month from May to November, except August.

Dates: The next scheduled event is September 11. For future events and additional info, bookmark www.scta-bni.org.

Directions: Amazingly, Mapquest ( www.mapquest.com) has El Mirage Dry Lake in their database.