Between 4th and 11th October 2005, B.A.R Honda embarks on an attempt at setting an official Formula One Land Speed Record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

B.A.R Honda in Bonneville record attempt (September 2005)

Driven by enthusiasm and a determination to establish what speed an F1 car can reach away from the confines of a race track, and to challenge itself outside the immediate realms of Formula One, the team and its group of expert partners has been hard at work developing a car to cope with running at immense speed on the legendary salt flats.

The car B.A.R Honda will use for the record attempt, while being slightly modified for the event, is still a track legal B.A.R Honda 007 – the team's entry in the 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship. At the wheel for the record attempt will be Alan van der Merwe, member of B.A.R Honda's Young Driver Programme.

Rain stops play for Bonneville 400… for now! (Oktober 2005)

A sudden spell of rain in north-west Utah, USA has forced B.A.R Honda to postpone Bonneville 400, its attempt to set the first official Formula One land speed record.

The project team is on standby to return at the earliest opportunity once the Bonneville Salt Flats have dried.

Up to an inch of standing water presently covers the seven-mile course on the legendary salt flats, and meteorological reports and forecasts suggest that the ambient temperature in the region will not be sufficient over the next week to evaporate the water to allow the scheduled running on the 5-8th October.

Senior members of the Bonneville 400 project team have flown out to the venue to assess the conditions on the flats and determine when a return to make the record attempt will be possible.

B.A.R Honda Sporting Director Gil de Ferran said of the postponement, "The adverse weather conditions in Bonneville have given us no other option but to postpone the scheduled running of the B.A.R Honda 067 on the Bonneville Salt Flats. This is a short term disappointment to the team, but the very nature of attempting to run a car at speeds in excess of 400 km/h on a natural surface means it is always susceptible to bad weather and we were fully prepared for this eventuality. We will be rescheduling our record attempt once our observation team returns to Brackley, but are determined to get back out to Utah again as soon as possible."

Mike Cook of the Southern California Timing Association who is assisting the team on its attempt, said; "Unfortunately, B.A.R Honda is the latest victim of the unpredictable weather in this area. Bonneville has a unique micro-climate and it is impossible to predict the long range weather conditions around here with any accuracy. It may come as some consolation for the team to know they aren't alone. Throughout the prestigious history of land speed record attempts here, many have been adversely affected by the weather. It's almost a spiritual rite of passage for record setters at Bonneville and will represent a test of the team's mettle. But having met them all, I know they'll be back to set the record."

Bonneville back on track (November 2005)

Record breaker to run on Friday 4 November.

The car that will spearhead B.A.R Honda's eagerly anticipated Bonneville 400 record attempt will run for the very first time tomorrow, Friday 4 November. As the world famous Salt Flats are still too wet to stage any record attempts, driver Alan van der Merwe will debut the specially-prepared V10 B.A.R Honda at Mojave Airport in California. The team, however, is stressing that this is not an official attempt, although it plans to run the car as hard as possible on the 10,000-foot tarmac runway.

“The most important thing is we check that all the systems on the car are working properly,” explained a spokesman. “There are a lot of new bits on it that we need to assess. It will be an important occasion, but this is just part of the journey. Setting an official F1 land speed record at Bonneville, via the average of out-and-back runs through a measured mile, is still our number one goal - even if we have to wait until next year to do it.”

B.A.R Honda tops 400kph at Mojave (November 2005)

Alan van der Merwe sets a new unofficial Formula 1 speed record while revving up for Bonneville.

B.A.R Honda has unofficially broken the 400kph barrier during its preparations for a Formula One record attempt now scheduled for Bonneville early next year. After rains at the famous Salt Flats in Utah washed out the team's plans to set a new standard in 2005, a final shakedown was organised at the Mojave airbase in California. During this test, Alan van der Merwe, smashed the 400kph mark no fewer than three times.

“The car ran perfectly,” reported Gary Savage. “It was an encouraging day and we are confident that we can achieve this speed and more at Bonneville.”

Bonneville 400: Honda Racing F1 Team sets new land speed record (July 2006)

Honda Racing F1 Team is the fastest ever Formula One team.

Around 8am local time on Monday 17th July 2006 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA, the team scored a triple success by setting a new F1 speed record, and breaking two existing land speed marks. Driver Alan van der Merwe piloted a race legal Honda 007 along a seven mile-long salt straight, achieving an aggregate speed of 220.571mph over two runs of a measured mile. The speed was recorded by both the Federation Internationale Automobile (FIA) and the United States Auto Club (USAC) and now represents the fastest ever recorded by a Formula 1 car over a timed distance, pending official ratification by the FIA.

As well as setting the world’s first official land speed record for a F1 car, the speed achieved also represented a new mark for the A2-8 class of land speed vehicles, and a new best speed of 355.499kph for the flying kilometre.

Following the milestone, Bonneville 400 driver Alan van der Merwe commented:

“We’ve made huge progress today by setting this new benchmark for an F1 car. On my first runs this morning, I doubted we could do it because the surface was so slippery. I had a spin or two, but the salt surface came to us and we were able to set this new record.

We haven’t done 400kph yet though, which is our ultimate target. In a way it’s quite nice we didn’t, because it shows that this is a genuine challenge and not just a case of us turning up, nailing it and going home. You have to work for every extra mile an hour here and we may not break the 400 mark, but that’s still our goal. But one thing you can’t deny is that we have set the fastest ever speed in an F1 car at the home of the land speed record. It was also particularly gratifying to be welcomed into Bonneville’s 200mph club by Mike Cook.

Mike Cook, President of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and Bonneville 400 Expert Advisor was full of praise for the team’s spirit of endeavour and determination. The veteran of several land speed record attempts at Bonneville said:

“I am delighted the Bonneville 400 guys have reached their main targets to become the fastest F1 team. It’s been a great deal achieved and they have approached setting this record with passion and humility. It’s a speed that will be noted all over the world and I wish them more success tomorrow if they try and go even quicker.”

The technical challenge of getting a race legal F1 car (albeit it with a few modifications for ultra high speed straight line running) to travel beyond 400 km/h on an unpredictable, unstable salt surface has proved to be a huge test for Bonneville 400 Technical Director Gary Savage, who is masterminding the challenge. He was clearly pleased to have set a new record:

“We’ve set a land speed record for an F1 car, set another record for the class of car that run here and also a best mark for the flying kilometre. That’s got to be a good day by anyone’s standard! However that is just the surface of our challenge. Underpinning this whole effort is our attempt to take a high tech piece of equipment like an F1 car and run it at high speed on a natural and highly unpredictable surface. It’s one hell of a challenge, and we’ll come though that. Now we want carry on tomorrow and try to push the time closer the team’s target of 400kph.”

Bonneville 400: time to set a record (July 2006)

After two years in the making, Honda Racing F1 Team’s Bonneville 400 project is about to reach a thrilling conclusion.

Next week, between 17th and 21st July 2006, the team will descend on the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA and attempt to set an outright land speed record for a Formula One car.

The original record attempt was scheduled for October 2005. But one of the worst weather sequences in living memory left the salt flats under water for most of the year and forced a postponement. Undeterred, the team retained its focus by running shakedown tests of its Bonneville 400 car at the Mojave airfield in California on 4th November 2005 setting an unofficial best speed of 413.205 km/h.

However, the team weren’t satisfied: the speed was right, but the place was wrong. The objective from the outset of the Bonneville 400 project was for the Honda Racing F1 Team to set the first official Land Speed Record for a Formula One car at Bonneville’s 40,000 square acres of salt flats which have been inextricably linked to cars and speed since the 1920s.

The Bonneville 400 project has been an incredible journey for the Honda Racing F1 Team, driven by enthusiasm and a determination to finally establish what speed its car could reach away from the confines of a race track.

The technical challenge of getting a race legal F1 car (albeit it with a few modifications for ultra high speed straight line running) to travel beyond 400 km/h on an unpredictable, unstable salt surface has proved to be a huge test for Bonneville 400 Technical Director Gary Savage and his small team:

“Next week sees the climax of a long two-year project for the Honda Racing F1 team. We hope that the result on the Salt Flats will reflect the hard work and dedication that has been put into this project by all the team both in the UK and Japan”.

The central character in this incredible story will inevitably be Bonneville 400 driver, Alan van der Merwe. The South African-born 26 year-old is charged with getting the job done:

“It’s been such a long build-up so I just feel totally prepared for it. Everybody has been working so hard over the last two years and is so well prepared that I don’t feel any apprehension - I just want to get out there and do it. It’s a good feeling to know that we are going to get on a plane next week and get it on. In fact, I wish I was on my way to Bonneville right now!”

News from the salt: Honda Racing F1 Team continues Bonneville assault and clocks 391 kph (18 July 2006)

A day full of drama and excitement resulted in the Bonneville 400 Team from Honda Racing F1 almost breaking the 400 kph barrier over the measured mile on the infamous Bonneville Salt Flats yesterday.

The team and driver Alan van der Merwe edged to within sniffing distance (391 kph) of its self-imposed target speed in dramatic fashion, after a day of outstanding resilience in extreme conditions.

Yesterday the project team began its final leg of the unique challenge of taking an F1 car to the legendary salt flats to set the world’s first Formula One land speed record in style. Having busted two FIA international class records and setting the first land speed record for a race specification Formula One car*, the team started today in an effort to exceed the speeds set on Monday and push towards its personal goal of 400 kph.

The world’s fastest F1 team began day two at 5am local time after lengthening its salt straight to nine miles overnight. The extra four miles were added to give Alan van der Merwe extra distance to run into the measured mile, to compensate for the grip level of the salt.

Although the team experienced a hydraulic problem that prematurely ended the morning run plan, the crew turned the car around in impressive time in temperatures which were climbing to a searing 47°C.

The car, driver and team rested during the high afternoon temperatures before returning to the salt early in the evening as the edge of a heavy storm threatened the flats. Summer storm winds whipped across the course and heavy skies loomed in the near distance, and the team and its enthusiastic body of supporters resigned themselves to an early night to prepare for a return the following morning (Wednesday).

As quickly as the winds had struck up, they died away leaving a perfectly calm salt flat and course. With the changes to the car complete, the team seized the initiative and sent Alan van der Merwe out for two short three-mile runs to check the car’s balance. With dark skies still cloaking the Bonneville flats, the pressure was on the team to make a high-speed run and attempt to beat its own records.

The spectacular evening sun was dropping over the mountains but the track was coming back to the team and the changes had validated the evaluations carried out since the morning runs. As van der Merwe made his approach to the measured mile, it was clear to the spectators that this was a high speed. On his first pass, Alan cleared the measured mile in a north-westerly direction to set an average speed of 391.645 kph (243.357 mph). His return run approach to the mile heading south-east looked at least as quick, until Alan backed as the engine temperature soared.

The engine, which has been performing robustly in extreme conditions, was cooled and the team prepared for another run. Knowing that one more south-easterly run at a slightly increased speed within the hour could set a new record by a considerable margin, and possibly touch the magic 400 kph, the Bonneville crew reacted with dry ice and a strategy to begin the run from the opposite direction. But as the support vehicles sped down the side of the course to reposition for the run, nature intervened as 80 kph crosswinds hit the flats, forcing the team to cancel for the day. The flats were transformed from a serene and silent landscape to a mistral-like desert in minutes as the support teams fought their way across the vast flats in poor visibility back to base camp.

But the team’s resolve had only been redoubled and they left the salt with a determination to return on Thursday to go again. Tomorrow’s weather, as always at Bonneville, is uncertain with light winds and a 20% chance of light rain showers predicted for a short period late evening. Only the sunrise over Bonneville will testify to the accuracy of the weather reports – Alan and the team will head back before sunrise to try and push the barrier once more.

News from the salt: Bonneville F1 team reaches 400kph (July 2006)

On the third day of running at the Bonneville International Speedway in Utah, USA, Honda Racing F1’s Bonneville 400 team achieved its target of a 400kph average across the measured mile – 400.459kph was recorded over one pass at 07:21 local time.

On this occasion the team weren’t able to match the speed on the return pass, so the time itself will not be recorded as a land speed record – although the average speed of the two runs was still a blistering 393.613kph (244.580mph) breaking another record in the process; the team’s own from Monday.*

Attaining this speed was reward for over 18 months of hard work from the dedicated team and Bonneville 400 driver Alan van der Merwe:

“Having finally reached 400kph today feels great. Although we were happy yesterday with 392kph, 400 has always been the magical number, and having done it in one direction, it must be possible to do it in both. We’ll be trying again tomorrow – that’s what it is about now, we just have to squeeze that little bit more from the car and keep pushing.”

In total today, the car made six passes of the track before 09:05 and within this time succeeded in breaking its own records. On Monday, driver Alan van der Merwe broke the previous FIA Category A, Group II, Class 8 (A-II-8) records, setting a speed of 354.974kph (220.571mph) for the flying mile and 355.499kph for the flying kilometre (mph). Today’s results convincingly surpassed these speeds.

On hearing the news the previous record holder of 19 years, Jeffery Nish, travelled from Salt Lake City to Bonneville to congratulate Alan and meet the Bonneville 400 team:

“My first reaction was, ‘Dang, it didn’t make it 20 years!’, but these records are made to be broken. We are ecstatic for the team - although we are thinking about how to break it back now! The guys are working hard and I can see everybody’s tired – but that’s what it takes to break records out here. It’s all about the preparation: the crew, the driver and mental states – it’s a real team effort and you guys have done it. Taking a record that has stood for 19 years is something to be proud of!”

“I came out to Bonneville when I was 22 and something in me just wanted to be here and I’ve been here ever since, every year. I don’t know, I can’t explain it, it just has a special place in my heart to go fast.”

After making further changes to the car’s gear ratios overnight, the Bonneville 400 team will return to the Salt Flats at first light tomorrow morning to try and achieve the target speed that today’s performance has confirmed is now at its fingertips.

Honda Racing F1 Team completes Bonneville 400 in style (July 2006)

The final day of record attempts by the Honda Racing F1 Team on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA, reached a fitting climax today when Alan van der Merwe piloted his Honda Formula One car to three new land speed records, each eclipsing those set the previous day, when the Bonneville 400 team finally reached a measured mile speed of 400kph.

Since Tuesday, Alan and the team have broken FIA class world records three times over, ending today with an average speed of 397.360kph (246.908mph) over two runs of the Bonneville flying mile. At the same time, van der Merwe set a new class record for the flying kilometre, with an average speed of 397.481kph (246.983mph). Both speeds again set a new mark for the fastest officially measured speed by a Formula One car, pending official ratification by the FIA.

The atmosphere was full of anticipation on the final day of high-speed running, as the project team arrived on the salt flats in the hope the records could be raised. The team were ready to go as dawn broke, having carried out a gearbox change late into the previous night. Alan rolled onto the course at 0640 local time and consistently recorded times above 390kph all morning until his record-breaking run at 0902.

Unfortunately the team lost a driveshaft late morning that damaged the differential and were forced to draw a line. However, having completed nearly three times a Grand Prix distance at Bonneville this week, in an extreme and hostile environment, as well as running at the Mojave, Lyneham and Victorville tests, the Honda 3-litre V10 was one of the stars of the show. Throughout the challenge the engine provided unabated power and reliability.

Likewise, the Michelin tyres, on such an unpredictable surface, performed exceptionally during the high-speed running on the flats. Michelin provided advice on set-up changes and all of the attempts were made with Michelin F1 tyres, mainly intermediates.

Following the final day of running, Bonneville 400 driver Alan van der Merwe commented:

“I think in general the feeling is satisfaction with what we achieved. It would have been nice to have a round number for the record and we are only 2 and half kilometres off that. In fact, we know we did everything possible to the car; we timed it exactly right today with the weather and we’re pretty sure we couldn’t have got more out of it, possibly another kilometre an hour but we would have needed freakishly good weather to do that.

“So, yeah, I’m really happy and slightly relieved as well, because it has been really stressful, every day, and we now know we have had the best day possible to run the car. And also the fact that the team did really well – the first thing to let go was the car; Altogether its been great to set the record and very rewarding to reach 400kph, its been a great week”


Mike Cook, President of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and veteran of several land speed record attempts at Bonneville, was equally as pleased that the team had stayed on to push its own records even higher:

“First of all, I want to say we really feel the team came out and worked very, very hard right down the side; they truly are Bonneville racers now. We out here call them the Formula One Hot Rod now because they did everything humanly possible to make this car run as fast as it has. They accomplished a 246.980 average for the mile, which means they have increased their speed again, and they got a 397.481 so today was a success. They didn’t get a 400 record but they got their 400 one-way run, so maybe it’ll enthuse them to come back! Anyway, they got a record and they’re going home with a record.”

Bonneville 400 Technical Director Gary Savage:

“Today we went racing, this is the racing truth isn’t it? The only thing there is, is the stop watch, no excuses, no nothing, you just go for it. The team were fantastic they did everything on the car to get it to go quicker. We did hit 400 for one of our runs, we did 399kph for another and our average is 397kph so it’s pretty good really.”

This project has been an incredible journey for the Honda Racing F1 Team, driven by enthusiasm and a determination to finally establish what speed its car could reach away from the confines of a race track on the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats. Now we know…