Tremonton man breaks world land-speed record at Bonneville

ALL ABOUT SPEED: Tremonton's Gary Spencer recently broke the world land speed record in the Classic Unblown Fuel Unaltered Class A category at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Spencer will now go for the record in the AA class. / Photo by Dave Archer

By Dave Archer

October 14, 2008 | BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS -- A sea of white, stretching as far as the eye can see, lies in front of Gary Spencer.

Seated inside his '71 Camaro, Spencer focuses on the view in front of him. All around him are friends and family, supporting him in his latest endeavor, along with trucks, trailers and fellow competitors looking on. But in the moments before the race starts, none of that matters. For Spencer, the only things that exist are himself, his car, and the salt. He is focused on one thing, and one thing only.

Speed.

Spencer, a Tremonton resident, is a lifelong racer. Yet the type of racing he does isn't on the track with dozens of other cars surrounding him. Spencer participates in land speed racing, done in flat, wide-open areas, where his only competition is his own car and how fast he can force it to go.

"It's all about top speed," he said. "In land speed racing, it's ultimate speed, every bit you can get out of your car."

Speed has been a passion for Spencer his entire life. His father, Richard Spencer, also participates in land speed racing, and some of Gary's earliest memories are watching his dad and friends race themselves.

"I used to go to the races with him when I was little," he said. "He used to race all over, and of course I went with him, so that's more or less how I got into it."

Spencer started racing for himself later in life, driving junior dragsters. After his military service, he got into racing funny cars, but learned quickly how expensive of a hobby that was. He then shifted his focus to land speed racing, where competitions happen much less frequently, and the focus is solely on speed. As he became more and more involved with land speed racing, Spencer set a goal for himself.

"Probably nine, 10 years ago, I set this goal to get into the 200 mph club," he said. "It's the 'Who's Who' of racing. It's pretty special, it's quite an achievement in the racing world to be in that club."

But it was a goal that eluded Spencer for nearly a decade. Without fail, something would go wrong during one of his races, keeping him out of the club. The last few years were especially frustrating for Spencer, who was not only chasing the 200 mph club membership but also the world land speed record in the Classic Unblown Fuel Altered Class A category. The record was an average of two consecutive runs, and stood at 248.125 mph.

"Last year, we qualified for the record at 248.8, but we didn't back it up. We ran slow on the second run because we ran into a 10 mph headwind that slowed us down to 245," he said. "The year before that, we qualified for the record, but we lost the engine on the return attempt."

Despite the setbacks, however, giving up his goal never crossed Spencer's mind.

"Reaching your goal is important," he said. "I'm competitive in anything I ever do."

Heading into this year's races at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Spencer tried to block out what had happened in his previous attempts to break the record and join the 200 mph club. After his first run of 249.9 mph, Spencer knew he had qualified for the record again, but would need a flawless second run to break it.

"I was like, 'C'mon baby, just make it to the end,'" he said. "It's hard to do two perfect runs in a row."

As the buzzer sounded for the second run and Spencer sped off, he remained focused on keeping his car traveling at the top speed possible, trying to ignore the possibilities that for a third year in a row, something could go wrong. At the end, however, Spencer looked up to see a speed of 251.4 mph posted, giving him an overall average of 250.704. He was the new world record holder in his class.

"It felt really good, I was really excited," he said.

With the record, Spencer also gained lifetime membership into the 200 mph club, making the years he's spent racing, not to mention the thousands of dollars spent during that time, worth it. Yet rather than choosing to bask in the limelight of personal triumph, Spencer was quick to point out that he wouldn't have been able to reach his goal without the help of a number of others. Thanks to friends like Bob Richardson, Sr., Bob Richardson, Jr., Miranda Ravsten, Pat Christensen, Jay Barnard and the crew at Bob's Body Shop in Tremonton, Spencer's car was kept in tip-top shape and ready to challenge for the record. He also said he wouldn't be able to race without the support of his mom, Fanette Spencer.

"She worries about me sometimes, but she's supportive of it," he said.

Going forward, Spencer said he will move up to the AA class, which uses a bigger engine, and will challenge the record of 252.4 mph. The next race isn't until August, which gives him plenty of time to get his car ready. But whether or not that record ever happens, it's a safe bet that Spencer will be racing for a long time to come. It's in his blood; it's who he is. And the thrill of traveling at speeds that fast is something he said that once someone has done, there's no going back.

"People ask me what it's like to drive that fast, and I still haven't come up with an answer," he said. "It's indescribable to go 250 mph in a passenger car."

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