Return of the Fiddy to Bonneville

The second time is the charm for Andy Pickett and his Honda CA110 at Bonneville.

By Anders Carlson
Published on December 1, 2020
article image
by Kevin McIntosh

If you haven’t done it twice, you haven’t done anything.

That’s the cardinal rule, among others, at Bonneville. It’s how land-speed records work. But it’s also an unofficial rule, writ large, for coming back to Bonneville, year after year. Whatever compelled you to fill a van or trailer and get to Bonneville the first time is the same force that draws you back next year. If you’ve given your all to beat a record once, you have to do it again.

It sounds less than triumphant, but technically, your record is an average of at least two recorded speeds. You qualify, then you return. Tiny numbers mean everything, even when defined by subjective human benchmarks. Andy Pickett’s goal from last year was to hit 50mph on his 1963 Production Pushrod Honda CA110.

As told in “For the Love of Fiddy,” Andy Pickett first hit Bonneville salt in August of 2019, in search of a land speed record near the bottom of the Southern California Timing Association register. It was a tribute to a lost friend, Joey Haupt, who hatched the idea.

On paper, the goal was to beat 46.618mph. In spirit, the idea was to get to fifty. Or Fiddy — Joey’s nickname and race number. One mph for every cc and 50mph because that was Joey’s race number. Or just hit 50mph because it’s a great number. Why the hell not?

Reloading

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