Bonneville is the “Mecca” of hot rodding for most die-hard enthusiasts.  I have been fortunate enough to experience lakes racing and Bonneville firsthand, which gives me some insight into what takes place there.  My first encounter with lakes racing was at El Mirage with Tom McMullen’s roadster in 1965.  We planned to run at Bonneville but fell short after mechanical problems spoiled our attempt to run one year in the late ‘60s.  In the ‘70s I covered Bonneville as an editor/photographer many times for Street Rodder, Street Chopper and Hot Bike magazines.  Was a participant with our 200+mph AEE Choppers sponsored Harley Sportster, ridden by Leo Payne.  Co-sponsored a couple of cars in the 2000s and covered the event for a book that we published called “How to Build Basic Hot Rods”.

I’ve seen the event go from a small, loosely run gathering of true hot rodders to a major event supported by big-money competitors from around the world.

However, there still is room for the traditional hot rod enthusiast at Bonneville.  This movie “The Road to Bonneville” shows how some traditional hot rodders from New York make the pilgrimage to the salt flats for Speed Week each year in their period hot rods and compete with their traditional flathead-powered ’32 Ford roadster, the way it has been done there for decades.

It’s not some flashy Hollywood fiction, but a ride-along with the real people as they live their dreams of real hot rodding.  This description of the movie from its creators gives a pretty good account of what you will see in this film.  But you can only get the full experience by watching the story unfold as they live the fantasy of most real hot rodders.

From the Publisher

Atomic Hot Rods Presents

Join hot rod builder and filmmaker Brian Darwas as he rides shot gun with two of the most significantly influential hot rod builders of this generation for an epic cross country adventure that you will want to experience again and again.  You’ve heard the stories and you’ve seen the photographs, but now for the first time you can ride along side of Ken Schmidt and Keith Cornell of the Rolling Bones as they travel over 2300 miles, through ten states from New York to Nevada in their famous 1932 Ford Coupes, “The Wicked Sisters”.

Pit next to The Hop Up Race Team and The Bean Bandits at what most people consider to be the birthplace of hot rodding, The Bonneville Salt Flats.  Watch Dan Parker and the other members of The Rolling Bones Race Team hit the salt for Speed Week.  Get on the ground with Keith Cornell while he swaps the gears out of a vintage Halibrand rear and stand next to Ken Schmidt as he gets under the hood to re-jet carbs between runs!  Peer over the shoulder of renown hot rod photographer Peter Vincent while he shoots two of the world’s most beautiful hot rods in one of the world’s most beautiful settings, and witness The Rolling Bones hop in George Poteet’s ’32 roadster and hit speeds of up to 175 miles per hour!

Get an in depth look inside the shop at Greenfield Center in New York.  Go down to the Maxton Monster Mile in North Carolina for a test run, and travel all the way across the country to Bonneville for the time trials at Speed Week.

“This film is a true lesson in hot rodding that is not to be missed! To purchase your copy go to  www.atomichotrods.com