By JENNIFER VENEKLASEN
SEQUIM — “It is like being on Mars,” Jim Rosenburgh said of the Bonneville Salt Flats where he and his team set the world RV land record during races last month.
While “recreational vehicle” and “racing” are two words that usually don’t go together, the customized motorhome — rebuilt by Rosenburgh, who owns Dyno Sources Inc. in Sequim with Mandy Abrams and their team — was clocked at 102.7 mph.
The site of the races, held Sept. 12 to Sept. 14 in Bonneville, Utah, is an ocean of white salt rock that contributes to the out-of-world experience.
Motorists, including RVers, from all over come to test the speed limits of their vehicles — and with any luck break some records.
“Gear-head” dreams
Rosenburgh has had his sights on Bonneville since childhood.
“I guess I was always what you call a gear-head. I always knew what the Bonneville races were and wanted to go to them.” he said.
But it wasn’t until 1998 that he began to pursue his childhood aspirations.
That year he saw a Class C Ford RV set the lands speed record at 99.7 mph.
“I thought to myself, well I have been over a hundred before,” Rosenburgh said.
“So I knew the record could be beat.”
He began to search for a Transmode recreational vehicle to purchase.
Transmodes have no interior, which make them lightweight and ideal for racing.
The interior of a standard RV weighs as much as 5,000 pounds, but the custom model weighs just 300 pounds.
“We were going to rip out the interior anyway, so it just made sense to buy a Transmode,” he said.
However, GMC only made about 400 of these models.
Rosenburgh finally found what he was looking for, and the price was right at $5,000.
The only problem — it was in Key West, Fla.
