Salt Walther Video Documentary in the Works

We are working on a video documentary that will detail Salt's racing career. It includes a very candid video interview produced by local Dayton station WHIO in the 1970's. Our goal is to have it ready before the running of the 100th Indianapolis 500.

If you like 1970s Indycar or are a Salt Walther fan this video is for you.

More to come....

Indycar Aero Kits and Loss of Tradition

Just watched video of Ed Carpenter going airborne after hitting the wall in turn 2. This is the 3rd driver this week to do this with these new aero kits they have this year. As a veteran Indycar fan I think too much technology is getting into these cars. The more aerodynamics the greater the speed. The greater the speed the more likely someone is going to get killed.

If you remember 1973 and the large wings and turbo boost they were using. 2 fatalities and 1 horrific accident. The next year USAC cut the wings and the boost and brought it under control for a few years. We are now seeing speeds over 230mph+, 198mph in 1973. I love racing and speed is part of it, but this track was built in 1911 and doesn't have the banking that say a Daytona does. A car used to hit the wall and the driver kept it there sliding to quickly reduce his speed. Now come aero kits and the only sliding done is after you have landed.

Next, I am glad to see that Indycar has a better idea that fits into modern society. Pole day, wow where do we start. Pole day is Saturday, you go out on the track check your speeds and if you aren't satisfied you bring the car and make some adjustment and then get in line. No, we got do-overs and fast 9. Really? You go out on Saturday run the fastest 4 laps of anybody and then that gets wiped out so 8 other people can go after your accomplishment. And we do it all over on Sunday to see who gets the pole. Our do-over society. Indycar says it adds excitement, at least that what my email said from IMS about going to qualifications.

Just keep making all these changes and watch the crowds get smaller and smaller each year.

From turn 1 last year Saturday qualifying. In the 1970s it would have been packed and stacked. Now as you can see no one cares. See you at Indy next week!

Madison Regatta Weekend

Madison is having its annual big boat race this weekend. Salt would have been there. He travelled to Madison to watch and shmoose with the racers and race fans until his death in 2012. A good friend of Salt's and fellow boat driver contacted us yesterday inquiring about Salts' book and later purchased and read the book in one day.

He as we are writing this is on his way to Madison for the festivities and thunder boat racing. Salt and his father George loved hydroplanes and spent a lot of time on the water when they weren't on the asphalt racing Indycars.

Madison is a great town, having been there three times. The racing just tops the year for the people of Madison. The sounds have the changed since Salt sat in an open cockpit with a big 7 litre piston driven engine, replaced with an F-16 like canopy cockpit, turbine whining and the driver now sits in the front of the boat.

Salt in U77.

Salt Walther Stories ~ Salt Goes Evil Knievel on the Banks of the GreatMiami River

As you may know Salt had a personality bigger than life. He sometimes did wild things just to fill his adrenalin needs. Salt and his best friend Chuck were driving a rented Mustang one night and Salt got the idea of jumping the flood levy on the Great Miami River down by The Boathouse which was the headquarters for Dayton Walther Racing.

He had been rehearsing this stunt in his mind for some time and had worked with a few Hollywood stuntmen during his California days and new basically how to do it. Unbeknownst to Chuck, Salt says hang on Ace! That was his nickname for Chuck and away they went accelerating towards the levy. Salt hit the levy at an angle just as the stuntmen had told and now they were airborne.

To get the rest of the story and more get Salt's new book at www.etsy.com/indybooknook 

Salt Walther Artifact Found on the Web

Was tooling around the web and came upon this photo. It is Salt's '73 crash helmet. I was amazed at the damage. Just watch a documentary on Nikki Lauda and his crash in 1976 in the German GP. His helmet was not as damaged as Salts, but it actually came off during the crash. That is likely why he sustained the severe burns to his face and heads.

Salt always praised the helmet manufacturer for building it right. No one could expect a helmet to last long in a fire, it's design to keep your skull intact during a crash.

Salt Walther GT 40 Found

As posted by Road and Track Magazine in February. A rare Ford GT 40 was discovered in a garage in California with Salt's name on the side of it. This is a really cool discovery, to bad the reporter didn't know much facts about Salt claiming he had little success in his racing career. And then went on to discuss his incarceration period finally claiming that Salt died shortly after being apprehended by the police. Not true... Wow, it appears anybody can be a writer/reporter now days.

Salt was the only racer to have raced champ cars, NASCAR and Unlimited Hydroplanes. He was the 1968 Calvert Cup Unlimited Hydroplane winner, 64 champ car starts, 16 top ten finishes, 3rd row qualifier at Indy and a 9th place finish at Indy in 1976.

To find out more about Salt get his book "For the race of Your Life" at www.etsy.com/shop/indybooknook.

The Indy Book Nook is Open - Selling Salt Walther's Book For the Race of Your Life

After a year in the making. Salt's book is out this morning and can be purchased at www.etsy.com/shop.indybooknook