Black Rock Desert the basin, is a rugged land serrated by hundreds of mountain ranges, dried by wind and sun, with spectacular skies and scenic landscapes. The average annual precipitation "(years 1971-2000)" at Gerlach, Nevada (extreme south-west of the desert) is . The region is notable for its paleogeologic features, as an area of 19th-century Emigrant Trails to California, as a venue for rocketry, and as an alternative to the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah, for setting land speed records (Mach 1.02 in 1997). It is also the location for the annual Burning Man event. The Black Rock Desert is part of
Pioneer 1 (land speed racer) making it eligible for "FIA" Class 1 ( and under). It was claimed to have set a Class 1 record of for the measured kilometer at the Baskunchak dry salt lake, and was the first Soviet land speed racer to exceed . In 1962, the power of the engines was increased to , while weight rose to . The improved car raised the Class 1 and Soviet national records for the measured kilometer to . In 1963, Tikhomirov modified "Pioneer 1" even further, to create "Pioneer 2M". Pioneer 1 (land speed racer) Pioneer 1 is a Soviet "FIA" Group VII