Lee Bible
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Lee Bible (1886 – 13 March 1929) was a garage operator and a land speed record attemptee. He was killed attempting to break the land speed record on March 13, 1929 at Ormond Beach.
[edit] Pre-record attempt
On 11 March, Briton Major Henry O. D. Segrave had set the land speed record of 231.44 mph (372.47 km/h) in his Golden Arrow, beating the old record held by Ray Keech, who had set the record in the Triplex Special.
Jim White, owner of the Special, wanted the title to come back to the USA. Keech was asked to come back and drive the Triplex Special, but he declined, considering the car too dangerous.
White then offered the ride to their team mechanic and garage operator, Lee Bible, who saw this as the opportunity of a lifetime. He was declared eligible by officials after a few practice runs, despite his lack of experience.
[edit] The Record attempt
On his first run, Bible was clocked at 186 mph (299 km/h), well below the record. On his return run he was clocked at 202 mph (325 km/h). However shortly after the time trap the car suddenly swerved, presumably[citation needed] because Bible released the accelerator too fast. The Triplex Special crashed into the dunes and rolled, finally coming to a stop 200 feet (61 m) further. During this crash, Bible was thrown from the car, killing him instantly. His battered body rolled to a stop at the feet of his wife.[citation needed] The Triplex Special rolled into a photographer, who was killed instantly.
