Land speed record
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Rc05640.jpg/220px-Rc05640.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/ThrustSSC.jpg/220px-ThrustSSC.jpg)
The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.[1] The record is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs (commonly called "passes").[2] Two runs are required in opposite directions within one hour, and a new record mark must exceed the previous one by one percent to be validated.[3] There are numerous other class records for cars; motorcycles fall into a separate class.
History
The first regulators were the Automobile Club de France, who proclaimed themselves arbiters of the record in about 1902.[4]
Different clubs had different standards and did not always recognise the same world records[5] until 1924, when the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) introduced new regulations: two passes in opposite directions (to negate the effects of wind) averaged with a maximum of 30 minutes (later more) between runs, average gradient of the racing surface not more than 1 percent, timing gear accurate within 0.01sec, and cars must be wheel-driven.[6] National or regional auto clubs (such as AAA and SCTA) had to be AIACR members to ensure records would be recognized.[7] The AIACR became the FIA in 1947. Controversy arose in 1963: Spirit of America failed on being a three-wheeler (leading the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme to certify the record when the FIA refused) and not wheel-driven so the FIA introduced a special wheel-driven class.[8] No holder of the absolute record since has been wheel-driven.
Piston-engined, wheel-driven land speed record
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e8/Burlkand_411_Streamliner_2008.jpg/220px-Burlkand_411_Streamliner_2008.jpg)
In 2008 Tom Burkland broke the piston-engined, wheel-driven record for the flying mile, recording a speed of 415.896 mph (669.319 km/h). He drove the Burkland family streamliner powered by two 450+ cu. in. supercharged alcohol-fueled Donovan (aluminum Chrysler) engines (bought second-hand), with crankshafts bolted together nose-to-nose.[9][10]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4b/Speed_Demon_2010.jpg/220px-Speed_Demon_2010.jpg)
In September, 2010 George Poteet made a serious attempt to break the piston-engined, wheel-driven record for the flying mile and flying kilometer. He drove the Speed Demon built by Ron Main, powered by a 299 cubic inch aluminum 'Hellfire' V8, built by Kenny Duttweiler.[11] Their effort was thwarted by a number of parts failures attributed to the 2500 horsepower generated by the relatively small motor. The team stated their intention to return in 2011 to set a record over 450 mph (724 km/h), and at the 2011 Bonneville Speed Week Poteet achieved 426 mph (685 km/h).[12]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/07/Treit_and_Davenport_2012.jpg/220px-Treit_and_Davenport_2012.jpg)
The Target 550 team of Marlo Treit and Les Davenport are planning to raise the record for this class to more than 500 mph (804 km/h). They plan to mount their attempt in the near future on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The car is being built by Jim Hume in the state of Washington in the northwestern region of the US. It will be powered by two Dodge hemispherical head (Hemi) motors with Waterman fuel pumps, Whipple superchargers, Mallory Mags, Crane Cams, Gates drive belts, RCD pulleys, heads by Webster and KB billet crankshafts. The car will have a frontal area of 8.61 sq ft (0.800 m2) and is 40+ feet long with a 1.5 degree included angle on the sides of the body front to rear. The model was tested and modified in the Western Washington University wind tunnel with assistance from Dr. Michael Seal. The current front end provides 1000 lbs of downforce to prevent the car from becoming airborne.[13]
Women's land speed record
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Miss_Dorothy_Levitt%2C_in_a_26hp_Napier%2C_Brooklands%2C_1908.jpg/220px-Miss_Dorothy_Levitt%2C_in_a_26hp_Napier%2C_Brooklands%2C_1908.jpg)
In 1906 Dorothy Levitt broke the women's world speed record for the flying kilometer, recording a speed of 91 mph (146.25 km/h) and receiving the sobriquet the "Fastest Girl on Earth". She drove a six-cylinder Napier motorcar, a 100 hp (74.6 kW) development of the K5, in a speed trial in Blackpool.[14][15][16]
Records
1898–1965 (wheel-driven)
Date | Location | Driver | Vehicle | Power | Speed over 1 km |
Speed over 1 mile |
Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | mph | km/h | ||||||
December 18, 1898 | Achères, Yvelines, France | ![]() |
Jeantaud Duc[17] | Electric | 39.24 | 63.15 | |||
17 January 1899 | Achères, Yvelines, France | ![]() |
41.42 | First man to break a land speed record [17] | |||||
December 18, 1898 | Achères, Yvelines, France | ![]() |
Jeantaud Duc | Electric | 65.79 | First specialist land speed record vehicle, first 60mph pass[4] | |||
April 13, 1902 | Nice, France Promenade des Anglais |
![]() |
Gardner-Serpollet Oeuf de Pâques (Easter Egg) | Steam[4] | 75.06 | 120.80 | |||
1902[clarification needed] | Albis-St. Arnoult, France | ![]() |
Mors | Internal combustion | 76.08 | First IC-powered record[4] | |||
January 12, 1904 | Lake St. Clair, USA | ![]() |
Ford 999 Racer | IC | — | 91.37 | 147.05 | On frozen lake[18] (Not recognized by L'Automobile Club de France) | |
January 26, 1906 | Ormond Beach, USA | ![]() |
Stanley Rocket[6] | Steam | 127.66 | 205.44 | First record over 200 km/h (124 mph). First speed greater than contemporary rail speed record. Remained the record for steam powered vehicles until 25 August 2009.[19] | ||
November 6, 1909 | Brooklands, United Kingdom | ![]() |
200 hp (150 kW) Benz No 1 | IC | 125.94 | 202.68 | 115.93 | 186.57 | First run using electronic timing[6] |
June 24, 1914 | Brooklands, United Kingdom | ![]() |
200 hp (150 kW) Benz No 3 | IC | — | 124.09 | 199.70 | First 2-way record, set at Brooklands under new Association International des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) 2-way rule[6] | |
12 July 1924 | France | ![]() |
FIAT Mephistopheles | IC | — | 145.89 | 234.98 | Fastest LSR ever on a public road[6] | |
March 29, 1927 | Daytona Beach, USA | ![]() |
Mystery (aka "Sunbeam 1000 hp") | 203.79 | 327.97 | The first car to reach a speed over 200 mph (320 km/h)[20] | |||
February 19, 1928 | Daytona Beach, USA | ![]() |
Blue Bird | 206.956 | 333.048 | [7] | |||
April 1928[clarification needed] | Daytona Beach, USA | ![]() |
Triplex Special | 3 Liberty | 207.552 | 334.007 | [21] | ||
March 11, 1929 | Daytona Beach, USA | ![]() |
Irving-Napier | 925 hp (690 kW) Napier | 231.446 | 372.459 | Seagrave was knighted for this effort[22] | ||
1929[clarification needed] | Verneuk Pan, South Africa | ![]() |
Blue Bird | IC | 246.09 | 396.025 | First 250 mph (400 km/h) pass. Campbell was knighted for this effort[22] | ||
March 7, 1935 | Daytona Beach, USA | ![]() |
Blue Bird | IC | 276.816 | 445.472 | [22] | ||
1937[clarification needed] | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Blue Bird | IC | 301.129 | 484.598 | First 300 mph (480 km/h) pass, first absolute record set at Bonneville[22] | ||
19 November 1937 | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Thunderbolt | Two Rolls-Royce Schneider Trophy engines (4,700 hp (3,500 kW)) | 311.42 | 501.16 | [22] | ||
1938[clarification needed] | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Thunderbolt | 345.49[22] | |||||
1938[clarification needed] | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
350.2 | 563.566 | [22] | ||||
1938[clarification needed] | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Thunderbolt | 357.5 | 575.314 | [22] | |||
August 23, 1939 | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Railton Special | IC | 369.74[22] | 595.04 | 367.91 | 592.09[citation needed] | |
September 16, 1947 | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Railton Mobil Special | IC | 394.196[6] | 633.79 | 394.19 | 634.39 | First 400 mph (640 km/h) pass[citation needed] |
July 17, 1964 | Lake Eyre, Australia | ![]() |
Bluebird CN7 | turbine | 403.10[8] | 644.96 |
1963–present (jet and rocket propulsion)
Craig Breedlove's mark of 408.312 miles per hour (657.114 km/h), set in Spirit of America in September 1963, was initially considered unofficial. The vehicle breached the FIA regulations on two grounds: it had only three wheels, and it was not wheel-driven, since its jet engine did not supply power to its axles. Some time later, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme created a non-wheel-driven category, and ratified Spirit of America's time for this mark.[8] On July 27, 1964, Donald Campbell's Bluebird CN7 posted a time of 403.10 miles per hour (648.73 km/h) on Lake Eyre, Australia. This became the official FIA LSR, although Campbell was disappointed not to have beaten Breedlove's time. In October, several four-wheel jet-cars surpassed the 1963 mark, but were eligible for neither FIA nor FIM ratification. The confusion of having three different LSRs lasted until December 11, 1964, when the FIA and FIM met in Paris and agreed to recognize as an absolute LSR the higher speed recorded by either body, by any vehicles running on wheels, whether wheel-driven or not.[23] Thus, Art Arfons' Green Monster was belatedly recognized as the absolute LSR holder,[clarification needed] Bluebird the holder of the wheel-driven land speed record, and Spirit of America the tricycle record holder. No wheel-driven car has since held the absolute record.
Date | Location | Driver | Vehicle | Power | Speed over 1 km |
Speed over 1 mile |
Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | mph | km/h | ||||||
September 5, 1963 | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Spirit of America | Turbojet | 408.312 | 657.114 | 407.447 | 655.722[citation needed] | Ratified by FIM as vehicle has 3 wheels. |
November 2, 1965 | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Spirit of America - Sonic 1 | Turbojet | 555.485 | 893.966 | 555.485 | 893.966[24] | |
November 15, 1965 | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Spirit of America - Sonic 1 | Turbojet | 594 | 955.950 | 608.211 | -[25] | |
October 28, 1970 | Bonneville Salt Flats, USA | ![]() |
Blue Flame | Rocket | 630.478 | 1014.656 | 622.407 | 1001.667 | [26] |
October 4, 1983 | Black Rock Desert, USA | ![]() |
Thrust2 | Turbojet | 634.051 | 1020.406 | 633.47 | 1019.47 | [26] |
September 25, 1997 | Black Rock Desert, USA | ![]() |
ThrustSSC | Turbofan | 713.990 | 1149.055 | 714.144 | 1149.303 | [26] |
October 15, 1997 | Black Rock Desert, USA | ![]() |
ThrustSSC | Turbofan | 760.343 | 1223.657 | 763.035 | 1227.986[27] | First supersonic record |
Current location of vehicles
The Sunbeam 350HP, Sunbeam 1000HP, Golden Arrow, and Bluebird CN7 are on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, England.[28]
ThrustSSC and Thrust2 are both on permanent display at Coventry Transport Museum, England.
See also
- List of vehicle speed records
- Wheel-driven land speed record
- British land speed record
- List of fastest production cars
- Land speed record for rail vehicles
- Motorcycle land speed record
- Pioneer 2M - Soviet Union attempt at the land speed record in early 1960s
- Budweiser Rocket - Reached a momentary top speed of 746 mph (1,201 km/h) and claimed to have broken the sound barrier in 1979
- North American Eagle Project - Aiming for 808 mph (1,300 km/h) to break current record.
- Bloodhound SSC - Project aiming for 1,050 mph (1,690 km/h) to carry out record attempt in early 2013.
- Rosco McGlashan - Australia's fastest man on the land. His Aussie Invader team is building a fully rocket-powered LSR car.
- The Bullet Project - Australia's Land Speed Challenger Powered by Australian Technology
References
![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2009) |
- ^ "FIA land speed records". FIA. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ Regulations for Record Attempts - CHAPTER 2 - FIA
- ^ "§105. Conditions for the recognition of international or world records". Sporting Code: Chapter 7: Records. FIA. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ a b c d
Northey, Tom (1974). "Land Speed Record: The Fastest Men on Earth". In Tom Northey (ed.). World of Automobiles. Vol. Vol. 10. London: Orbis. p. 1162.
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has extra text (help) Cite error: The named reference "Northey1162" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^
Martin, James A. (2004). "Ch 17: Land Speed Record to 1939". American Auto Racing: The Milestones and Personalities of a Century of Speed. McFarland. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-7864-1235-8.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f Northey, p.1163.
- ^ a b Northey, p.1164.
- ^ a b c Northey, p.1166.
- ^ "Ugo Fadini Burkland Family Streamliner". Ugofadini.com. 2008-12-27. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ "Ray the Rat's Chevy Asylum". Chevyasylum.com. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ "Speed Demon". Cameltoe.net. 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ Squatriglia, Chuck. "This is what 426 mph looks like." Autopia. Wired. August 24, 2011.[1]
- ^ "Treit & Davenport". Target550.com. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ Hull, Peter G. "Napier: The Stradivarius of the Road", in Northey, Tom, ed. The World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Volume 13, p.1483.
- ^ Georgano, G.N. Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886–1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985).
- ^ "Women in Motorsport - Timeline". Btinternet.com. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ a b c Northey, p.1161.
- ^ Cars Against the Clock, The World Land Speed Record, Robert B. Jackson (New York, Henry Z. Walck, Inc.), p.19, ISBN 0-8098-2078-1
- ^ [2] - The British Steam Car Challenge
- ^ Holthusen, Peter J.R. (1986). The Land Speed Record ISBN 0854294996
- ^ Northey, Tom (1974). "Land Speed Record: The Fastest Men on Earth". In Tom Northey. World of Automobiles. Vol. 10 (London: Orbis), pp.1164-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i >Northey, p.1165.
- ^ "from our motoring correspondent" (December 12, 1964). "Land Speed Record Agreement". The Times. No. Issue 56193. p. 7, col E.
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has extra text (help) - ^ Cars Against the Clock, The Fastest Men on Earth, Clifton, Paul, New York, The John Day Company, page 238, L.C. 66-15097
- ^ Spirit of America, Breedlove, Craig, Chicago, Illinois, Henry Regnery Company, pages 183-184, L.C. 71-143833
- ^ a b c "FIA land speed records, Cat C" (PDF). FIA. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
- ^ http://fia.com/en-GB/sport/records/Pages/Introduction.aspx FIA, retrieved 17 January 2011
- ^ "Motor Collection at The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire". National Motor Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
External links
- www.peterrenn.clara.net
- Autoracing Speed Records at Curlie
- Aussie Invader official website - Australian challengers to the supersonic showdown, who will be the first team to break 1000 mph!
- The UK Land Speed Racing Association
- The Bullet Project official website - Australia's World Land Speed challenger