A short definition of "land speed record" can be: the fastest speed achieved by any wheeled vehicle on land, as opposed to one on water or in the air or on rails. It is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions.

In 1 983 Richard Noble who was born on March 6, 1946 in Scotland broke the land speed record in his car Thrust 2. His later projects were the ARV Super2 light aircraft, the Atlantic Sprinter Blue Riband contender, Programme Funding, an original television funding company, and the last Farnborough Aircraft. 14 years after the "Thrust 2" he was back, trying to break more than his own record; this time his goal was the sound barrier. Noble employed RAF pilot Andy Green to drive the jet-powered car, whose name, Thr ust SSC (Super Sonic Car), was a measure of their confidence.

In 1899 Camille Jenatzy who was born in 1868 in Belgium had become the first person to travel faster than 100km/h, in an electric car called La Jamais Contente - The Never Satisfied'. It was the sixth land speed record; the first five had been held alternately by Jenatzy and Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat from France since the Count had set the first official land speed record on 18 December 1898, also in an electric car. In 1902 he lost the land speed record to Leon Serpollet. Jenatzy regained glory in 1903 by winning the Gordon Bennet Cup in Athy, Ireland, driving a Mercedes.

In 1904 William Kissam Vanderbilt II who was born March 2, 1878 in USA set the first land speed record to be held by the internal combustion engine. He set a new Land Speed Record of 92.30mph in a Mercedes at the Daytona Beach Road Course at Ormond Beach, Florida. Jet cars were first officially recognized in 1964 when the first official jet record was set at 413.02mph [664.96km/h], after which the sound barrier became a realistic target.

On 15 October 1997, 50 years and a day after US test pilot Chuck Yeager had become the first human being to travel faster than the speed of sound, Thrust SSC reached 1,227.952km/h. Even without the official readout, the sonic boom was enough to confirm that it had broken the sound barrier.

Craig Breedlove from USA is planning to beat Noble and Green's record, but for Green being the first to break the sound barrier is all-important. 'Does it matter if Craig Breedlove beats us? Even if he took all his friends to the top of Everest and had a massive dinner party, when he gets there he'll still find the Union flag flying there at the top, because we were there first.'

Selected Chronology :

- 1899 Camille Jenatzy (Belgium) becomes the first person to travel faster than 100km/h (62mph) and the first person to travel faster than 1 mile per minute;

- 1902 William K. Vanderbilt Jr (USA) sets a record of 76.08mph (122.43km/h), the first time the record has been held by a petrol-driven car;

- 1904 Louis Rigolly (France) becomes the first person to travel faster than 100mph (160km/h) at 103.55mph (166.64km/h);

- 1963 Craig Breedlove (USA) reaches 407.45mph (655.70km/h) in his jet-powered Spirit of America but the FIA does not recognize the record because there is no category for jet cars;

- 1970 Driving Blue Flame, Gary Gabelich (USA) becomes the first person to travel faster than 1 ,OOOkm/h (621 mph) on land;

- 1997 Andy Green (England) sets a new record of 763.035mph (1,227.952km/h), becoming the first person to travel faster than the speed of sound on land.
_{Images Source : softpedia.com}

---

Tags: speed record, thrust 2, craig breedlove, richard noble

[edit tags]

Category: Automotive  - ( Automotive Archive)

Date Added: 27 February '08

---

Add a link to this page on any related website, blog or forum using this code :

---