Land speed record

The team of the ThrustSSC

Camille Jenatzy with his La Jamais Contente electric car on the victory parade on May 1, 1899 after the 100 km / h record run on April 29, 1899

The land speed record is the highest speed that a vehicle of a certain type can reach on the ground at any given time.

Definitions

A distinction is made between types: B. different types of drive such as in particular electric drive in general, solar drive , steam drive , internal combustion engine in general, diesel engine , turbine , rocket engine , jet engine . Since the beginning there has also been a list of the fastest cars regardless of the type of drive.

Until the appearance of automobiles , sailing cars were the fastest vehicles with speeds of up to around 50 km / h. In addition to record lists for automobiles, there are record lists for two-wheelers .

World speed records for rail vehicles are seen as a class of their own.

The land speed record is also sometimes referred to as the top speed of animals compared to other animal species on land .

Automobile records

The flying start is used for automobile records , which means that the vehicles are allowed to run up and measurements are then taken on a section of the route, usually 1 kilometer or 1 mile long, on which the vehicle has already reached its full speed.

Records with starting from a standstill are so-called acceleration records, see dragster .

In the first decades a single route had to be measured, later the FIA demanded that the routes be traveled from both directions. After two drivers claimed the record for themselves in 1964 - Donald Campbell (648.7 km / h recognized by the FIA) and Craig Breedlove (655.7 km / h recognized by the FIM ) - this year, vehicles were involved with Jet propulsion officially defined the "absolute world speed record for land vehicles". An event aimed at obtaining a FIA certified record, the shootout on the Bonneville Flats in the United States.

The British RAF -Pilot Andy Green holds the land speed record with 1,228 km / h (763 mph) with the Thrust SuperSonic Car . The record was set in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada , USA , on October 15, 1997 . During the record, the ThrustSSC accelerated to a speed of 600 mph (966 km / h) in just 16 seconds. This was the first time a land vehicle broke the sound barrier .

1898 to 1947

date	place	driver	vehicle	force	Speed ​​over 1 km		Speed ​​over 1 mile		Remarks
					mph	km / h	mph	km / h
December 18, 1898	Achères , Yvelines , France	Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat	Jeantaud Duc	Electric	39.24	63.15
January 17, 1899	Achères, France	Camille Jenatzy	CGA Dogcart	Electric	41.42	66.66
January 17, 1899	Achères, France	Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat	Jeantaud Duc	Electric	43.69	70.31
January 27, 1899	Achères, France	Camille Jenatzy	CGA Dogcart	Electric	49.93	80.35
March 4, 1899	Achères, France	Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat	Jeantaud Duc Profilée	Electric	57.65	92.78
April 29, 1899	Achères, France	Camille Jenatzy	CITA No 25, La Jamais Contente	Electric	65.79	105.88	-		First record over 100 km / h
April 13, 1902	Nice , France Promenade des Anglais	Léon Serpollet	Gardner-Serpollet Oeuf de Pâques (Easter Egg)	steam	75.06	120.80
May 31, 1902	Staten Island , USA	Walter C. Baker	Baker torpedo	Electric				123.27	Test drive, record not officially recognized.
5th August 1902	Ablis , France	William K. Vanderbilt	Mors Z Paris-Vienne	VM	76.08	122.44
November 5, 1902	Dourdan , France	Henri Fournier	Mors Z Paris-Vienne	VM	76.60	123.28
17th November 1902	Dourdan, France	Maurice Augières	Mors Z Paris-Vienne	VM	77.13	124.13
July 17, 1903	Ostend , Belgium	Arthur Duray	Gobron-Brillié Paris-Madrid	VM	83.46	134.32
5th November 1903	Dourdan, France	Arthur Duray	Gobron-Brillié Paris-Madrid	VM	84.73	136.36
January 12, 1904	Lake St. Clair, USA	Henry Ford	Ford 999	VM	-		91.37	147.05	On a frozen lake
March 31, 1904	Nice, France	Arthur Duray	Gobron-Brillié Paris-Madrid	VM	88.76	142.85
March 31, 1904	Nice, France	Louis Rigolly	Gobron-Brillié Paris-Madrid	VM	94.78	152.53
May 25, 1904	Ostend, Belgium	Pierre de Caters	DMG Simplex 90	VM	97.25	156.50
July 21, 1904	Ostend, Belgium	Louis Rigolly	Gobron-Brillié Gordon Bennett Cup	VM	103.56	166.66			First over 100 mph
November 13, 1904	Ostend, Belgium	Paul Baras	Darracq Gordon Bennett	VM	104.53	168.22
January 24, 1905	Daytona Beach , USA	Arthur MacDonald	Napier 6	VM	104.65	168.42
December 30, 1905	Arles , France	Victor Hémery	Darracq V8 Special	VM	109.65	175.44
January 26, 1906	Ormond Beach , USA	Fred Marriott	Stanley Rocket Steamer	steam	127.66	205.44			First official record over 200 km / h
January 24, 1907	Ormond Beach, Florida	Glenn Curtiss	Curtiss V8 40 hp (30 kW) motorcycle	VM	-		136.27	219.31	The motorcycle record stood for 30 years
November 6, 1909	Brooklands , UK	Victor Hémery	200 hp (150 kW) Blitzen-Benz No 1	VM	125.94	202.68	115.93	186.57
April 23, 1911	Daytona Beach , USA	Bob Burman	200 hp (150 kW) Blitzen-Benz No 2	VM	141.73	228.10
June 24, 1914	Brooklands, UK	LG Hornstead	200 hp (150 kW) Blitzen-Benz No 3	VM	-		124.09	199.70	First record in which the route had to be driven twice
February 12, 1919	Daytona Beach , USA	Ralph DePalma	Packard 905	VM	149.875	241,200	-		Recognized in the USA, not recognized by the AIACR
May 17, 1922	Brooklands, UK	Kenelm Lee Guinness	350 hp (260 kW) Sunbeam	VM	133.70	215.17	129.17	207.88	Last record on a closed course
July 6, 1924	Arpajon , France	René Thomas	Delage Type DH La Torpille	VM	143.21	230.47	143.31	230.64
July 12, 1924	Arpajon, France	Ernest Eldridge	Fiat Mefistofele	VM	146.01	234.98	145.89	234.79	Last record on a public road
September 25, 1924	Pendine Sands , Wales	Malcolm Campbell	350 hp (260 kW) Sunbeam Blue Bird	VM	146.15	235.21	146.16	235.22
July 21, 1925	Pendine Sands, Wales	Malcolm Campbell	350 hp (260 kW) Sunbeam Blue Bird	VM	150.86	242.79	150.76	242.62
March 21, 1926	Southport , UK	Henry Segrave	4 liter Sunbeam Ladybird	VM	152.30	245.10	149.32	240.31
April 27, 1926	Pendine Sands, Wales	JG Parry-Thomas	Chitty Bang Bang IV Babs	VM	169.29	272.45	168.07	270.48
April 28, 1926	Pendine Sands, Wales	JG Parry-Thomas	Babs	VM	171.01	275.23	170.62	274.59
February 4, 1927	Pendine Sands, Wales	Malcolm Campbell	Campbell-Napier Blue Bird	VM	174.88	281.44	174.22	280.38	Last record set in Europe
March 29, 1927	Daytona Beach, USA	Henry Segrave	Sunbeam 1000 hp mystery	VM	202.98	326.66	203.79	327.97	First official record over 200 mph
February 19, 1928	Daytona Beach, USA	Malcolm Campbell	Campbell-Napier Blue Bird	VM	-		206.95	333.05
April 22, 1928	Daytona Beach, USA	Ray Keech	White Triplex Spirit of Elkdom	VM	-		207.55	334.02
March 11, 1929	Daytona Beach, USA	Henry Segrave	Irving-Napier Golden Arrow	VM	231.56	372.66	231.36	372.34	Golden Arrow never drove again
February 5, 1931	Daytona Beach, USA	Malcolm Campbell	Campbell Napier-Railton Blue Bird	VM	246.08	396.03	245.73	395.46
February 24, 1932	Daytona Beach, USA	Malcolm Campbell	Campbell Napier-Railton Blue Bird	VM	251.34	404.49	253.96	408.71
February 22, 1933	Daytona Beach, USA	Malcolm Campbell	Campbell Rolls-Royce Railton Blue Bird	VM	272.46	438.48	272.10	437.90
March 7, 1935	Daytona Beach, USA	Malcolm Campbell	Campbell Rolls-Royce Railton Blue Bird	VM	276.16	444.44	276.71	445.32	Last record on a beach
September 3, 1935	Bonneville Salt Flats , USA	Malcolm Campbell	Campbell Rolls-Royce Railton Blue Bird	VM	-		301.129	484.620
November 19, 1937	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	George Eyston	Thunderbolt	VM	312.00	502.11	311.41	501.17
August 27, 1938	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	George Eyston	Thunderbolt	VM	345.20	555.55	345.48	556.00
September 15, 1938	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	John R. Cobb	Railton Special	VM	350.06	563.37	350.19	563.58
September 16, 1938	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	George Eyston	Thunderbolt	VM	357.33	575.07	357.49	575.32
August 23, 1939	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	John Cobb	Railton Special	VM	369.74	595.04	367.91	592.09
September 16, 1947	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	John Cobb	Railton Mobil Special	VM	393.82	633.79	394.19	634.39	First one-track record over 400 mph (640 km / h)

1963 to 1970

date	place	driver	vehicle	force	Speed ​​over 1 km		Speed ​​over 1 mile		Remarks
					mph	km / h	mph	km / h
5th September 1963	Bonneville Salt Flats , USA	Craig Breedlove	Spirit of America	Jet engine	408,312	657.114	407,447	655.722	Recognized by the FIM because the vehicle had 3 wheels
17th July 1964	Lake Eyre , Australia	Donald Campbell	Blue Bird CN 7	Gas turbine	-		403.10	644.96
5th October 1964	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Tom Green	Wingfoot Express	Jet engine	415.093	668,027	413.199	664.979
October 7, 1964	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Art Arfons	The Green Monster	Jet engine	434,356	699,028	434,022	698,490
October 13, 1964	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Craig Breedlove	Spirit of America	Jet engine	-		468.719	754,330
October 15, 1964	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Craig Breedlove	Spirit of America	Jet engine	-		526.277	846.861
October 27, 1964	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Art Arfons	The Green Monster	Jet engine	544.134	875.699	536.710	863.791
November 2, 1965	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Craig Breedlove	Spirit of America - Sonic 1	Jet engine	555,485	893.966	555,485	893.966
November 7, 1965	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Art Arfons	The Green Monster	Jet engine	572,546	921,423	576,553	927.872
November 15, 1965	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Craig Breedlove	Spirit of America - Sonic 1	Jet engine	600.842	966,961	600,601	966,574
October 23, 1970	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Gary Gabelich	Blue Flame	rocket	622.273	1001,452	622,407	1001.67	First over 1000 km / h; The record was 13 years

1983 until today

date	place	driver	vehicle	force	Speed ​​over 1 km		Speed ​​over 1 mile		Remarks
					mph	km / h	mph	km / h
4th October 1983	Black Rock Desert , USA	Richard Noble	Thrust2	Jet engine	-		633,468	1019.47	The record was 14 years
October 15, 1997	Black Rock Desert, USA	Andy Green	ThrustSSC	Turbofan	760,343	1223.65	763.035	1227.99	First break of the sound barrier (Mach 1.016)

See also

• World record
• List of speed records
• List of speed records for motorcycles
• List of world speed records for rail vehicles
• Budweiser Rocket

Web links

• FIA - List of Records (English)
• Speed ​​Record Clu - Land Speed ​​Record (English)
• The splendid Whizzer Association - The Land Speed ​​Record (English)
• Link catalog on the topic of Autoracing speed records (English) at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )
• Landspeed record history (English)
• A graph of these successive records
• "Current Absolute Land Speed ​​Records" on Mike Cook's homepage (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Paul Clifton: The fastest men at the wheel. The history of the world speed records in the automobile , ( The fastest men on earth, New York 1964, German), trans. by Günther Görtz, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1968, p. 13 f.
2. ↑ Speed ​​Record Club - Land Speed ​​Record. (No longer available online.) Speedrecordclub.com, archived from the original on October 5, 2013 ; accessed on June 12, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ^ Art Evans: History of Sports Cars - Speed ​​Records at Daytona Beach , Internet portal "sportscardigest.com", August 5, 2011
4. ^ Sunbeam 1000hp - 1927 World Land Speed ​​Record run (short). National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, accessed on January 4, 2020 (German). 
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Official List of Speed ​​Records Homologated by the FIA ​​in Category C. (PDF; 15 kB) fia.com, November 25, 1997, accessed on June 10, 2011 (English).