As far as I am concerned, if you go faster TWO WAYS, timed with
certified accurate clocks, over an accurately measured course, all of which
factors are present at Lake Gairdner, El Mirage, Muroc, Black Rock,
Bonneville, Maxton, Daytona, Pendine Sands, or possibly the spot in Jordan
where they tested Thrust II or even the lake bed in Africa or the salt bed
in Chile, you have an International/World record because no one has been
clocked faster. Call it what you may. I go back to the comment I made a
month or so back, with Drag Racing we have more ACCURATELY timed speed runs
in a weekend in the US than the rest of the world times in a year. Why
should we care what the rest of the world thinks about those records when we
know they are ACCURATE and legitimate? If your peers recognize what you
have done then you are the best and you know it and they know it.
Sure there are lots of racers who are proud of their exit trap times
and one way runs and I applaud their claims and recognize them. However, I
don't see Mickey Thompson listed as the fastest man for his one way run and
from what I heard him say in the early fifties on the salt, Mickey would
only laugh off the idea. If you had seen his competition coupe with the
Chrysler and flathead hooked together with links of chain you would
recognize the fact that he wanted to go fast, any way he could. His 1960
sponsors were anxious to claim a record but I don't remember Mickey saying
he was faster officially than the Bluebird. Sponsors can push people to
claim many things but honestly are they true? Look at the Budweiser Rocket
car and their "record" claim that was finally paid by their sponsors because
a respected pilot said it "looked" like they went supersonic. Who believes
it? Did Andy Green disprove it?
That is the great thing about land-speed racing ... it is you against
the clock, and you get a print out to prove it. With no cash prizes for
"winning," (whatever that can mean in this sport), it is the recognition of
your peers that makes the difference. There are established rules and you
abide by them and so does everyone else you CARE about.
There are people in the sport who are skilled promoters of themselves.
Some are dishonest and have and would sell their name and soul for cash.
Some have done jail time for fraud but still are respected for their past
accomlishments. They went faster than anyone else running in their class
... running under the same rules as their challengers. Does that mean we
take away their records because of things they did away from the race
course? No! There are people in the sport who have gone faster than anyone
else one way, does that mean we recognize that speed as a record? No! Why
should we?
Thiokol, ninety minutes away from here, builds the primary space
shuttle "motors." Wonder what they could come up with for straight away
power and who would sit in front of it to steer?
It's two in the morning ... I probably don't make sense but I'm going
to send this and hope the comments are as politically correct as I have
tried to make this.
Wes
----------
> From: "John Beckett" <landspeedracer@email.msn.com>
> To: "Ron Christensen" <ron.christensen@wsapr.com>,"'Wester S Potter'"
<wspotter@jps.net>,"'Malcolm Pittwood'"
<MPittwood@compuserve.com>,<Land-speed@autox.team.net>
> Subject: Re: World, National Records
> Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 21:42:39 -0500
>
> Ron
>
> Guess I look at it a little differently. Bonneville is as INTERNATIONAL
>as it gets. There are competitors from Japan, England, New Zealand,
>Australia and probably others as well. I think if you questioned Leigh
>Fielder, after he set his record on the Salt in 1998, I bet he'd consider
it
>an INTERNATIONAL effort. If Al Teague ran a 415 MPH average at Lake
Gairdner
>in '95 wouldn't that be a World record? To me it would. I don't think the
>name of the sanctioning body is necessarily the only criteria for World
>Record status.
> El-Mirage, Muroc and Maxton are what I would classify as National
events
>and subsequently National records.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Ron Christensen" <ron.christensen@wsapr.com>
>To: "'Wester S Potter'" <wspotter@jps.net>; "'Malcolm Pittwood'"
><MPittwood@compuserve.com>; <Land-speed@autox.team.net>
>Sent: Monday, February 21, 2000 3:31 PM
>Subject: Hero's and World Records
>
>
>> I have been reading a lot of the list's comments about heros and world
>> records and I think there are a couple of things that need to be
>clarified.
>> Is not an International Record one that was accomplished under FIA or FIM
>> rules and under their official sanction? And, are not the records
>> established at Bonneville during SCTA/BNI of USFRA meets considered
>National
>> Records? If that is the case then what constitutes a "World Record"? I
>> always considered a World Record to be the same as an International
>Record.
>> Any comments?
>>
>>
>
>
>
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