Please note there are two parts to this posting . . .
Part One:
Don and Rick Vesco's Turbinator Granted First "Wheel-Driven" Honors by
F.I.A.
Publicity contact: "LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth landspeed@adelphia.net
After 41 years, thrust powered vehicle speed records are now listed separate
from wheel-driven vehicles in the world speed record book maintained by the
F.I.A. , the venerable sanctioning body that has tracked records for more
than a century. Starting with Rick and the late Don Vesco's Turbinator, the
FIA has granted, for the first time, a new designation of: "The F.I.A. World
Wheel Driven Land Speed Record" further distinguishing the more
mechanically complicated record-setting vehicles from jet and rocket powered
vehicles.
In October 2001, Don Vesco drove the family streamliner to a new Category A,
Group 9, Class 3 record of 458.481 m.p.h./737.402 k.p.h. on the Bonneville
Salt Flats eclipsing a 403 m.p.h. record set by the late Donald Campbell of
England in 1964. TEAMVesco not only brought the record home to the United
States for the first time, but now bears the historically significant honor
of being the first vehicle to own the World Wheel Driven honors.
"We've given up a lot of blood sweat and tears to earn this record,"
remarked Rick Vesco, "I am absolutely elated that we have finally been
recognized as a more complex and technically challenging record setter."
World land speed records are attained in a variety of classes and categories
further distinguished by varying engine sizes and types. In the early 1960's
classes were added for jet-powered vehicles that can attain dramatically
high speeds. These high speeds garner much public fascination and attention,
but are not considered automobiles because the performance is not summoned
from the wheels, relying instead on the exhaust process like an jet fighter
plane does.
There are very few who hold a world wheel driven speed record in excess of
400 mph. They are: The Summers Brothers who in 1964 set a 409mph record in
the unsupercharged category and Al Teague who mirrored that record in 1991
with a 409 record -- but in the supercharged category. Both still reign
supreme in their respective classes. Don Campbell had the turbine record
which Don Vesco bettered in 2001.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Part Two:
SPECIAL NOTE TO LSR ENTHUSIASTS
Dave Petrali and I are working on behalf of ACCUS / FIA to update the flying
mile and kilo records. This includes correcting not only any errors and
omissions, but to see the complete listing uploaded to the FIA website.
Any person with information that might be helpful in the completion of the
project is strongly urged to contact me directly as soon as possible. The
FIA motorsports committee meets in June and we wish present the updated
listed prior to the meeting so that it may be part of the working agenda.
Be glad in knowing that Don and Rick Vesco were personally called in
November by ACCUS President Burdette Martin to assure Don his record was
ratified before he passed on. I wept that day, hoping the paper would beat
the reaper. In addition to Don Vesco's certificate, ACCUS / FIA sent me
those of Jim True (Oct 2001), Al Teague and Don Alexander (Oct 2002).
Distributing those certificates was most gratifying. The delay was
combination of retirements, new hires, office relocations and job
description modifications. Not an excuse, just an explanation.
OK, I know, I can already hear the grumbling about how the FIA isn't worth a
fig, has ignored the salt racer and on and on. Please remember that many
people in our sport consider an FIA world record the penultimate achievement
in land speed racing. Some have died trying to obtain one. For those two
reasons alone, among others, I believe it is worth the effort to mend
differences and will devote whatever time it takes to do so. If nothing more
is accomplished than a complete, up-to-date World Record listing for the
flying mile and kilometer, then seeing that done will be reward enough, to
ensure that future generations will have a proper, complete historical
record to which they might refer.
Speedy Regards,
"LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth
LandSpeed Productions
"Telling stories with words and pictures"
www.landspeedproductions.biz
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