Image courtesy North American Eagle, Inc. Photo credit: Doug Schwartz

In the movie “Top Gun,” the lead characters “Maverick” and “Goose” utter the often quoted phrase, “I feel the need ... the need for speed!” It’s really no surprise that this phrase became one of the most popular and memorable from the film. That’s because, whether in the air, on water or on land, lots of people like to go fast. This is especially true of those who have competed and will compete for the world-famous Land Speed Record.

The Land Speed Record (LSR) is just what it sounds like – it’s the fastest speed reached by a vehicle on land. As you know, speed is determined by measuring the distance covered divided by time it takes to cover that distance. Basically, how the LSR works is each driver must cover the course (a set length of ground – currently, more than 15 miles) in two runs. The second run is in the opposite direction of the first run. They do it this way to account for any wind speed that might increase the speed of the vehicle. Obviously, the wind blows in one direction. And when the car is traveling in the same direction as the wind, it might get a bit of a boost. The second run must be completed within one hour of the first run. The key thing to note is that the overall speed of each run isn’t what is recorded. In the middle of the course, there’s a one-mile stretch, which is called the “measured mile.” There is a sensor located at the beginning and end of this area. The speed achieved within this particular portion of the course is what counts. After both runs are completed, the average of the measured mile speeds are used to determine the recorded speed.

The first LSR was established on December 18, 1898. You’ll probably be surprised to learn that it was set by an electric car. Yeah, yeah – we know today’s electric cars aren’t known for achieving great speed – but back in 1898, a 36-horsepower electric motor was the little engine that could. On an open road running through Archères, France, the winning driver, Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat, reached a then-dangerous speed of 39.24 mph.

Right now, you’re probably thinking that today, pretty much everyone can tool around town at close to that speed. So, before you put on a sarcastic, “Wow, I’m sooo impressed” face, remember that was more than 100 years ago. A lot has happened with the LSR since then. Get ready to be impressed.

Image courtesy North American Eagle, Inc. Photo credit: Doug Schwartz

Since that first LSR, the record has been broken many, many times (more than 60) and the speed reached has increased considerably. Actually, make that amazingly – the most recent record, which was set on October 15, 1997 by Andy Green driving the Thrust SSC, is an incredible, sound barrier-breaking 763.04 miles per hour (mph)! We told you it was amazing.

Check out the sidebars for lots of other LSR info, like where the records were set, who was driving and what types of vehicles accomplished these amazing speeds.

And in the red corner ...
The latest challenger to the Land Speed Record is the North American Eagle™ team, headed by Edward J. Shadle and Keith Zanghi. The North American Eagle™ is an amazing vehicle. Before it became a land vehicle built for speed, it went really fast in the air. That's because it used to be a Lockheed F-104 jet fighter! The North American Eagle™ is 56 feet long and weighs 13,000 pounds. The engine is a General Electric LM 1500 Turbojet. The fastest it has gone so far (there have been more than 10 test runs) has been about 312 mph. During the actual competition, however, it's expected to go approximately 800 mph. At idle (while the vehicle is sitting still, but the engine is running), it consumes 40 gallons of fuel per minute and in full afterburner mode, it takes in an amazing 10 gallons of jet fuel per second!

Road to a Record Although competitions have been held in many locales, none is quite as famous or recognizable as the Bonneville Salt Flats. The flats, which stretch across approximately 30,000 acres in Utah, are a remnant of ancient Lake Bonneville (it existed more than 15,000 years ago). The flats were first earmarked for bicycle races. But it wasn’t long before auto racers understood the benefits of the flat, incredibly open space and smooth, salt-covered ground. In 1935, the Bonneville Salt Flats replaced Daytona Beach as the preferred location for LSR competitions and remained so until the competition moved to Black Rock Desert in 1983.