Land Speed Records
The flatness of the Black Rock Desert's lakebed surface has led to the area's use as a proving ground for experimental land vehicles. It was the site of two successful attempts on the World Land Speed Record:
- In 1983, Richard Noble drove the jet-powered Thrust2 car to a new record of 633 mph (1,019 km/h). Noble also headed up the team that beat the Thrust 2 record.
- In 1997, ThrustSSC became the world's first and only supersonic car, reaching 766 mph (1,233 km/h).
Read more about this topic: Black Rock Desert
Famous quotes containing the words land, speed and/or records:
“... were all America like this fair city, and all, no, only a small proportion of its population like the friends we left there, I should say, that the land was the fairest in the world.”
—Frances Trollope (1780–1863)
“Life is too short to waste
In critic peep or cynic bark,
Quarrel or reprimand:
‘Twill soon be dark;
Up, heed thine own aim, and
God speed the mark!”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“It’s always the generals with the bloodiest records who are the first to shout what a hell it is. And it’s always the war widows who lead the Memorial Day parades.”
—Paddy Chayefsky (1923–1981)