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:
“In that land all Is and nothing’s Ought;
No owners or notices, only birds;”
—William Robert Rodgers (1909–1969)
“There exist certain individuals who are, by nature, given purely to contemplation and are utterly unsuited to action, and who, nevertheless, under a mysterious and unknown impulse, sometimes act with a speed which they themselves would have thought beyond them.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)
“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)