Black Rock Desert - Land Speed Records

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:

    “I am of Ireland,
    And the Holy Land of Ireland,
    And time runs on,” cried she.
    “Come out of charity
    And dance with me in Ireland.”
    William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)

    The greatest felony in the news business today is to be behind, or to miss a big story. So speed and quantity substitute for thoroughness and quality, for accuracy and context. The pressure to compete, the fear somebody else will make the splash first, creates a frenzied environment in which a blizzard of information is presented and serious questions may not be raised.
    Carl Bernstein (b. 1944)

    In America, the photographer is not simply the person who records the past, but the one who invents it.
    Susan Sontag (b. 1933)