Landracing Forum
Thrust-powered Land Speed information => Discussions on absolute land speed records => Topic started by: J79 on February 13, 2018, 10:34:27 PM
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Did Hal Needham ever drive the Budweiser Rocket Car or any other cars at high speed?
In this video about the Budweiser Rocket Car, at 18:15, 19:10, 55:55, Hal Needham is mentioned driving at and was almost was killed driving at 600mph...What car was he driving to go 600mph?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSBl9IjS60E&t=2934s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSBl9IjS60E&t=2934s)
From this article it says: "Needham never even got behind the wheel." That is vague. Does that mean Hal never drove the car that season at Alvord or does that mean Hal never drove the car at all?
"But dialing in more power was not an option for O'Neil: under her contract, she was only permitted to drive the "Motivator" to a new women's record. The movie director Hal Needham had paid $25,000 for the chance to steer the car to a new overall world record, and he was determined not to lose that chance to a woman. So, after O'Neil set her record, Needham rather unceremoniously demanded that she be pulled from the drivers' seat. (His spokesman even told reporters that it would be "degrading" for a woman to hold the "man's" record.) While the lawyers squabbled, it began to snow, and Alvord was closed for the season. Needham never even got behind the wheel."
http://www.gregwapling.com/hotrod/land-speed-racing-history/land-speed-racing-kitty-oneil.html (http://www.gregwapling.com/hotrod/land-speed-racing-history/land-speed-racing-kitty-oneil.html)
Wikipedia page on the Budweiser Rocket Car says nothing about him driving the car.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_Rocket (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_Rocket)
Wikipedia page on Hal Needham says nothing about him driving the car.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Needham (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Needham)