Nardo, Italy 2013

[Moxnix]

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2012/10/performance-power-racing-drives-through-fastest-standing-mile-record-at-kennedy-space-center-45612/

I drink Guinness, warm, but cast a jaundiced eye on their records.

[4-barrel Mike]

The International Mile Racing Association?   http://internationalmileracingassociation.com/

Wonder what it costs to run at Kennedy Space Center?

Mike

[stay`tee]

In the Appendices for FIM World Records, Tracks, 018.10.1, For Short Distance Records, it states A "Straight Course" between two points,, this begs the question "how can Nardo with a continual curve, be legal for FIM records  ,,

[Moxnix]

Problem I see w/ Guinness records are that the hot dog eating contest or yo-yo feats are equal to all the others in the ever fattening book of.

[55chevr]

Bill Warner did standing mile -290mph at Loring ... so I guess this isnt the fastest standing mile ...

[gkabbt]

The International Mile Racing Association?   http://internationalmileracingassociation.com/

Wonder what it costs to run at Kennedy Space Center?

Mike

Mike,
Here is a link to BANGshift.com where Joe Timney talked briefly about Kennedy (Cape Canaveral):
http://www.freiburgersjunkyard.com/forum/showthread.php/38433-HUGE-runways-all-around-the-country-for-rent!!!!

Post was #5 and he said:
"They want to rent them but with strings attached. Most are NOT open to the public. Cape Canaveral is $10,000 a day and a limit on the number of people that can be there. All must have a security clearance.
We have been down this road and it is a very bumpy one at that!!!"

Gregg

[MAYOMAN]

What kind of a mile standing start "record" can this be?
FIA standing start records are the AVERAGE speed for the record distance, averaged over two runs in opposite directions.
This guy didn't do either.
The mile SS record is 97.693 mph set by a BMW in 2004.
We shouldn't even be discussing bogus claims by posers. It only dilutes the credibility of our sport.

[Malcolm UK]

The FIA record for the mile in their 'outright' list is indeed 97.693 mph.

But now look at the record for the standing start mile in Category A Group II Class 1 when in 2006 a Brit Tony Moir, on an unblown 250cc Kart he called Aurora, achieved an FIA record average speed of 98.093 mph.

The only reason for not seeing the higher speed set by Tony on the summary list is because of the "1% rule" - which was dropped on January 1, but no back calculation seems to have followed.

Provided the mile racers at the various sites use a consistent timing trap length then top speeds are valid for bragging rights. It seems the IMRA want to confuse the public more than unify a sport through speaking of mile records.

Malcolm UK 

[Dean Los Angeles]

The Nardo track is listed as "12 km long /4 km diameter". 4km diameter is 12.55 km long. I hope they measure better than that for records.

Where do you measure? If they have a painted line for reference, if you run 5 feet below the line you cut off 48 feet in the mile. Hint, hint.

[TrickyDicky]

Malcolm (and others),

There's something very strange about the FIA records for the standing start mile - as in there aren't many listed on their web site.

However, looking elsewhere, a quick Google reveals that some chap called Caracciola set a World Record on 28 October 1934 at Gyon, Hungary.  His time for the 1 Mile Standing Start?  30.71 seconds or 117.226 mph.  And I'm sure this has been exceeded many times since then (how about Mickey Thompson?).

What has happened to this record (and presumably many others)?  Has the FIA just lost them, or have they changed the rules so that most previous records are obliterated, or ...?

[Jack Gifford]

Just one of Mickey's many international records:
> 5/14/1960 One mile standing start, 149.23 MPH, Assault 1 with Class-A engine (over 488 c.i.).

[Malcolm UK]

For a period of time the Standing Start Mile was not recognised by the FIA rules as an 'approved' distance in the rules (Appendix D). Why it was dropped (which it must have been) was not clear to me - this may be something that Landspeed Louise may have been informed about when she spent a great deal of time sorting out the entries for the flying start speeds. What is odd is that Mickey Thompson's standing start kilometre with Assault remains on the FIA published list - 1970 at 112.10 mph.

Once the SS mile was back on the FIA list I advised my clients (which did not include BMW ) to add it to those they were attempting for International records (it has been a National British distance all of the time). 

Over the history of record attempts under European International control records have not been recorded as official, but to my knowledge the FIA or the earlier bodies have never 'lost' any. An example - they accepted the Stanly Steamer record set by Marriot over the kilometre but did not accept the faster record speed for the mile.

For the interest of readers - the UK outright standing start mile records are - non wheeldriven 166.47 mph and wheeldriven 132.40 mph (both two way averages on runs completed within 60 minutes), set in '80 and '82 respectively. Shutdown distance after exiting the last light no more than 1/2 mile!

Malcolm UK, Derby

[TrickyDicky]

The implication seems to be that if I look through the official records to find a class where no mile SS record is listed (that nearly all of them at the moment), find any crappy car with the right engine size, pay the relevant FIA fee, set up a course with timing etc., then I too can have the glory  of setting the first  official FIA Record in the class?

Therein surely lies madness.

[TrickyDicky]

For a period of time the Standing Start Mile was not recognised by the FIA rules as an 'approved' distance in the rules (Appendix D). Why it was dropped (which it must have been) was not clear to me - this may be something that Landspeed Louise may have been informed about when she spent a great deal of time sorting out the entries for the flying start speeds. What is odd is that Mickey Thompson's standing start kilometre with Assault remains on the FIA published list - 1970 at 112.10 mph.

Once the SS mile was back on the FIA list I advised my clients (which did not include BMW ) to add it to those they were attempting for International records (it has been a National British distance all of the time). 

Over the history of record attempts under European International control records have not been recorded as official, but to my knowledge the FIA or the earlier bodies have never 'lost' any. An example - they accepted the Stanley Steamer record set by Marriot over the kilometre but did not accept the faster record speed for the mile.

For the interest of readers - the UK outright standing start mile records are - non wheeldriven 166.47 mph and wheeldriven 132.40 mph (both two way averages on runs completed within 60 minutes), set in '80 and '82 respectively. Shutdown distance after exiting the last light no more than 1/2 mile!

Malcolm UK, Derby

Malcolm,

I'm not sure I entirely follow your line of thinking....

Why is it odd is that Mickey Thompson's standing start kilometre with Assault remains on the FIA published list, when as you say it was only the mile that they stopped recognising?  Seems logical to me to keep km and delete mile.

What was the difference between the Marriott mile and km records?  Weren't they both set on the same day, on the same course, timed by the same officials?  Was one under European International control and one not???  Perhaps they thought Americans can measure a km accurately but not a mile? 

And finally (for now  ), shouldn't the British record-keepers follow the FIA lead and delete the old UK outright standing start mile records?

Sorry - bit of a rant. 

[MAYOMAN]

Thanks, Malcolm, for the interesting historical perspective. All these real land speed records are worthy of celebration.
By the way, the standing start kilometer record (non-wheel-driven) was set by the late, but still great, Dave Anderson in the Pollution Packer rocket dragster.
Set on September 30, 1972, this long-held FIA record is 234.775 miles per hour, or more correctly since it was the kilometer, 377.834 kilometers per hour.
Absolutely correct that Americans don't know what the kilometer is.
But that was quite an achievement accomplished, per the rules running in opposite directions (Bonnevile Salt Flats), and completing the record runs within one hour.
While the SCTA and USFRA records are quite another type of record, they are also independently timed and run under a very clear set of rules.
These also are legitimately celebrated along with their creative cars (and bikes), competent crews and brave drivers.