Update
Today, in response to my inquiries and actions, Quantum Technologies, the supplier of fuel delivery parts used in the James car during the El Mirage runs, removed form its corporate website the fake record claim press release, directed PR Newswire to remove the original press release from its server and answered to full satisfaction all ethics questions raised by the SEC. I commend the company for its quick, responsible corrective action when it realized it was disseminating false information.
I am still chasing the story around the globe and asking for further removals, corrections and retractions. More than three dozen have been contacted and all but one has responded by removing the article altogether, or correcting/updating the facts of the false record claim.
This cost Quantum in the neighborhood of $15,000 in attorney fees and it is regrettable. My financial loss will certainly exceed that amount for all the hours I expended, and will continue to put in, trying to “unring the bell.” A trivial pursuit? To some it may appear so, but not to me. The bedrock foundation of land speed racing is the record, the prize earned through a sacrosanct act of honest effort seeking honest reward. Jesse James acted without honor and respect.
Dozens and dozens of land speed racers - national, international and world record holders included -- have contacted me with words of appreciation. It inspires me onward to protect their good name and deeds.
As for Mr. James running with the big dogs based on the 132-foot recorded speed. Please. Every one of you on this forum who have run at a sanctioned event know all too well your vehicle can storm into the mile with great promise only to see the peak power curve evaporate like water on cotton candy. When Mr. James can hold speed for a mile of more then we'll have something to cheer him about. Until then, its little more than a drag racing trap to me, a good indicator of potential but a long way from claiming fraternity with record holders.
Let's hope the old Dees/Milodon Engineering/Davis B Streamliner gets a chance to prove its worth in real time, in a sanctioned event and not force-fed through some fancy made-for-TV editing job. I believe James has the potential, but I seriously doubt he gives a damn what any of us think, especially me. Further, it is my opinion that he is quite happy puffing himself up with fake speed record claims.
I end with this direct quote from the James Family Trust:
The celebrity Jesse James has built a record for himself of snubbing authorities, in his vainglorious effort to personify himself as some imaginary kind of outlaw. Spike TV’s promotion for “Jesse James is a Dead Man” announces that Jesse James is a direct descendant of the outlaw Jesse James. This in fact is a falsehood and misrepresentation. Mr. James has been invited to prove his claim to the James family, to which he professes to belong. He never has done so. Instead, he continues to falsely misrepresent himself. Now Mr. James claims to have broken a land speed record. Once more, Jesse James rebukes authentication by reputable authorities to support his claim. The only record Mr. James can produce is a record of misrepresentation and falsehood, for which he is becoming well noted.
So now it seems we have a fake record holder and a fake outlaw.
