Mickey Thompson gained worldwide fame in the first place as the founder of the largest tire offices Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels. But beyond that it will forever inscribed his name in the history of the races on the Bonneville salt lakes, becoming the first American to break the barrier of 400 mph. However, to fix the result as a world record at the legendary pilot and did not work because of the capricious weather conditions, in respect of which the annual Speed Week was repeatedly canceled.
On the fiftieth anniversary of the achievements of his father, Danny Thompson rolled out of the hangar that is the original Challenger II.
Son of the famous racer took six years to carry out the necessary restoration work to introduce modern technology and spend hundreds of hours of tests before the car was finally ready to storm the existing record for units equipped with a piston engine. The official rate strap in AA / FS class until 2016 was the value of 392.503 mph.
On Saturday, August 13 Thompson was able to disperse the car is equipped with two engines Chrysler Hemi, equipped with modern fuel injection system, up to 411.191 mph, a next day secured his achievement, having developed in the opposite direction 402.348 mph. Under the rules of Bonneville Speed Week in the standings is the arithmetic mean of the two races, and with the result of 406.769 mph Denny became the new record holder, thereby realizing the dream of his father, which he was never able to realize. And the remarkable thing is that the Challenger II, as well as 56 years ago, was shod in the M / T tires, specially developed for record races on the salt lakes.
«Our success is the Sabbath has more than half a century. It is here, in the Bonneville, was the father in his time one of the fastest guys in the world. Unfortunately, he never got to translate into reality all your ideas, and I am infinitely proud to be able to do in the first place in memory of him — said Thompson, Jr. — All this could not happen without the support of Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, which is not the first decade of marching in the forefront of tire technology of the sport. Many thanks to the sponsors, my family and all those who helped realize my father's dream years later. „
Photo: open source
On Saturday, August 13 Thompson was able to disperse the car is equipped with two engines Chrysler Hemi, equipped with modern fuel injection system, up to 411.191 mph, a next day secured his achievement, having developed in the opposite direction 402.348 mph. Under the rules of Bonneville Speed Week in the standings is the arithmetic mean of the two races, and with the result of 406.769 mph Denny became the new record holder, thereby realizing the dream of his father, which he was never able to realize. And the remarkable thing is that the Challenger II, as well as 56 years ago, was shod in the M / T tires, specially developed for record races on the salt lakes.
«Our success is the Sabbath has more than half a century. It is here, in the Bonneville, was the father in his time one of the fastest guys in the world. Unfortunately, he never got to translate into reality all your ideas, and I am infinitely proud to be able to do in the first place in memory of him — said Thompson, Jr. — All this could not happen without the support of Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, which is not the first decade of marching in the forefront of tire technology of the sport. Many thanks to the sponsors, my family and all those who helped realize my father's dream years later. „
Photo: open source
