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A land speed record was first set in 1898 by Frenchman Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat, driving at 39.24mph. By 1904, another Frenchman, Louis Rigolly, became the first driver to pass the 100mph mark.
Thus began a long succession of attempts that would culminate in the breaking of the sound barrier on land. But it was in the 1920s and 30s that the imagination of the world was captured by the contest. And it was the battles between two men in particular – Malcom Campbell and Henry Segrave.
Malcom Campbell started motor racing at Brooklands racetrack in Surrey, and after a period as a pilot during the First World War, he returned to the sport. In September 1924, he took his car, the V12 Sunbeam called Bluebird, to Pendine Sands, Wales, where he reached 146.16mph. Having set one land speed record, he put the car up for sale but changed his mind when he learned that Welshman Parry Thomas was about to make an attempt on the record. Campbell had been bitten by the speed bug. In July 1925, he became the first driver to exceed 150mph.
Meanwhile, another challenger had entered the scene. Henry Segrave was born in Baltimore, USA, in 1896 to an Irish father and American mother. On 16 March 1926, he entered the world record-breaking arena. In Southport, Lancashire, despite supercharger problems, he took his Sunbeam to 152.3mph. He had taken Campbell's record and the battle of the land speed giants had begun.
Malcom Campbell was not about to give up though and had ambitious plans for a new Bluebird. The car cost a fortune and took two years to build. It used a huge 450-horsepower 12-cylinder Napier Lion aeroengine and had a giant chassis built by Vickers. Whilst the car was being built, Parry Thomas had pushed the record up to 171.02mph at Pendine Sands. As soon as Bluebird was ready, Campbell took the car there to regain his title. Despite knocking his goggles off, he just beat the record at an average speed of 174.8mph.
On 3 March 1927, Parry Thomas made another record-breaking attempt, in his car Babs. During the run, his car overturned and Thomas was tragically killed. The land speed record had claimed its first victim. Babs was buried in the sands and Campbell vowed that he would never race there again.
The race was now on to break the 200mph barrier. Segrave had improved his Sunbeam and had taken it to Daytona, Florida. Much to the annoyance of Campbell, the 1000-horsepower beast took Segrave past the 200mph mark. Having revamped Bluebird, Campbell also took his car to Daytona beach. It was a bumpy ride, but he came away with a new record of 206.95 mph.
Sir Henry Seagrave was now working on his new car, Golden Arrow. It would be powered by a 900-horsepower 23.9-litre 12-cylinder Napier Lion aeroengine and encased in a streamlined aluminium body. It was a revolutionary machine. On 11 March 1929 a huge crowd gathered on Daytona beach. After a single practise run, Segrave broke the record with a speed of 231.446mph. He then moved on to Miami to challenge the undisputed king of speedboat racing, Gar Wood. Segrave beat him. It was Wood's first defeat in nine years. Segrave was knighted upon his return to England.
Meanwhile, Campbell had travelled to South Africa with his new Bluebird, but was experiencing a constant stream of problems. Everyday he expected bad news from Daytona and it came on 11 March. Campbell knew that he could not really beat Segrave in this Bluebird, but he made an attempt. He reached 218.45mph, beating his initial target, but way off Segrave's new record.
With the land speed record his, Segrave set about achieving the world water speed record too. It would prove disastrous. On 13 June 1930, he was killed in an attempt on Lake Windemere. In a twist to the story though, he did actually break the record, becoming the first person to hold both land and water speed records simultaneously.
Malcolm Campbell was now free to dominate the land speed race. Over the next few years, competing against himself, Campbell was driven to push the record higher and higher. In 1935, with yet another streamlined Bluebird, he broke the 300mph record at Bonneville salt flats in Utah. Campbell too, received a knighthood.
Cutty Sark and the Great Clippers
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