5-time world land velocity file holder and the primary particular person in historical past to succeed in 400mph, 500mph, and 600mph, Craig Breedlove, handed away April 4, 2023, on the age of 86.
Born in Southern California in 1937, Breedlove had a lifelong ardour for velocity and engineering which started at a younger age. He was infatuated with constructing and flying mannequin airplanes till he moved onto automobiles at 13 and purchased a ’34 Ford Coupe for $75. From there it was all about velocity on land, however the aerodynamics origins would play a serious a part of the equation all through his life.
Breedlove’s first record-breaking run got here in 1963 when he drove his jet-powered automobile, Spirit of America, to a high velocity of 407 mph. He broke his personal file a number of occasions, culminating in 1965 when he turned the primary particular person to exceed 600 mph, driving his new automotive, Spirit of America – Sonic 1, to a high velocity of 600.601 mph.
Over the course of his profession, Breedlove was honored with a number of accolades, together with induction into the Motorsports Corridor of Fame of America in 1993. He was a real pioneer of velocity and his contributions to the sphere won’t ever be forgotten.
Leigh Dorrington penned a incredible three-part collection about Breedlove simply final 12 months beginning with the Mar/Apr 2022 difficulty. He had this to say in regards to the passing of the motorsports icon:
“Craig Breedlove was the residing Spirit of America. He found the Land Velocity Document on the age of 12 when he noticed an image of John Cobb’s Railton Mobil Particular and decided he would return the file to America. He succeeded in unimaginable methods and impressed generations. His passing is the tip of an age.”
