This issue has bit of a land-speed kink, which culminated in earning a 200 MPH Club with the ECTA just a month after Bonneville. For me, I really discovered land-speed racing at an elementary school book fair. I bought a book that was full of cutaway drawings of different machines, from NASA space shuttles to McLaren F1s. One section was dedicated to the history of land speed, with machines like Malcom Campbell’s “Blue Bird” and Craig Breedlove’s “Spirit of America”; but it was Andy Green’s “Trust SSC” that stole my attention. It was like a wingless SR-71, and both were the fastest of their kind. The ultimate land-speed record had created cars that were eerily similar to what came out of the space race, which hooked me. This fall, I had the opportunity to drive with Rydin Decal Racing at the September Arkansas 1-Mile Challenge. It took a lot of learning with the quirky transmission, but we managed a 202.6-mph run for the ECTA 200 MPH Club. These barriers are all deeply personal pursuits; the world doesn’t necessarily change because a record is shattered or another driver enters a club.
People are genuinely curious what 200 feels like, but the AA/GC Trans Am felt like your average car—everything just comes at you much quicker. Life doesn’t radically change when you come home, either, but maybe your perspective of it does. You look further into the horizon than ever before, and you’re more willing to chase it. Question is, what’s next?
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