Land and Water Speed Records, 10-13
Our last few on the list of land and water speed records are detailed below.10. Fastest Electric (Battery-Powered) Vehicle
Electric cars are usually thought to be slow, but not the Buckeye Bullet. This electric (battery-powered) vehicle, designed and built by engineering students at The Ohio State University, holds both the U.S. and international land speed records, which have different sets of rules.
To set the international record, an electric car must run a 1-kilometer course twice in opposite directions within a one hour time period. On October 13, 2004, at the Bonneville Salt Flats, driver Roger Schroer set the new international land speed record of 271.737 miles per hour.
To get the U.S. record, the vehicle had to be impounded for four hours between two qualifying runs so that it couldn't be repaired, adjusted, or tampered with.
On October 15, 2004, the Buckeye Bullet, driven again by Schroer on the same course, set the U.S. land speed record at 314.958 miles per hour.
11. Fastest Roller Coaster
While it never leaves the park, Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in Jackson, New Jersey, is recognized as the world's fastest roller coaster.
Opened in 2005, the Kingda Ka is a hydraulic launch rocket coaster that reaches its top speed of 128 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds. Its 456-foot-tall tower is also the world's tallest for a coaster. Built by the Swiss ride manufacturer Intamin, the Kingda Ka uses an over-the-shoulder safety restraint system to keep riders in their seats, but there's no guarantee it will keep their lunch in their stomachs.
12. Fastest Diesel-Powered Vehicle
The word diesel used to conjure up images of smelly buses and slow-moving trucks, but that picture changed on August 23, 2006, when the JCB DIESELMAX diesel-powered car driven by Andy Green averaged 350 miles per hour over two runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats. On the first run, he hit 365.779 miles per hour.
The JCB DIESELMAX was built by the British company JCB, which normally makes diesel-powered backhoes, loaders, and other types of construction equipment.
13. Fastest Lawn Mower
Most kids hate mowing the lawn, but that might change if their parents bought them this riding mower. On July 4, 2006, at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Bob Cleveland drove his specially-built lawn mower at an average speed of just over 80 miles per hour.
Cleveland assembled the mower himself, using a Snapper lawn tractor with a 23-horsepower Briggs & Stratton V-twin modified engine and other custom accessories. At the time he set the record, Cleveland was an eight-time champion in the National Lawn Mower Racing Series.
While you can browse through hundreds of fascinating lists at Extraordinary Lists, here are 5 lists that we feel are certain to amaze and entertain: |
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Helen Davies, Marjorie Dorfman, Mary Fons, Deborah Hawkins, Martin Hintz, Linnea Lundgren, David Priess, Julia Clark Robinson, Paul Seaburn, Heidi Stevens, and Steve Theunissen
