Comments on: Lightning Benz Fastest on Earth 100 Years Ago

By: DHennessey

DHennessey — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:41:38 +0000

Nit picking aside, Benz did not hold LSR untill Daytona in 1911 and your pals at MB have no right to imply they did between 1909 and 1911. I would contend that they broke Curtis’s record not Darracq’s in 1911 They use the term LSR not automobile record.

“Land speed record – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the fastest speed achieved by any wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation …”

Yes separate records are kept for various types of vehicles
but this is because speeds are more difficult to achieve in different configurations. Current record for bikes is about 370 mph while the LSR is more than double at about 760 mph
attesting to this and making Curtis’s records eve more remarkable. Any time an established auto manufacturer can’t
outperform a small time bicycle mechanic from upstate NY, who has designed and built both his own engine and vehicle they should be hanging their heads rather than spinning it as a great accomplishment.

By: editorgary

editorgary — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:16:06 +0000

Guess there’s a nitwit nit-picker on every web list. This was the fastest AUTOMOBILE at the time. No mention of motorcycles, because no statement that the record was for fastest vehicle, fastest wheeled object, or any other inclusive category. Last I looked, land speed records are recorded separately for two-wheel and four-wheel vehicles (one referred to as a motor cycle, the other as an automobile.)

By: DHennessey

DHennessey — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:03:38 +0000

Different records in Europe and America?

Shame on MB for deceptively neglecting to mention bikes in their claim to fame! Land speed records not exclusivly cars

1907 was a significant year for Glenn Curtiss. On January 24 th he became the “fastest man in the world” when he rode his V-8 powered motorcycle at a sustained speed of 136.4 MPH to establish a land speed record that stood until 1911 for cars and 1930 for motorcycles.
136.4 mph almost 220 kph