When as a boy Richard Noble saw John Cobb's World Water Speed Record challenger, Crusader, on Loch Ness, he could hardly have realised that one day he would be second only to Cobb on the list of longest holders of the World Land Speed Record. Until today, that honour belonged to Gary Gabelich, from whom Richard took the record when he drive Thrust2 to a speed of 633.468mph across the face of Black Rock Desert, Nevada, on 4th October 1983.
The charismatic Californian's record had stood for just nineteen days short of thirteen years. Today, with Craig Breedlove on site at Bonneville to begin his assault on Richard's record, the latter's reign as the fastest man on earth passed that of Gabelich to become second-longest behind Cobb's - the man who had inspired Noble to World Land Speed Record breaking.
Cobb first took the record with a speed of 350.20mph on 15th September 1938, only to lose it to George Eyston the very next day. Cobb returned the next year to retake the record on August 23rd with 369.70mph. The Second World War intervened, then in September 1947 Cobb extended his mark to 394.20mph. This would stand until Craig Breedlove set the first of his five records at 407.45mph on 5th August 1963. Cobb had held the record for almost 24 years.
How much longer Richard Noble's record will stand remains to be seen. In the meantime, the ThrustSSC Team would like to congratulate him on his remarkable achievement, and look forward to continuing to work with him to place a new entry at the top of the list of World Land Speed Records!
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