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SPEED: Don Vesco sets new 427 mile per hour speed record at Bonneville

28 October 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Bonneville Salt Flats, UT -- Driving Turbinator, his sleek, streamlined land speed racer, driver Don Vesco, of Team Dempsey-Vesco, set a new nationalland speed racing record of 427.832 m.p.h. The record is the average of two runs 428.102 m.p.h. and 427.56 m.p.h. and has been certified by S.C.T.A.(Southern California Timing Association), the authority in land speed racing.

"We have proven that we have the ability to exceed the current WorldRecord," noted Rick Vesco, who together with brother, Don, and many loyal sponsors, have been chasing the elusive record for more than a decade. "Don hastaken a wheel-driven car over 400 miles per hour more times than anyone."

Don Vesco, 60, who currently holds 18 motorcycle, 5 automotive records and held the Motorcycle Land Speed Record for 19 years at 318.598 m.p.h., hadalso hoped to set a new World Speed Record. An overheated drive belt failure quashed the 427 attempt and then a gear box bearing failure ended the 428 assault on the 35 year-old FIA turbine record (held by Britain s Donald Campbell) and the 409 m.p.h. FIA World Land Speed Record for wheel-drivencars (held by Al Teague).

"There was no doubt we were on a 450 mile-per-hour run, but I had to backoff because the track was loose, rough and marked with deep grooves," explained driver Vesco, "The car has been geared for 600 miles per hour, all weneed is enough hard-surface, smooth straightaway. On good salt the car could easily go 400 in just two miles."

Plans are underway for the Y2K event in Australia next March. The brothers Vesco have been racing at Bonneville since the late 50's, baptized in speed by their racing father, John Vesco and are both members of the prestigious 200 Mile Per Hour Club. The speed needy brothers formed TeamVesco in 1988and campaigned a variety of powerplants before switching to the gas turbine in 1993.

Turbinator is powered by a Dempsey Racing 8-stage Avco Lycoming T55-L-11A SA shaft drive gas turbine engine mated to a custom-built reduction gear box. The car measures a mere 32-inches tall, weighs 3,840 pounds wet and is 31-feet long. Developing 3,750 horsepower @ 16,000 RPM on diesel, or kerosene, the car consumes 6.5 gallons per run and drives all four wheels through 10 universal joints.

TeamVesco Racing is comprised of: Paul Busta, Lee Burkey, Don Cash, Arlon Christensen, Kevin Draper, Elliott Estrine, Skip Hedrich, Bob Hodgkinson, Clark Kane, Alex Macfadzean, Gorden Menzie, Lance Morris, Louise Ann Noeth, Rob North, Nick Pappas, Brad Scheire, Don Vesco and Rick Vesco.

Perseverance and dedication go hand-in-hand when hunting for a world record. Team Dempsey-Vesco is therefore very grateful for the support of its many sponsors including Dempsey s World Record Associates, Prolong, Carpenter Steel, Ram Treat, Turbines, Inc., and Gear Works.

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