Green officially the fastest man alive

Thursday, Oct. 9, 1997 | 9:52 a.m.

On an otherwise frustrating Thursday for the British Thrust SSC team as bad weather set in on the Black Rock Desert, the Federation International Autobilste, or FIA, sanctioned Green's 714.144 mph run made Sept. 25.

Green has gone faster, but not in an officially timed dash. Thursday's designation wrests the record away from his boss, Richard Noble, who set the previous standard of 633.47 mph on Oct. 4, 1983.

Fickle winds and occasional showers kept Green indoors on Thursday. Across the playa, rival racer Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America was parked as well.

Noble wants to see his jet-powered car break the sound barrier before he returns to England.

Green flirted with Mach 1 on Tuesday, pushing the car to an unofficial speed of 750 mph. The actual speed of sound is in the 750-765 mph range, depending on weather conditions in the 5,000-foot altitude.

Breedlove recorded a 475 mph engine test earlier Tuesday.

Breedlove was the fastest man on land five times in the mid-1960s and was the first to exceed 400 mph, 500 mph and 600 mph. His best speed this year was 531 mph on Monday.

archive