Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Danny Thompson poses with the Challenger II. Photos by Holly Martin, courtesy of Thompson LSR, unless otherwise noted.
It’s never easy following a legend, especially if the weather doesn’t cooperate. That was the case last year when second-generation speed king Danny Thompson saw his bid to follow his late father, Mickey, into the Bonneville record books was snafued when torrential rains flooded the Bonneville Salt Flats, forcing the Southern California Timing Association to cancel 2014’s edition of Bonneville Speed Week.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Mickey Thompson’s Challenger I, in the NHRA Motorsports Museum.
Mickey Thompson was the first driver to exceed 400 MPH with his Challenger I, powered by a quartet of Pontiac V-8s, in 1960. He never officially got a record, because the complex bullet he was driving broke on the return run. He returned to Bonneville with a new piston-powered streamliner, the Challenger II, in 1968, but in a cruel irony, that record run was rained out, too. Mickey and Danny held on to the car, and were discussing a return to Bonneville in 1988, shortly before Mickey and his wife were murdered.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Mickey and Danny Thompson with the original Challenger II. Photo courtesy Thompson LSR.
Danny has revived Challenger II, powering it in AA/Fuel Streamliner with a pair of nitro-burning Chrysler Hemis good for 2,000 hp apiece, driving all four wheels through twin three-speed transmissions. In 2015, he plans three appearances with the car, beginning with a Bonneville test session scheduled for July 9-12 and sponsored by the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFA). On August 8-14, Danny will run the car at the Southern California Timing Association’s Speedweek, and if all goes as planned he’ll be back at Bonneville on September 17-21 for the FIA Shootout.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The current record for a normally aspirated, piston-powered streamliner is 414.477 MPH, set in 2010 by Charles E. Nearburg in the Spirit of Rett. Last year, Danny did a one-way pass in Challenger II at 419 MPH, but one of its two clutches failed on the return run. On an earlier shakedown run, g forces from the deploying parachutes accidentally triggered the car’s onboard fire-suppression system, proving that luck still plays a part in land speed record attempts.
You can keep track of Danny Thompson’s exploits on the salt by visiting ThompsonLSR.com. For more details on Speed Week, check out SCTA-BNI.org.
