Danny Thompson's 450mph Speed Week Record Run

On Sunday, August 12th, Danny Thompson laid down a 450.909mph record run at the Bonneville Salt Flats using the Challenger 2, a vehicle originally built by his father, Mickey Thompson, in 1968. This run, averaged with a 446.605mph pass he made the previous day, gives the Challenger 2 a new AA/FS record of 448.757mph, and makes it the world's fastest piston driven record holder. Not bad for a 50 year old race car!
As you can tell, it was a hairy ride, with Danny going almost lock-to-lock on the steering wheel to control a slide at over 430mph. For more information, check out the team website: www.thompsonlsr.com

[@karlhoenig3167]

Lock to lock at over 440 mph. Crazy. Thank you for sharing Danny. Cheers on a historic day! The big guy is smiling.

[@MrCarnutbill67]

Karl Hoenig Massive steering inputs going over 400 mph. Very brave and skilled man.

[@oscarzt1652]

he been watching too many "arab drifting" videos

[@TheEsseboy]

Don't know the gear ratio of that steering wheel, might me really high like 6:1 so looks worse than it is.

[@duncanx99]

I couldn't be happier for you guys... Mickey was one of my heroes back in the sixties - you've done him proud!!!

[@christophernoto]

Danny, I just heard you on the Hot Rod Pod, and man, oh, man... So great, what you've done, and what you've been doing. I'm just a couple of years older than you, 74 in three weeks, and I'm really inspired by your gutsy take on what we can do with these later years that are left to us. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. All the best to you and yours.

[@sirswerve2493]

I'm glad to hear that the Thompson name is back on top.

[@malgraham351]

Just had the pleasure of meeting Danny and Val In Perth Australia for the Mickey Thompson/Cooper tyre conference.What a humble guy with time top talk to everyone!!! Was a pleasure meeting him and getting a first hand account of years and years of dreaming the dream.

[@mccanlessdesign]

Congratulations - that's been a long, long labor to finally pay off so well. I know your dad is proud of you!

[@smokn05]

At 430mph it looked like you were driving a World of Outlaw sprint car with all that steering input! Wow! Congrats on a job well done!

[@breakawaymotorsports]

Talk about hauling A$$. Well done Danny..and a fitting tribute to your Dad. He was one of the greatest drivers ever.

[@jdofmemi]

Glad to see the family tradition carry on, and in a big time way

[@billammann9807]

That's fantastic! And to think he is as calm as can be ad says, " Not bad ". People don't seem to have any idea what it's like to drive to a record on the salt flats.

[@RobDahm]

Congrats man! My palms are sweaty watching it. Well done!

[@m4dc0w1337]

so your next project will be a rotary powered land speed car right?

[@michaelodle5259]

fifty years in the making god speed my friend I know it meant a lot to put your dads car back on the salt wish you many runs what a feeling to finally beat the old mans record love it

[@71FordGator]

Fantastic!!!! Congratulations!!!!! Your farther is very proud of you as is the American racing public. Its the right place for the Thompson name to be, at the top of the record book.

[@davidpatricklemos]

Any videos from other angles?

[@colejohnson3705]

Great job of driving Danny! Congratulations! All your hard work is paying off.

[@camhill64]

Great video. My favorite part was the steering.

[@mostinterestingmaninthewor2616]

New world's record drifting at over 400 miles an hour

[@carlhornsby7880]

YUP. HOLEE FUCK!!

[@R2D2trashcan]

I would shit my pants holeeeee helll

[@ayoayo4358]

All you hear is tired being shredded and a 2jz gttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttte (yes it needs that many turbos) or a 2jz with a 900mm turbo flying by.

[@terrystewart2440]

Live that load on the final shift !

[@ChuckBeefOG]

This is powered by a small block gen 2 Chevy V8 if i remember correctly. The motor put down some amazing numbers.

[@ChuckBeefOG]

You're wrong no

[@williamgilpin3693]

Good going!!! 👍👍👍 Back in 1986 I bought a new Toyota 4 x 4 and started reading books on the subject . I was looking for tires and M / T had won Baja with a set of side biters he developed. What better way to go beings the man did it, plain and simple. God what a pity to waste that talent. I can never forget him and Trudy for my wedding anniversary was 16 March 1972 . Danny Great accomplish on the salt record.

[@goatflieg]

So wonderful to see this. Great job!

[@ericheine2414]

I like to see that Mickey Thompson is still involved in setting a land speed record after he was so wrongly done away with. Iron American Dream on KZbin. Take a ride across the Promised Land. Do it with pistons. Congratulations Danny your old man would have been proud. We are all proud. Everybody is ever owned a pair of Mickey Thompson tires is proud. Right on.

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Wow that was quick that was 450 mph dang u got there fast rather smooth ,although those where some scary steering corrections was that on the slow down,wow what a beast of motor or motors have you got in that,I can't believe that was 450 and back to stopped that was impressive...holy caka

[@CSIDecon]

absolutely incredible, and by the way, I actually knew your mom and dad, many many years ago in San Dimas. Awesome people.

[@MC-zu4gl]

Those helmet cams are awesome, sprint car races are incredible to watch through them

[@billwelter4101]

Like driving on snow! Good job, Mickey would be proud!!

[@11secghia]

Way to keep your pop's name alive!!!!

[@charlietripi]

Same

[@dan_zehner]

Thank God this wasn't Richard Hammond driving, or this would have ended horribly.

[@fratermus5502]

Wasn't his fault.

[@johnparrish9215]

Mr. Thompson must have problems impressing himself, a 450 mph run that was HAIRY and at the end " Not Bad". I would have been screaming like a crazy man.

[@klgjmg100]

when he turn that steering wheel from stop to stop i would of shizit myself if i was driving. that was a good run sir

[@scoooterbob2321]

Insane. Well done Danny. Chuck Lee and I where toasting you big time.

[@GaryKrum]

THIS is AWESOME. Thanks for posting and Congrats to you and your team!!!!

[@JsV95]

Wow did you see that speed! Incredible

[@pg1171]

BALLS of solid STEEL!

[@AK-lv3xz]

"I'm fast" -Danny Thompson

[@garyjanssen5388]

bloody good skills. Congratts to you.

[@PatronGonzo]

This video is about to blow up

[@frankland2000]

Straight as an arrow up to 400 then a spinout that Danny's skills prevented. I wonder if it was a crosswind. He lifted at least twice but floored it again. Lots of balls at that speed.

[@thechump10]

you a fast boi

[@MKAMMER886]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[@khcopter]

Way to go Danny!!!

[@throttlecandy]

Wow! That's crazy fast!

[@TheSFCRetired]

Hate to admit that I am that old, but I remember Mickey Thompson's assault on the Land Speed Record in a car powered by four supercharged Pontiac engines. If I remember correctly, they were ice-cooled.

[@guysmalley]

He was getting squirrelly but hung on to it , he is a great driver

[@ironed1]

Congratulations!!

[@franciscodacosta768]

Thanks for that!!! 👌✌

[@robfinney9289]

Nice Pass!

[@sanfranciscobay]

Does anyone know what percent of tire spin or tire grip occurs during a run like this?

[@darrenkastl8160]

Drifting at 450 mph's!!!

[@MrAntieMatter]

Well done!

[@nordicasaurus]

Do they swing when you walk?

[@pg1171]

They just drag on the ground...

[@snaproll94e]

Clang, clang ........clang, clang........

[@jpkalishek4586]

Be interesting to see the heart rate when she broke loose. "It's just going in a straight line" (insert Jezzer Clarkson voice) "How hard can it be?" That hard.

[@nunyerbeeznaz2906]

Congrats! Just like Daddy,but a ton faster. I miss seeing my friends at the flats.

[@thedude7726]

Its amazing that it can go that fast Carrying his huge brass balls

[@Bromon655]

Where does it show the speed at?

[@ClaudiuB]

Can somebody display it also in metric system?

[@daviddawes2125]

450mi/h=724km/h

[@ClaudiuB]

mother of God!!

[@rsxowner2002]

Thats haullin ass Nice Proud of the Thompson's

[@00bean00]

I wish we could _see_ ! 2018, world record of piston-powered cars, goPros and F1 cams are all over but we don't have a very good idea of what it looked like. Unfortunate.

[@easygoing2479]

Ah, nothing like jumping on the gas with a couple of Nitro Hemis to get somewhere fast. And let me tell you: Slip a Racer Brown SSH-44 cam in that thing, a set of Hooker Headers with the 2 1/4" primaries, and bump your timing up a few degrees... you'll be going to Walmart at 500mph in nothing flat. Worked for me.

[@OnanTheMan]

"I'm goin' fast!"

[@abomala1607]

no picture or video of outside the car...

[@oscarzt1652]

what does the red lever do on the right side?

[@secretlee7957]

WOW , over 450 mph on a flat earth in a 50 year old racecar driver by a dinosaur is frickin amazing ,no stupendous , no outrageous , no cool , YA COOL ...............

[@andytyler3845]

Secret. You sound like a fucking idiot

[@sanfranciscobay]

You survive death or serious injury every time you drive a car like this.

[@phantomstratocaster]

wee they mickey thompson tires?

[@MrJayo73]

Your titanium jewels were used instead the chutes to slow you down! Amazing to say the least

[@kingjames1586]

Should have posted speed progression during this run

[@KevinACarter]

What's the steering ratio on that beast?

[@racefanwfo]

It does not look like Danny is going to run the car any more this week I heard that the team packed up and are going home. But fear not there are 3 other streamlines still at the great white dyno that have the potential to go 500mph. There is streaming audio from Bonneville speedweek every day on the website landracing.com from 7am mst till they shut the track down for the night.

[@racefanwfo]

So are you going to try for 500mph.

[@MoahGentle]

No other angle views?

[@DurkMcGerk]

How did the oscillation overthruster perform?

[@bconigliaro]

Fine article on Danny's quest from 2014 here: www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/08/us/what-drives-danny-thompson/ Video from the cockpit here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmS6hIyIrr5lqas

[@TRS-Eric]

What the ticket for going 450.909mph in a 55?

[@toshgum]

All the money

[@10xXxtailedxXxdemon]

At least $5.

[@ACplanet]

they give you money

[@joecook3223]

If it was in Australia, probably 60 life sentences

[@brittenv1000]

That looked like it could go wrong very quickly

[@MichaelCarmichael]

Is there any external video of Challenger 2 at top speed?

[@jibba1681]

Where is the speedometer? I see rpm and other things but no speed, is it in kilometers?

[@popcorny007]

There are three meters, speed is the left-most one but it's almost entirely obscured by glare.

[@PappyfromtheKeys]

LIke Father like Son....gotta' love that!

[@stephenmwyatt2]

the secret is clearly a wide-range gearbox

[@christianmayhew2617]

RC Performance?

[@christines.7046]

What the F does that feel like? Yeah. Pretty darn great, in your dads car! You trained down Eastvale Rd. Yes? . Wow.

[@McÐädi]

Agera RS what?

[@carlhornsby7880]

3 speed tranny. Crazy tall gear ratios. I am guessing 1st to 2nd gear is around 180 to 200mph and 2nd to 3rd at like 280 to 300 mph.

[@persistence_of_vision]

I thought for a record you had to make two passes in opposite directions within an hour. Did they change that, or what?

[@ronbalut592]

No, I think they just showed the fastest run. Too bad the camera wasn't mounted lower.

[@oldballs002]

The FIA requires two runs in opposite directions within an hour. This event was a SCTA sanctioned event. If you qualify for a record your car goes to impound, you get four hours to work on the car and then run it the next day.

[@xdrfox]

is that all there is ???

[@xdrfox]

LOL Awesome run !!!!!!!

[@Miata-gp5bp]

I came over to watch this after the netflix documentary left me very moved.

[@100inthewind]

Great camera view! Couldn't see anything!

[@TestyPROGaming]

So how many miles did you travel in that time?

[@newworldgorger]

About tree fiddy.

[@mattsmith-mu5od]

The track is 5 miles, plus run out at the end.

[@Offender666]

I like how you cant see the FUCKING SPEED !!

[@samikaikkonen3071]

on vetoja

[@boomchacleKSP]

holy crap 430 miles an hour with a non jet powered car...

[@boomchacleKSP]

no

[@kcsi1]

I think the track is winding. It could be faster on a straight road.

[@zachhersh8791]

fuggin nutzo

[@BlueSky......]

thats the fastest car in the world

[@gregarioussolitudinist5695]

arcade game?

[@Endeavor545]

Wonder why she tried to swap ends on you?.......you may need some thrust vectoring nozzles on the side of that ship man, maybe a vertical stab and a rudder.....

[@1977tosh]

what engine are you running?

[@tobingallawa3322]

Seems like he would never fit in that narrow cockpit, what with those giant brass balls he is toting around.

[@yourhalf01]

Are you sitting on a toilet seat because I would have needed one when things got crazy at about 350 or so...

[@af4od02]

Then it gets quiet

[@MX304]

Time to tip the can and go for 500?