Jesse James’ Land Speed Record, Challenged

A few days ago, we were informing you about Jesse James’ successful attempt in breaking the land speed record for a hydrogen powered vehicle, which happened while filming his television show ‘Jesse James is a Dead Man.’

But today James was challenged by the automotive journalist and landspeed historian Louise Ann Noeth and her company, Landspeed Productions.

The press release from Landspeed Productions states, "The claim is without merit since the activities were conducted without benefit of any motorsports sanctioning authority. The vehicle was neither inspected, nor certified and all the timing personnel were on the James TV payroll."

Landspeed Louise, as Ms. Noeth is known, is considered as a veteran in several world landspeed record campaigns, and she is highly respected for her knowledge of the history, regulations and personalities involved in the efforts.

"World speed records require two runs over a one-mile course within one hour. James was 5,148 feet short -- being timed one-way for a total of 132 feet; he made only three or four passes over an eight to ten-hour period. Any world record holder will tell you it’s quite a technical feat to hold speed for a full mile," wrote Louise.

Before going with the Streamliner to the Mojave Desert, James prepared for months, receiving help from the land speed racer Mike Cook and engine builder Kurt Urban. James claimed the Streamliner reached 199.7 mph, 14.7 mph more than the previous record holder, the BMW H2R.

“Mr. James efforts count for absolutely nothing on the world motorsports stage and amount to little more than a self-promoting “TV racer” PR stunt since he chose to ignore the sport's sanctioning rules that have applied to all records certified for the past 80 years," Louse added.