Here's the Challenger team...
Here's the Challenger team that made Mickey Thompson the fastest man in the world when he reached 406.60 mph on September 9, 1960, at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
On the morning of May 14, 1960, on the 14,000-foot-long runway at March Air Force Base, Mickey took the records in Class A, B, and C back to America from the Nazis. Immediately he went back to work on Challenger I, adding the supercharger setup that had been designed and used on Assault I.
Bringing Pontiac attention brought the Thompson's increased financial support. "I remember when we got the first check from Pontiac," Judy said. "It was for $1,000 and we took a picture of it. We thought we were on our way . . . and in a way, we were."
Second Land Speed Record Attempt
On the morning of September 9, 1960, Mickey Thompson, powered by four GMC 6-71 supercharged Pontiac engines, became the fastest man in the world by reaching a speed of 406.6 mph on the Bonneville salt. Although one of the engines failed on the return run (necessary for the record to be official to account for any wind assistance), Mickey became a darling in the press and a favorite son at Pontiac.
On an early morning at Bonneville,...
On an early morning at Bonneville, Mickey waits for conditions to improve before getting behind the wheel of Challenger I.
"Mickey was a rough driver, never real gentle," Voigt said. "Coming back, you always went faster toward the highway, but when he went into Second with the four Cadillac transmissions, three engaged and one didn't . . . it stayed in Neutral [thereby blowing the engine it was attached to when it revved up with no load on it] . . . we would have massacred the record."
"It was an exciting, exciting time," Judy said. "Each year, there was more icing on the cake. It kept growing. Mickey knew more people, and more people knew him."
A group of mostly volunteers...
A group of mostly volunteers prep Challenger I for the land-speed record attempt.
More Records For Mickey And PontiacWith the success at Bonneville, Mickey logically deduced that setting more records would garner even more attention. Returning to March Air Force Base, he brought four cars, with plans for six engine combinations. The lead vehicle was the front-engine streamliner Assault I, for which engines were prepared ranging from 293 to 503 ci, depending on which class that car would be entering. The second vehicle, Attempt I, was a conventional dragster chassis, covered with an aluminum body and powered by a supercharged Pontiac Tempest four-cylinder engine. The other two vehicles were a Class F Dragmaster chassis without a body and a 348hp Pontiac Catalina.
Mickey's autograph, after...
Mickey's autograph, after the run that made him the hottest ticket in motorsports.
After each run in each class, Mickey would bring one car back and jump in another, while his team made any necessary modifications to the other cars. By the end of the manic day, Mickey and his team of mechanics, led by Voigt, had attempted runs at eight international records and broke all of them, and went 6-for-10 on the national records.
"People ask me all the time about that day at March Air Force Base," Voigt said. "But all I can remember is working my ass off."
In addition to his high-profile runs at dozens of speed records, Mickey also kept Pontiac on the drag-racing charts, winning the '62 NHRA U.S. Nationals when his driver Jack Chrisman piloted an aluminum Pontiac-powered rail past legendary Don Garlits at Indianapolis at 171.75 mph in 8.76 seconds.
"It was a big thing," Voigt said. "Wearing our white racing coveralls, we went to the airport and flew to Pontiac and rented a car. We took the steel fire escape behind the building, and Mickey opens the door to Bunkie's office and it looked like a scene from a movie. All these businessmen dressed in jackets and ties are sitting there with their valises in their laps waiting to see Bunkie. When the secretary saw Mickey, she went back into Bunkie's office and a few seconds later she waved us back, still in our white overalls."