If you are familiar with the world of land speed racing, you have likely heard the name of Les Leggitt before. He has been an engine building staple in the sport for a very long time and he has also had some really cool racers over the years. His current 1953 Studebaker is a mean piece that is a currently record holder at 235mph on the dirt of El Mirage. It takes real power and real guts to drive anything that fast out there, let along a big tank of a Studebaker.
Driver Brandon Leggitt got a first hand lesson on why that is during the SCTA’s July meet when his car caught fire at speed and turned into something straight out of the Ghost Rider comic books or movies. The site of the flat black Studebaker with flames funneling out of every available place under the car is pretty stunning.
Brandon was unharmed in the blaze although we can’t say the same for the car. There’s no way that stuff did not melt or otherwise liquify when it spent as much time as it did in what equates to hell’s blowtorch under the car. We understand that the car pitched a rod early in the run but Brandon kept his foot down to try and get a number. There was no fire in the cockpit of the car and the safety crew descends on the thing as soon as it is slowed up. Good work El Mirage, safety!
The engine in the car is a blown 426-style Chrysler hemi that runs on a stiff load of fuel and typically runs very well. One of the things that you will notice about this video is the sound. The camera is so far away that there is likely some delay between what you are seeing and what you are hearing. The car was obviously not running on all eight holes by the end of the attempt and by then the fire was really blazing. We don’t know how fast the car went on this run but we’re guessing it was not neat the 235 record that the team owns.
Fire can be really scary, especially at these speeds!
“A little bit of a fire action”…Captain Understatement.
WOW
…..is only a flesh wound
Thanks for the great photos and video.