Glenn Leasher

(1937 - September 10, 1962)

The day before, he had been clocked at 330 MPH in a car ("Infinity" F86-Sabrejet engined race car ) that had been built and owned by Romeo Palimedes. 

Just prior to his fatal run, Leasher was smiling after his first test run was clocked at 287 MPH on the Monday morning.  That run went so smoothly that he turned what was to be a second test run into an attempt to break the existing world speed record of 394 MPH set fifteen years previously by Sir John Cobb. But things went so well on that first run, he just let her go on the way back. 

Shortly after entering the measured mile, the engine's afterburner went off.  It was estimated that he may have been traveling as fast as 475 MPH when his car left the ground like an airplane.  The car seemed to skip along, then began disintegrating in a ball of fire.   The car bounced down the race track, scattering parts as it struck the ground leaving deep gouges in the salt for 40 to 50 yeards. 
The engine was found intact but debris from the car was scattered for more than a mile. 

He was an experienced drag racer from San Mateo, California.  He operated with a shoe-string budget with help from other fellow drag racers.  He had been engaged to be married later in the year.

Sources

"Killed in salt flats test run," Milwaukee Sentinel, September 11, 1962

"Jet explodes, kills driver, " Spokane Spokesman-Review, September 11, 1962

"Auto, believed traveling more than 475 MPH, kills driver," Chicago Tribune, September 11, 1962

"Bid for record ends in death," St. Petersburg Times, September 11, 1962

"He reached his goal and died in process," Miami News, September 10, 1962

"Racer killed in jet car on salt flats," Los Angeles Times, September 11, 1962

LandSpeed Louise, e-mail to site administrator, June 17, 2010