Buzz
The world's fastest roller coaster can achieve a top speed approaching 130 miles per hour.
Tim Larsen/Associated PressWhen we talk about speed, most people don’t really think about it until a police officer asks if they’re aware of how fast they were driving. But speed records are tracked for virtually everything that moves. Here are some records for the quickest vehicles on both land and water.
1. World Land Speed Record
On October 15, 1997, British RAF pilot Andy Green set the land speed record in Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Driving the TurboSSC jet car, he reached a speed of 763.035 mph, making him the first person to achieve supersonic speed (761 mph) and break the sound barrier.
Green surpassed his previous record of 714.144 mph set on September 25, 1997. The TurboSSC is powered by two afterburning Rolls-Royce Spey engines, the same used in the Phantom jet fighters he piloted for the RAF. These engines consume 4.8 gallons of fuel per second and achieve roughly 0.04 miles per gallon.
2. Underwater Speed Records
Official records for underwater speeds, usually held by military submarines, are not publicly available due to the secrecy surrounding the abilities of these vessels. However, in 1965, the USS Albacore, a Gato-class submarine, unofficially set a speed of 33 knots (38 mph). Although submarine manufacturers have claimed higher speeds, they have not been officially documented.
The Russian Akula-class submarine is said to reach 35 knots (approximately 40 mph) while submerged, while its predecessor, the Alfa-class submarine, was reportedly capable of reaching 44.7 knots (around 51.4 mph) for short durations.
3. Record Holder for Fastest Rider on Two Wheels
The title of fastest person on two wheels goes to motorcycle racer Chris Carr. On September 5, 2006, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the location of many land speed records, Carr set the motorcycle land speed record with an average of 350.8 mph after completing two runs on a fixed-length course in opposite directions.
Of the two runs, Carr's highest speed was 354 mph. He was riding the Number Seven Streamliner, a custom-built motorcycle powered by a turbocharged V4 engine.
4. The Fastest Speedboat in the World
The title of the world’s fastest
Warby personally crafted the Spirit of Australia using balsa wood, fiberglass, and a military surplus engine he purchased for just $69. This is a high-risk sport, as no other speedboat racer has managed to exceed 300 miles per hour and survive.
5. Sailing Speed Record
The smallest and fastest sailing vessel is the sailboard, a surfboard with an attached sail. Windsurfing world champion Finian Maynard from Ireland holds the world speed record for sailing at 48.7 knots (around 56 mph), set on a 500-meter course near Saintes Maries de la Mer, France, in April 2005. Maynard surpassed his previous record of 46.82 knots (53.9 mph) set on November 13, 2004.
6. Fastest Long-Distance Sailing Ship
According to the World Sailing Speed Record Council, the Orange II, a 125-foot-long catamaran, holds the record for the fastest long-distance sailing ship. In July 2006, French yachtsman Bruno Peyron and his crew set the record during a transatlantic crossing, completing the journey at an average speed of 28 knots (about 32 mph) in just 4 days, 8 hours, 23 minutes, and 54 seconds.
Peyron and the Orange II also set the round-the-world sailing record on March 16, 2005. They completed a 27,000 nautical mile journey around the globe in 50 days, 16 hours, and 20 minutes, averaging 17.89 knots (approximately 20 mph).
7. World's Fastest Trains
In the category of trains with wheels, the French TGV, a high-speed train, holds the world record. On April 3, 2007, under test conditions, this high-speed train, which consisted of two engine cars and three double-decker passenger cars, reached a speed of 357.2 miles per hour.
For magnetic levitation trains, where the cars float above a guidance track using powerful electric magnets, the Japanese JR-Maglev three-car train achieved a record speed of 361 miles per hour on December 2, 2003.
Without the need for human passengers and with the assistance of rockets, rail-based vehicles can reach extraordinary speeds. On April 30, 2003, an unmanned, four-stage rocket sled — a small railway car equipped with rockets — achieved a staggering 6,416 miles per hour at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.
8. Bicycle Speed Records
Although bicycles rely on human effort for propulsion, they can still achieve remarkable speeds. The fastest recorded speed on a standard (upright) bicycle is held by Fred Rompelberg, who in 1995 reached an impressive 166.944 miles per hour while being paced by a motor vehicle that helped reduce wind resistance.
The official unpaced speed record for an upright bicycle is 51.29 miles per hour over a 200-meter stretch, set by Jim Glover in 1986 in Vancouver. On the other hand, recumbent bicycles — which allow the rider to sit in a reclining position with extended legs — are more aerodynamically efficient than traditional bikes. On October 5, 2002, Canadian cyclist Sam Whittingham set the recumbent bicycle speed record, reaching 81 miles per hour over 200 meters with a flying start and without a pace vehicle.
9. Fastest Steam-Powered Vehicle
The record that likely holds the longest standing title belongs to a steam-powered vehicle, the Stanley Steamer. Produced from 1902 to 1927, these steam-driven cars were manufactured by the Stanley brothers — Francis and Freelan — through their Stanley Motor Carriage Company.
In 1906, a Stanley Rocket, driven by Fred Marriott, set a landmark world land speed record for all automobiles, reaching 127.7 miles per hour at the Daytona Beach Road Course in Florida. Though newer cars with internal combustion or jet engines have since broken the land speed record, the Stanley Steamer still holds the record for steam-powered vehicles.
10. Fastest Electric (Battery-Powered) Vehicle
While electric cars are often seen as slow, the Buckeye Bullet defies that stereotype. This electric (battery-powered) vehicle, engineered and constructed by students from The Ohio State University, holds both the U.S. and international land speed records, each with its own distinct set of regulations.
In order to break the international record, an electric vehicle must complete a 1-kilometer course twice in opposite directions within one hour. On October 13, 2004, at the Bonneville Salt Flats, driver Roger Schroer set a new international land speed record of 271.737 miles per hour.
For the U.S. record, the car had to be impounded for four hours between two qualifying runs, ensuring that no repairs, adjustments, or modifications could be made during this period.
On October 15, 2004, the Buckeye Bullet, once again driven by Schroer on the same course, achieved the U.S. land speed record with a speed of 314.958 miles per hour.
11. Fastest Roller Coaster
Although it remains stationary within the amusement park, the Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, holds the title of the world’s fastest roller coaster.
Opened in 2005, Kingda Ka is a hydraulic launch roller coaster that accelerates to its peak speed of 128 miles per hour in just seconds. Its towering 456-foot structure is the tallest for any coaster in the world. Manufactured by Swiss company Intamin, Kingda Ka employs an over-the-shoulder restraint system to keep riders secure, but there's no promise it will keep their lunch intact.
12. Fastest Diesel-Powered Vehicle
Diesel engines, once associated with smelly buses and slow trucks, took on a new identity on August 23, 2006, when Andy Green drove the JCB DIESELMAX diesel-powered car at an average of 350 miles per hour over two runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats. During the first run, Green reached a top speed of 365.779 miles per hour.
The JCB DIESELMAX was designed and built by JCB, a British company that typically manufactures diesel-powered construction equipment like backhoes and loaders.
The next page of our land and water speed records will introduce the fastest lawn mower on the planet.
13. Fastest Lawn Mower
While most kids dread mowing the lawn, they might feel differently if they had one of these speedy riding mowers. On July 4, 2006, at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Bob Cleveland set a new record by driving his custom-built lawn mower at an average speed of just over 80 miles per hour.
Cleveland built the mower himself, starting with a Snapper lawn tractor and outfitting it with a 23-horsepower Briggs & Stratton V-twin modified engine, along with other custom modifications. At the time of the record, Cleveland was an eight-time champion of the National Lawn Mower Racing Series.
