A few days ago, Shelby Super Cars (No relation to the famous Ford tuner/racer/car builder, but also a Ford tuner/builder) claimed they set the land speed record with the Tuatara in Nevada.
They had some problems with their record.
Apparently the video they released didn’t support the record, and later Jerod Shelby admitted the video wasn’t either record setting run. The GPS company distanced themselves from the GPS records. The driver said he didn’t know what was going on.
Shelby says they’re going to rerun the route with all their ducks in a row: GPS will be certified, better video recordings will be released, etc.
I’ve got a few takes on this.
1) Anything is hard when a bajillion people are picking it apart, so I’m sympathetic toward the Shelby case. They do have to get this right, but it is a lot harder than one might expect.
2) I like fast cars, they made a fast car, I like that.
3) They do seem to be trying to fix things, and at least they’re saying the right stuff.
If they fix everything for the record, if another run is attempted, if a new record is made, I’ll be even more impressed. Overcoming their own problems is in a way more laudable than accomplishing something on the first try.
If not, they’re just another not-good-enough, and the supercar world is littered with such people.
Now I’m waiting for the new run and new video. But emotionally, good luck SSC.