10 Things You Didn’t Know About Land Speed Racing

While Land Speed Racing (LSR) may not appear to share a lot in common with dirtbike racing, the historic sport is carried out on a surface that is more akin to clay than asphalt. Here are 10 things you might not know about LSR.

Jean Turner

8. LSR tires are actually designed to run on salt.

Land Speed Racing
The tires of the BUB Lucky No. 7 streamliner are carefully washed and inspected before making a turnaround run. PHOTO BY JEAN TURNER.

The Mickey Thompson tires used by top two-wheel Land Speed Racing competitors are rated to over 500 mph, but they are designated for salt use only. “The salt actually cools the tires,” explained Ack Attack owner Mike Akatiff. “If you tried to run those tires on asphalt, they wouldn’t work. [The folks at] Mickey Thompson will tell you, they’re absolutely not for use on anything but salt surface.”

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