Donald Malcolm Campbell, was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s. He remains the only person to set both world land and water speed records in the same year (1964). He died during a water speed record attempt at Coniston Water in the Lake District, England.
Campbell in c. 1960
Bluebird K7 on display at Goodwood Motor Racing circuit in 1960
Bluebird CN7 on display at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu.
Memorial plaque for Donald Campbell, in Coniston village
The land speed record (LSR) or absolute land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. By a 1964 agreement between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), respective governing bodies for racing in automobiles and motorcycles, both bodies recognise as the absolute LSR whatever is the highest speed record achieved across any of their various categories. While the three-wheeled Spirit of America set an FIM-validated LSR in 1963, all subsequent LSRs are by vehicles in FIA Category C in either class JE or class RT.
ThrustSSC, driven by Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green, holds the current land speed record at 1,227.986 km/h (763.035 mph) set October 15, 1997.
Ralph DePalma in his Packard '905' Special at Daytona Beach in 1919
The White Triplex in 1928, driven by Ray Keech
Dorothy Levitt, in a 19 kW (26 hp) Napier, at Brooklands, England, in 1908