Thursday 8th September 1960
Mickey Thompson, driving the “Challenger” averaged 406.60 mph in the mile and 409.09 mph in the kilometre. The car was powered by four supercharged Pontiac engines. It was not an official record as he was unable to complete the required return run. Thompson then turned to racing, winning many track and dragster championships. Later he formed sanctioning bodies SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG). In 1988 Thompson and his wife Trudy were mysteriously gunned down at their home in Bradbury, California. The crime remained unsolved until 2007, when a former businessman was convicted of having orchestrated the murders.