Vesco, land-speed record-holder, dies at 63

Wednesday December 18, 2002

SAN DIEGO (AP) Don Vesco, who set the wheel-driven land-speed record of 458 mph, died of prostate cancer at 63.

He died Monday in Scripps Mercy Hospital.

Vesco set 18 motorcycle and six automobile records during a career that started when he was 16. The world land-speed record for all cars is 763 mph, set in 1997 by Andy Green in a car powered by two jet engines.

In 1970, Vesco was the first person to ride a motorcycle at more than 250 mph. Five years later, he broke the 300 mph barrier on his Silver Bird Yamaha, powered by twin Yamaha TZ750 engines. In 1978, he increased the record to 318 mph on a Kawasaki turbo, a standard that stood for 12 years.

Vesco was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

In 1986, Vesco broke his neck in an accident in which his car went 30 feet in the air. He lost an eye when he was hit by a rock while watching a sprint car race in 1996.

He did most of his tests on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where he was instrumental in the ``Save the Salt'' effort.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)