P108
Interview
TEAM 7 RACING'S VALERIE THOMPSON AND DENIS MANNING
LAND-SPEED RACERS
VALERIE THOMPSON AND
DENIS MANNING DESCRIBE
THE DESIRE AND RISK
WITHIN THE DANGEROUS
WORLD OF SPEED.
BY JEAN TURNER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEAN TURNER
V
alerie Thompson was quiet as she surveyed the crash site, slid-
ing her hand along the top of the wrecked Team 7 Racing stream-
liner in mute contemplation. Minutes earlier she had been pulled
from the wreckage after a violent crash at 343.7 mph on the salt at Lake
Gairdner in South Australia during the World Speed Trial Australia.
"We have the car ready if you want to go," said a team member. Valer-
ie quietly shook her head, not taking her eyes from skinned-up "BUB 7"
streamliner. Amid the rescue crews, course workers and team members
that scurried around the scene, Thompson was calm. She paused for
the occasional hug with teammates and officials, who appeared more
shaken than she was, but she remained focused on the scene, trying to
piece together exactly what went wrong.
Survival At
343.7
MPH
When the BUB 7
streamliner smashed
into the ground during
a crash at 343.7 mph, it
left quite an impression
on the salt of Lake
Gairdner. Don't worry—
that red is paint.
