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| Lee Bible | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1887-05-27)May 27, 1887[1] |
| Died | March 13, 1929(1929-03-13) (aged 41) Ormond Beach,Florida, United States |
Conway Lee Bible (May 27, 1887[1] – March 13, 1929) was an American garage operator and a racing-car driver.
He was killed attempting to break theland-speed record on March 13, 1929, atOrmond Beach,Florida.
He was born Conway Lee Bible on a farm nearMidway,Tennessee.[1]
On March 11, British driverMajor Henry O. D. Segrave had set the land-speed record of 231.44 mph (372.47 km/h) in hisGolden Arrow, beating the old record held byRay Keech, who had set the record in theTriplex Special.
Jim White, owner of theSpecial, wanted the title to come back to the United States. Keech was asked to come back and drive theTriplex Special, but he declined, considering the car too dangerous.
White then offered the ride to their team mechanic and garage operator, Lee Bible, who saw this as the opportunity of a lifetime. He was declared eligible by officials after a few practice runs, despite his lack of experience.
On his first run, Bible was clocked at 186 mph (299 km/h) – well below the record. On his return run he was clocked at 202 mph (325 km/h). However, shortly after the time trap, the car suddenly swerved, presumably[citation needed] because Bible released the accelerator too fast. TheTriplex Special crashed into the dunes and rolled, finally coming to a stop 200 feet (61 m) further. During this crash, Bible was thrown from the car, killing him instantly. TheTriplex Special rolled into a newsreel cameraman, Charles R. Traub,[2] who was killed instantly.
