Cable TV personality Jesse James claims he set the world record for hydrogen-powered vehicles on June 16th on the southern California El Mirage dry lake.
The claim is without merit since the activities were conducted without benefit of any motorsports sanctioning authority. The vehicle was neither inspected, nor certified and all the timing personnel were on the James TV payroll.
World speed records require two runs over a one-mile course within one hour. James was 5,148 feet short — being timed one-way for a total of 132 feet; he made only three or four passes over an eight to ten-hour period. Any world record holder will tell you it’s quite a technical feat to hold speed for a full mile.
The baseless speed stunt was reportedly for “the season-ending episode of James’s TV show, Jesse James is a Dead Man.” The episode is set to air in early August.
James claims to have bested the FIA ratified BMW HR2 record of 185 mph. The BMW HR2 race car set 9 international and FIA-ratified land-speed records for hydrogen cars at the Miramas Proving Grounds in France. The BMW HR2 is one of the few hydrogen cars developed with internal combustion engine (ICE) technology instead of fuel cell technology.
Mr. James efforts count for absolutely nothing on the world motorsports stage and amount to little more than a self-promoting “TV racer” PR stunt since he chose to ignore the sport’s sanctioning rules that have applied to all records certified for the past 80 years.
When contacted to explain the fraudulent claim, James responded with a short crude retort that reminded this writer that vulgarity is indeed the refuge of a destitute mind.
Speedy Regards,
“LandSpeed” Louise Ann Noeth
Member: Society of Professional Journalists, American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters, Motor Press Guild, Society of Automotive Historians, Western Automotive Journalists, Society of Land Speed Racing Historians
www.landspeedproductions.biz
Updated: corrected links
The celebrity Jesse James, aka Jesse Gregory James, has built a record for himself of snubbing authoritities, in his vainglorious effort to personify himself as some imaginary kind of outlaw. Spike TV’s promotion for “Jesse James is a Dead Man” announces that Jesse James is a direct descendant of the outlaw Jesse James. This, in fact, is a falsehood and misrepresentation. Mr. James has been invited to prove his claim to the James family, to which he professes to belong. He never has done so. Instead, he continues to falsely misrepresent himself as a family relation, if not actual descendant, of America infamous icon Jesse James. Now Mr. James claims to have broken a land speed record. Once more, Jesse James rebukes authentication by reputable authorities to support a falacious claim. The only record Mr. James can produce is a record of misrepresentation and falsehood, for which he speedily is becoming well noted.
The problem is that there is a virtual never-ending flow of 13- and 14-year olds who will buy into whatever TV tells them to. Now that Jesse’s wife has to appear nude to bring people into her movies, signifying the end of her acting career, perhaps his own actions will get more and more desperate. “James'”stealing of union logos for his own use and his selling of as much Nazi-themed regalia as he can get into mainstream America’s hands with his phony “outlaw” image … an “outlaw” who eats at Spago! … is a blotch on this country’s evolution and especially on the men and women who take LSRs seriously.
First let me say that just because something was not done under strict guide lines does not make it false. He may well have broken the record and he may not have, we may never know. He also may be a descendant of the outlaw Jesse James, but just because he doesn’t feel he needs to prove or justify himself to his critics does not make him a liar.
And if my uncle wore a dress he’d be my aunt…
This ersatz celebrity ‘tough guy’ didn’t break any record. There are rules to be followed in trying to set LSRs. Perhaps you should contact all LSR holders and competitors to tell them they’re idiots for following the rules…
Jesse James (the real one) has his history and fame protected by a foundation run by his descendants. THEY say this modern ‘Jesse James’ TV comedian has no connection to their family; it’s not just someone’s opinion…
Defending the indefensible is never an easy job…why try so hard to do so?
You go, Louise. I couldn’t be more pleased to see that you’ve exposed this phony. You’re the LSR gatekeeper, and it’s good to know that you’re on the job.
Paul
Branden
Claiming a World Land Speed DOES requires rules and has done so for more than 80 years. We DO know that no record was broken, but the car record 185MPH for only 132feet, not the required one-mile that every other record holder since the the early 1900’s has performed to. If he wants to play on the world stage and collect world honors, then he must play fair or confine his bragging to bench racing bravado.
Further, James clearly stated he broke the BMW record which performed to all world record standards so that makes James either incompetent, or a liar. Since I know he was told the rules in advance by his TV producers, that makes him a brazen liar.