Set your DVR's to record SHOCKWAVE on The History Channel, 10:00 PM June 6th, 2008. A segment of this episode features the ill-fated attempt to set a 1993 Bonneville Land Speed Record in a Mazda RX-7. Dramatic footage shows the Racing Beat RX-7 becoming airborne as the car reaches speeds of nearly 230 MPH! Eyewitness accounts describe the unfolding drama, while in-car footage gives an the viewer a driver's perspective of the action.

Jim Mederer, driver and Racing Beat's co-founder, describes the run, the "launch", and the aftermath of the accident from his perspective. Car and Driver's editor, Csaba Csere, describes what he saw from his perspective on the race course. (Since I happened to be there during the event, they even recruited me for an interview. I'm sure they'll have me edited to be the "I can't believe he walked away from it!" witness.) State-of-the-art computer graphics are utilized to analyze what exactly caused the car to "lift off" during the run.

Shot on-scene from Mazda's R&D headquarters, the fully restored 1993 RX-7 is used by Jim Mederer to describe the events.In 1995, his restored car did indeed go on to set a new land speed record... while keeping all four wheels on the ground!

Check your local listings for the exact air time.


Best regards,

Jim Langer
Racing Beat, Inc.