User:Panini!/sandbox6
Bill Frederick | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Fredrick Australia |
| Occupation | engineer |
William L. "Bill" Frederick was an Australian-American engineer.
As a part of his full time job, Frederick was an engineer of various stunt work devices, such as pulley and propelling mechanisms for people and vehicles. Through his work he would make connections with various stunt performers, including Kitty O'Neil and longtime collaborator Hal Needham. He and Needham would later win a Scientific and Engineering Award in 1986 for their design of the Shotmaker Elite camera car and crane, which is still used in the modern era.
Frederick was a record holder in various land speed records, and an active competitor in achieving the FIA-certified land speed world record. Various records held by Frederick include: the fastest vehicle in a quarter mile distance with the Courage Australia; the land speed world record held by a female with the SMI Motivator, piloted by O'Neil; and an unofficial land speed world record with the Budweiser Rocket. Although highly debated to this day, the Budweiser Rocket can unofficially be considered the first car to break the sound barrier, another highly contested feat in the industry. The Budweiser Rocket was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution and is currently in the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.
Early life and career
[edit]Career
[edit]Frederick relocated to Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.[1] At some point idk yet
Engineering in Hollywood
[edit]Jet car and rocket car design
[edit](1962-TIME RANGE) The Valkyrie and the Courage of Australia
[edit]One of Frederick's ultimate goal was to create the fastest land vehicle in the world. In 1962 at age 22 Frederick designed The Valkyrie, his first J-46 jet car, out of a passion of making fast vehicles. The vehicle was constructed by Mickey Thompson, and driven by Gary Gabelich.[2][3] Frederick aggressively attempted to achieve new speed records with the vehicle in the Bonneville Salt Flats, to notable attention but no verified success. The Valkyrie was the first vehicle to break over 200 miles per hour in a quarter-mile distance, but land speed records were unsuccessful;[1] in drag strips the vehicles' maximum speed was 218 miles per hour, and some publications indicate its fastest ever speed was 246 miles per hour.[4] Throughout the years following The Valkyrie was mainly used as an exhibition vehicle, to earn money at various motorsport and drag racing events. Driven by Gabelich, the vehicle had an extensive competitive run,[5] and had an undefeated record in drag strip competitions throughout 1963 and 1964. Publications lauded the vehicle as one of the top two jet car vehicles in the world, alongside Romeo Palamides' Untouchable V.[6][7] In 1964, The Valkyrie, driven by Gabelich, competed against Palamides' Untouchable V as the headlining event in a 400-vehicle drag racing event.[8] It was advertised as the world's first side-by-side jet race. The Valkyrie was the winner in a best-of-three match.[4] A later competition saw The Valkyrie compete and win in a race against the Greer-Black-Prudhommer, the world's fastest combustion engine car, to a crowd of 10,000.[9] After being featured in the 1964 film The Lively Set, the vehicle was sold to American race car driver Art Malone in 1965.[10][11]
Frederick was one of the earliest adopters of jet car design, and The Valkyrie was among a tight competition for being the fastest land vehicle in the world in 1963, against other early jet car adopters such as the Untouchable V and the Spirit of America. Both Frederick and Gabelich wanted to achieve the land speed world record with The Valkyrie, even if unofficially. Various attempts were made to reach The Valkyrie's maximum speed of 500 miles per hour, far exceeding the land speed record, but all were unsuccessful.[9] The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile did not recognize jet cars as official holders of the land speed world record, and Frederick was even not allowed to register The Valkyrie at Bonneville's annual Speed Week event in 1963, since the vehicle wasn't recognizable as a traditional drag vehicle and they were unsure of its safety.[12] When jet cars were approved to be viable record holders, the Spirit of America was the first to officially hold the record at 407.447 miles per hour in 1963, by Craig Breedlove.[13] Gabelich began to individually pursue breaking the record set by Spirit of America by 1968, and signed a deal to pilot the Blue Flame that year.[4]
Frederick's next vehicle, the Courage of Australia, bolstered him to national attention when he broke the land-speed quarter mile world record.
He received additional national attention as it was advertised alongside the National Pro-Am drag race championship, where Frederick attempted to break his own record.[14]
(TIME RANGE) The SMI Motivator and the Budweiser Rocket
[edit]images to use
[edit]-
The Shotmaker Elite camera car, designed by Frederick and Hal Needham -
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Jet Car Seeks Dragster Record". Ventura County Star. October 5, 1962. p. 15.
- ^ Glick, Shav (July 24, 1969). "Speed Way of Life By Gary Gabelich". The Oregonian. p. 64. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ "Fastest Auto to Be On Display". The Van Nuys News. October 25, 1962. p. 67. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c Wolfe, Allen (September 28, 1969). "Young Man In A Hurry". The Independent. p. 105.
- ^ "Announcing Bill Frederick's Amazing Valkyrie". The Van Nuys News. September 24, 1963. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ "Jet Car Drag Match Saturday". Highland Park News-Herald. August 27, 1964. p. 8. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ "Top Jet Dragsters to Race At Fontana". Valley News. August 27, 1964. p. 105. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ "Jet Dragsters to Belch Flames in Match Race". The Daily Report. August 26, 1964. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ a b Jobst, Lou (July 8, 1963). "L.B. Driver to Try For 500 M.P.H. In Jet Car".
- ^ Bashore, Mel. "The Quest to Go Really Fast: Jet, Rocket, and Aircraft-Engined Dragsters". Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ "Lucky Harris". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ Frederick, Matthew (September 20, 2020). "How I Got An Oscar (Real Academy Award)". YouTube. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ Jones, Stratford (January 23, 1966). "Once He Chased Fires, Now He Chases Speed Records".
- ^ "Courage of Australia Will Bolster Pro-Am Drag Slate". The Daily Times. April 26, 1972.