| Rick Vesco - Outstanding in his Field! |
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| Don, Norma, Betty, John and Rick Vesco in 1957. |
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Rick's interest in Land Speed Racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats began at an early age. John and Betty Vesco would make the 700+ mile trek to the Utah desert from San Diego every year - even when the boys were babies! John taught the boys how to be expert crew members, drivers and mechanics.
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1959 Rick began drag racing at age 14 in Mexico and continued the drags until 1964. Set two track records at Long Beach Raceway and Romona Raceway on a 500 cc Triumph and 250 cc twin engine Yamaha.
At age 16 he set a new AMA Land Speed Record on the Bonneville Salt Flats with a 500cc gas motorcycle @ 131 mph.
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| Drag Bike |
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| 1960 |
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| The "Water Pump" |
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While still a freshman in high school, Rick was given a 1932 water pump engine. After borrowing and
buying parts for it he made many trips to the drag strip.
Cycle World magazine featured it in two page article.
| Using a carb from Dad's race car, a mag from an airplane, a Triumph motorcycle gear box and a Norton frame,
Rick won over $350 one summer at the drag strip. The "Pump" reached a top speed of 107 mph!
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| "The Fish" |
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1968 designed and built a motorcycle streamliner for Bridgestone Motor Corp. setting a new Land Speed Record for 100 cc on gas @ 113 mph; a record that was not broken until 2004!
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| # 444 as "The Pepsi Challenger" |
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1969 - 1985 drove father, John Vesco's Model B Ford powered streamliner # 444 - The Little Giant.
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1970 went to work for "Super Dave" Spangler at Hooker Headers as product development engineer. Rick designed a new line of exhaust systems for snowmobiles and motorcycles.
Designed and built a twin-engine Yamaha motorcycle streamliner. Both engines were supercharged. Has been restored for museum display.
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| Rick as a Hooker employee |
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| Rick shows his new m/c streamliner to "Super Dave" Spangler and the Hooker crew. |
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| Brother-in-law Scott Foster and brother Chuck push streamliner off the starting line. |
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1973 left So. California for northern Utah. Rick and brother Chuck owned and operated a motorcycle, snowmobile sports center for 30 years.
1975 redesigned the family streamliner, # 444, installing a new body and a Yamaha 700 cc engine. Ran 196 mph and 169 mph with a Yamaha 500 cc - both times were record setting.
1976 gained entry into the prestigious Bonneville 200 MPH Club, setting a new record at 211 mph on gas with two 40 c.i. Yamaha engines with a top speed of 232 mph.
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| Shop in Brigham City, Utah |
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| The Vesco Family |
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1977 - 1979 raced # 444 with 1932 Model B Ford engine to a top speed of 204 mph and a HAL four cylinder engine to 211 mph.
1980 installed a Ford V-8, Boss 302 stock engine and ran on gas to a record of 237 mph at Bonneville Nationals. Ran 258 mph at the USFRA meet.
1981 with a 350 Chevy V-8 engine, Rick drove the Little Giant to a speed of 300.3 mph on gas.
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| Vesco & Howard in Mexico |
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Rick modified # 444 to serve as a "wind break" for John Howard's bicycle record at 152 mph.
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1984-1988 designed and constructed the new 4wd Streamliner #111, "The Turbinator."
1988 - 1989 Turbinator testing of Team Vesco's "Project 425 mph" resulted in runs in excess of 350 mph.
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| Calvin Vesco leans on Dad's new car at the starting line. |
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1996 inducted in Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame.
1997 drove the Vesco family streamliner # 444 to a speed of 301 mph with a D-gas 305 cubic inch Chevy engine.
1996 - 1998 Chairman of Save the Salt Inc. a project to restore the historical Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The project will return 1.7 million tons of salt annually.
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| The Nish family set many records with # 444. |
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| World's fastest wheel driven vehicle @ 458 mph! |
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2000 Rick and Don set new national records @ 427 mph and 438 mph with The Turbinator.
2001 Rick and Don set the FIA World Record at 458 mph with a test run of over 470 mph!
Rick and Don are presented the "Car Guy of the Year" award.
2002 - 2004 Rick and wife, Jinx, retired, moved to So. Utah and built race car shop and new home.
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| Little Giant at 50 years! |
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2007 restored the historic family car, # 444 Little Giant streamliner in celebration of its 50th year on the salt!
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