Californian Nears Piston-Engine Car Land Speed Record

Californian Al Teage pushed his streamlined racer to 392.97 m.p.h. Sunday in his bid to break the 24-year-old world land speed record of 409.677 m.p.h. for piston-engine cars.

Teage, of San Gabriel, is one of three men hoping to eclipse the old mark before the 1989 World of Speed competition ends today at the Bonneville Salt Flats, on the Great Salt Lake Desert 100 miles west of Salt Lake City.

It was the fastest time ever for Teage’s streamliner, which had gone 384 m.p.h. last year. He then huddled with his mechanics in an effort to get even more speed out of the racer Monday.

Teage, Nolan White of San Diego and Don Vesco of Temecula, Calif., are all after the record set by brothers Robert and William Summers of Omaha, Neb., at Bonneville in November, 1965.

In a shakedown run Sunday, White hit 388.098 m.p.h., less than 5 m.p.h. slower than Teage’s practice speed. But Vesco did not get an official time because a wind gust pushed his twin-engine car over the timing lights as the vehicle entered the measured mile.