Camille Jenatzy

Camille Jenatzy (1868 – 1913) was a Belgian race car driver. He is known for breaking the land speed record three times and being the first man to break the 100 km/h barrier.He was nicknamed "Le Diable Rouge" ("The Red Devil") after the colour of his beard . [J.R. Holthusen, The Fastest Men on Earth, (Sutton Publishing, 1999), p.6]

On January 17 1899 at Achères, Yvelines near Paris, France, he reached the speed of 66.66 km/h (41.42 mph) over the kilometer, driving a CGA Dogcart. That same day, the record was broken by Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat, topped on January 27 when Jenatzy achieved 80.35 km/h (49.93 mph). This record was again broken by Chasseloup-Laubat, who applied rudimentary streamlining to his Jeantaud. [cite news | title = The Electric Era | publisher = Thrust SSC | date = 1997 | url = http://www.thrustssc.com/thrustssc/History/The_Electric_Era.html | accessdate =2006-10-18] Jenatzy replied with his third and final land speed record on April 29, reaching 105.88 km/h (65.79 mph) in the electric CITA Nº 25 "La Jamais Contente", the first record over 100 km/h (60 mph).

In 1902, he lost the land speed record to Leon Serpollet. Jenatzy regained the record in 1903, [ [http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Jun08/04_001179_Mercedes_Benz_History_A_Look_Back_At_Camille_Jenatzy_And_The_1903_Gordon_Bennett_Trophy.html Mercedes-Benz History:  A Look Back At Camille Jenatzy And The 1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy | eMercedesBenz - The Unofficial Mercedes-Benz Weblog ] at www.emercedesbenz.com] winning the >Gordon Bennet Cup in Athy, Ireland, at the wheel of a Mercedes, the same year. [ [http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Jun08/04_001179_Mercedes_Benz_History_A_Look_Back_At_Camille_Jenatzy_And_The_1903_Gordon_Bennett_Trophy.html eMercedesBenz, A Look Back At Camille Jenatzy And The 1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy (June 3rd, 2008)] ]

Jenatzy died in 1913 in a hunting accident. He went behind a bush and made animal noises as a prank on his friends who were hunting with him. It worked too well, they heard the noise and one of them, Alfred Madoux, director of the journal "L'Etoile Belge", [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9401E7DE1F3BE633A2575AC0A9649D946296D6CF JENATZY SHOT DEAD.; Famous Belgian "Red Devil" Auto Racer Killed in Hunting Accident.] - The New York Times] fired, believing it was a wild animal. When they realised it was Jenatzy, they rushed him to hospital by car; he bled to death "en route", fulfilling his own prophesy he would die in a Mercedes. [cite news | title = The day the country stopped to watch the Great Race | publisher = Leinster Express | date = 2003-05 | url = http://hoganstand.com/general/identity/extras/hidden/stories/greatrace.htm | accessdate =2006-10-18]

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