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LSR: Bonneville Hero Gene Burkland Passes Away
Multiple Bonneville Salt Flats record holder Gene Burkland died earlier this week due to lung disease.
SPEED Staff  |  Posted December 12, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Gene (R) with wife Betty and son Tom. (Montana State University)
Multiple Bonneville Salt Flats record holder Gene Burkland died earlier this week due to lung disease.

Burkland's wife, Betty, told Fox13Now.com, "He's up there wherever that big racetrack in the sky is, gathering his buddies and they're either gonna build another car or are talking about it."

The Montana-native first broke into the Bonneville record books with a 255 mph pass in 1978, becoming the first resident of the state to surpass the 200 mph barrier on the storied Utah grounds.

A welder for the Montana Air National Guard since the '50's, Burkland developed his passion for the automobile as a teen, following stock car racing and participating in drag racing before focusing his efforts on Bonneville.
Gene's son Tom Burkland poses with the Burkland streamliner. (ugofadini.com)

Renowned for his mechanical and fabrication skills, Burkland, with help from his wife and son Tom, built upon his initial success at Bonneville by constructing their own streamliner in 1986.

The long build process and Gene's lung disease diagnosis slowed their attempt on the Class 11 record, so in his place, son Tom claimed the speed record in 2008 at two-way average of 416 mph.

"That would have been pretty sad if we hadn't got that before he died," Betty Burkland told Fox13Now.com.

Learn more about the build and history behind the Burkland's streamliner HERE.

Support the Burkland's efforts to save the Salt Flats by visiting http://www.savethesaltflats.com.

Tom Burkland's 2008 Class 11 record run can be seen HERE.
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