George Poteet always aspired to break the 500 mph (804.67 km/h) mark. With a result of 470 mph (756.39 km/h), he was so close to his dream. Poteet grew up in rural Mississippi, the son of garment factory workers, he was the first in his family to go to college and later made his fortune in a nutritional supplement company.
He used the money to send his kids to college and then start racing. Every summer he travels to the Bonneville Salt Flats, where Utah's mud turns to white salt and the mountains are just beyond the horizon. There, Poteet fell in love with the "golden rocket, which was only a little wider than himself, and for the rest of his life he dashed with it through the wasteland.
The Poteet car and team set new standards for time trial racing. His team wears identical jerseys, his car is always spotlessly clean, and his pits are open to both curious spectators and competitors. His cars were also fast, very fast. The SpeedDemon team still holds over 13 Bonneville records and has set six FIA World Records.
During his life, he also has several very serious crashes at breakneck speed, with his life hanging in the balance, but he does not give up, Poteet always returns to the track and keeps calm. His approach to speed testing attracted worldwide attention, as did his record attempts.
Although Poteet gained fame through racing, his importance to automotive culture was not limited to high-speed trials. George Poteet is an avid car collector - he could have easily spent all his money on supercars, but instead patronized small hot rod shops.
Poteet's generosity and interest in automotive culture has inspired and supported the careers of hundreds, if not thousands, of designers, mechanics, racers and racing enthusiasts. Tribute to his memory!