George Poteet (1948 – July 16, 2024) was an American Memphis-based [1] [2] land speed racer and winner of the 1996 Ridler Award.
Poteet's 1937 Ford roadster (built by Don Pilkenton) [3] won the 1996 Ridler Award. [4] [5] [6] This car would go on to take "America's Most Beautiful Roadster", top prize at the Oakland Roadster Show. [7]
In 2011, Poteet drove Speed Demon (built by Ron Main) to 426 mph (686 km/h) at Bonneville, [8] and eventually breaking both the C/BFS and D/BFS (supercharged fuel streamliner) records. [9] After making "the fastest piston engine pass ever", [10] Speed Demon was displayed at the 2018 Detroit Autorama. [11]
Poteet died on July 16, 2024, at the age of 75. [12]