Valerie Thompson (born April 17, 1967) is an American motorcycle drag and land speed racer. She is a 7-time

motorcycle land-speed record The motorcycle land-speed record is the fastest speed achieved by a motorcycle on land. It is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions. AMA National Land Speed Records requires 2 passes ...

holder and charter member of the Mojave Magnum "200 MPH Club." In 2012, Thompson was selected to drive the

North American Eagle Project The North American Eagle Project was a jet powered car that was intended to challenge the (Mach 1.02) land speed record set by the ThrustSSC in 1997. The venture was a collaboration between Canadian and US engineers, pilots, and mechanics. In 20 ...

jet car A jet car is a car propelled by a jet engine. A jet dragster is a jet powered car used for drag racing. They are most commonly seen at race shows. Land speed record Jet powered cars are commonly used for land speed record attempts, after an ...

for an attempt to break the long-standing land speed record for a woman, set by

Kitty O'Neil Kitty Linn O'Neil (March 24, 1946 – November 2, 2018) was an American stuntwoman and racer, known as "the fastest woman in the world". An illness in early childhood left her deaf, and more illnesses in early adulthood cut short a career in dr ...

in December 1976, at . The Project's vehicle did not break O'Neil's record until sometime after Thompson's time with the team, when driver

Jessi Combs Jessica Combs (July 27, 1980 – August 27, 2019) was an American professional racer, television personality, and metal fabricator. She set a women's land speed class record (four wheels) in 2013 and broke her own record in 2016. She was kno ...

was killed during deceleration, after an August 2019 run where she set the speed record for a woman, at . Thompson raced the

BUB Seven Streamliner BUB Seven Streamliner is an American-built streamliner motorcycle that held the motorcycle land-speed record from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2009 to 2010. BUB Seven and two other streamliners traded the title of "world's fastest motorcycle" during ...

at the 2017

Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials (BMST) (AMA Land Speed Grand Championship) is a motorcycle land speed racing event, held annually at Bonneville Speedway, US. The event is sanctioned by American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and Fédération Int ...

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Valerie 1967 births Living people American motorcycle racers Female motorcycle racers Motorcycle drag racers Land speed record people Sportspeople from Tacoma, Washington Sportspeople from Scottsdale, Arizona American sportswomen 21st-century American women