BIOGRAPHY

A humungous thanks to the California Drag Racing Reunion VII for contributing to this Biography

Al Teague has been in Land Speed and Drag racing for over 33 years. In the late 50s he started drag racing with his older brother Harvey. They bought their first car, a roadster, in 1958 and ran a GMC 6-cylinder on weekends at various drag strips around Los Angeles. They upgraded their power plant to an injected Chevy V8 and changed to a “slingshot dragster” and successfully ran races in the 8 second range, about 170-175 mph. They then put the Chevy into their roadster and set a record in D/Altered Roadster at 150 mph turning a 13.2 second 114 mile run.

Al was born in East Los Angeles; graduated from Rosemead High School and from East Los Angeles College with an Associate of Arts degree in Business.

It was in 1961 that Al met George Bentley, who was to became a lifelong friend and later a partner in several cars.

From 1959 to 1962, Al and his brother Harvey raced a 320-cid Wayne/GMC six-cylinder-powered '29 roadster at nearly every Southern California strip, reaching the low 11s and mid 120s . "I went 98 mph on my first pass and scared myself silly!" he recalls. The brothers bought the former Rollema & Hill Itow-chassis dragster and installed the Jimmy in it. They turned 10.50s and 137 mph on gasoline, then 152 on fuel in 1962. Al began driving the Sadd Brothers D/FR as well, and the roadster pushed by Teague's flamed '49 Cad hearse became a familiar sight at Southern California strips.

In 1963 Al was drafted into the US Army. He served in Viet Nam and was honorably discharged from the Army in early 1966.

He then took a job at Evans Speed Equipment, in South El Monte, CA working for his good friend Gene Ohly as a machinist. He did this work for 14 years until he became a Millwright in 1978.

Al teamed up with Manuel Flores in 1967 and they ran an ex-Red Mountain Boys jr. fueler and the Flores & Teague El Rhino 190-mph Top Gas Dragster. turning E.T.’s in the high 7’s and speeds over 190 mph at the local drag strips.

Al made his first trip to Bonneville in 1967 as a spectator with Gene Ohly and George Bentley. In 1968, they returned with the legendary Sadd, Teague & Bentley Bonneville “Red Roadster” powered by a blown Chrysler Hemi--the car that would make him famous. It was also in 1968 that Al started Land Speed racing at El Mirage Dry Lakes. He set his first Dry Lakes record at over 205 mph.

  BONNEVILLE: In 1970, running the blown Chrysler on fuel, Al set a record at Bonneville at 231 mph and the A/Fuel Roadster record at 202 mph. During the 72 Bonneville Speed Week meet Al set the B/Blown Fuel Roadster record at 250.805 mph, including a one-way pass at an incredible 268 mph. This was an open cockpit, ’29 Model A highboy roadster. Al currently holds four records at Bonneville, including the A/Blown Fuel Streamliner record at 409.986 mph, and his newest one, the C/Blown Fuel Streamliner at 366.043.

In January, 1975, Al began construction on what would become the world's fastest wheel-driven automobile in his mother's garage. The Streamliner “Spirit of ’76” started as an open-wheel high-speed Lakester, based on a design by Lynn Yakel and made from the mold of a motorcycle streamliner by Denis Manning. The car was completed in 18 months and ran at Bonneville in the fall of ’76. Using the famous 392 cid Chrysler cast iron hemi engine, he turned a respectable 260 mph in the measured mile.

In 1980 he ran 280 mph and in 1981, 308 mph in the measured mile. Bonneville was rained out during 82-83 and Al remodeled the car, moving the front wheel inside the body in its unique staggered, offset design. In ’84 he ran a 268 mph and in ’85 he ran the blown 392 cid Chrysler at 353+ mph.

In 1986 he covered the rear wheels with the body and changed his power plant to an aluminum hemi race engine. His speeds climbed each year; Al turned a 360 mph in 1987, the first year Jane, his future wife, went to Bonneville. In ’88, he went 384 mph, but began blistering and pealing his rear tires. In ’89 he went 398 mph but it cost him a couple sets of tires which were becoming more difficult to find. He went 400 mph for the first time in 1990. It was a trap speed at the end of the measured mile, but 400+ mph nonetheless.

On August 21, 1991 Al was timed at 425.230 mph in the measured mile and had a combined two average of 409.986 mph. His trap speed at the end of the measured mile was 432 mph, the fastest any wheel driven vehicle has ever gone. Within an hour, the car was serviced, turned around, and ran 394 mph to average 409.986 mph--a NEW FIA wheel-driven World Land Speed Record. Incredibly, it was all done by Teague, his wife, Jane, and a few buddies--without major sponsorship!