The Need for Speed

Friends, compared to animals, humans are slow. So it's a good thing we have fast cars--cars like the 325-horsepower Porsche 997 driven by Duncan Ende in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge. Ende reads KnowledgeNews, and for 2007, has put a KnowledgeNews "racing brain" on his car.

Behind the wheel, Ende can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in less than 4.5 seconds, accelerate to 160 miles per hour (257 km/h) in the straightaways, and hold his own against the world's fastest creatures. But without the car, he'd have no chance. Just consider these key speeds.

23 miles per hour (37 km/h) is . . .
the fastest a really fast human being can run.

And that's only for a short 100-meter burst. Ask a man to actually run a mile, and the best he can manage is about 16 miles per hour (26 km/h), slower than the slowest dragonfly. We're even slower in the water--swimming, at best, about 5 miles per hour (8 km/h) over short 100-meter distances.

30 miles per hour (48 km/h) is . . .
the sprinting speed of a half-ton grizzly bear.

You cannot outrun this bear. Stay in the Porsche.

38 miles per hour (61 km/h) is . . .
the fastest a world-class Olympic cyclist can bike.

That's over a 1-kilometer (0.62-mile) distance. The world's fastest speed skater can't quite keep up, gliding across the same span of ice at just over 33 miles per hour (53 km/h). But a greyhound can catch that bike. So can a frightened ostrich or a racing horse. Given water, so can a tuna fish.

50 miles per hour (80 km/h) is . . .
the sprinting speed of a hungry lion.

Unfortunately for lions, lunch--wildebeests and gazelles--can also run 50 miles an hour, and for a lot longer.

70 miles per hour (113 km/h) is . . .
the sprinting speed of a cheetah.

The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal, going from 0 to 70 in just 3 seconds. Even a Porsche 997 can't accelerate that fast. But the aerodynamic cat has a hydrodynamic rival. The world's fastest sea creature, the sailfish, can swim the 100-meter dash at 68 miles per hour (109 km/h).

106 miles per hour (171 km/h) is . . .
the record speed of a spine-tailed swift.

Guinness World Records calls this swift the world's fastest bird in level flight. Some ducks, geese, and homing pigeons might be faster than cheetahs, too--especially with the advantage of a tailwind.

217 miles per hour (349 km/h) is . . .
the record speed of the world's fastest animal.

It is the peregrine falcon, which, when diving at prey from high above, tucks in its wings and becomes a bird missile. The prey--an unsuspecting bird flying below--usually dies on impact. Falcons may be cheetah-fast in level flight, too. But with gravity's help, they can fly as fast as race cars.

Learn More about the
"KnowledgeNews Racing Team"

Drivers Duncan Ende and Grant Maiman are coming soon to a raceway near you, for 400 kilometers of road racing in their Porsche. Cheer them on.