Folks Of Interest Sad news, longtime jet car racer Doug Rose killed in track accident.

Rose, driver of the Green Mamba jet dragster was killed tonight.
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/content/news/Fatal-crash-at-the-Norway-Speedway-491158371.html

 

Doug Rose and The Green Mamba Jet Car have been burning up the tracks for over 35 years.

Doug Rose started driving Jet Powered cars back in 1962 When Walt Arfons Hired Doug to drive the famed Green Monster Jet Car. Doug set track records with Green Monster from one end of the country to the other. Until Doug had a near fatal accident when his Jet Car hit a guardrail in 1966, as a result of the accident Doug lost both of his legs.

Doug decided the accident was not going to stop him from doing what he loved to-do best, and that was driving fast cars and setting track records. So Doug built The Green Mamba Jet powered Car. Through the years Doug won over 3,700 races, and was the National Jet Car Champion 11 times.

Doug is pushing now 70 years old and yet he still entertains his fans across the country by burning cars with the Green Mamba Jet Car.

Ky and Doug used to tour together during the seventies, and early eighties and have remained friends ever since. Every year Doug brings his Green Mamba jet car to Minnesota Where Ky Lives, to put on a half time show on at Raceway park.

Doug Chains a full size car to The Green Monster. Then fires up the jet engine. When engine gets up to the right temperature Doug turns on the after burner. The car turns into a ball of fire. After about 30 seconds the car starts melting, sparks, and car parts, fly hundreds of feet into the air. This is one of the most awesome displays of power I have ever seen.

The Green Monster is powered by a J46 jet engine out of a Navy F7U Cutlass Fighter Plane. The engine burns 37 Gallons of Jet fuel a minuet. The Car weighs 3,318 pounds and has a top speed of over 300 MPH.

 

Dang. I saw him run my local track back in the late 70's.... RIP, Doug.

 

Terrible News...Condolences to the Rose Family and Friends on the passing of Doug through this most tragic accident.

Thank you @Gary Reynolds for your sharing of this unfortunate news with us and the story about who this man was. There is a saying that "You died doing what you loved" but that doesn't make this any less than terribly tragic.

Regards,
Stogy










The Late Doug Rose and the Green Mamba

http://www.the-rocketman.com/jet_cars.html

http://www.dragracealberta.com/Calgary_Shepard.html

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20130103-crash-a-rama

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Sad news, I never went up to Renegade to watch the jet cars but he may have been on he card here at Renegade raceways for heir Night of Fire every year when the jet cars ran and drew big crowds.

 

At Orange County Raceway (SoCal) one afternoon (many moons ago), he was there.
I assume...that the 50 gallon drum was empty...and even though a 50 gallon drum is only 40 to 50 lbs empty, they are a bit awkward to carry.
He lifted the drum and set it on a shoulder and walked out of his lift gate high truck, "down a ramp", no lift gate installed..!.

If you think about how the human body keeps itself upright, without falling over... The knees, the ankles and very much into play are the toes. His ankles and toes...are gone..!
I walked away scratching my head..!

A great showman.
RIP

Mike

P.s. - Yes, I knew at the time he had prosthetic legs.

 

Sad indeed! I fondly remember watching Doug race the Green Mamba at Broadway Bob's Great Lakes Drag-o-way in the 80's and 90's. NHRA outlawed the green Mamba for having a mild steel cage and chassis some time in the mid 90's. I may be wrong, but I bet he would still be drag racing instead of burning cars at circle tracks if NHRA didn't ban the Mamba.

 

Here's the kind of guy Rose was. After his car crashed into the guardrail, pretty much mostly cutting off his legs, Doug turned it around and DROVE HIMSELF back to the pit area.
Not much of a jet car fan really, but Rose goes WAY back, was one in a million, and he was one tough son of a bitch!
Here is racing Ivo in the 1960's.

 

I heard he had a heart attack while it was running, thats why he went off the track and then had a second and fatal heart attack when they pulled him out.

 

Wow - went out doing what he loved - sincere sympathy goes out to his Family, friends & fans

 

I watched him and arfons both run at Dragway 42 in the late 60s always put on a great show. R.I.P. Doug Rose.

 

Please don' t take my question as any sign of disrespect. My condolences to the family. I saw the video and what was shocking to me is it was on a oval track. Was this something he did regularly. I can't imagine trying to feel how much time in thrust (shutting it down) and try to stop/turn before running out of track.

 

I also have good memories at Greatlakes Dragaway watching the Green Mamba.
RIP Doug

Funk 49

 

Sad to hear this, always hate to hear about a legend passing. That said, running a jet car on a 1/3 mile oval track with slight banking probably wasn't the best idea.

 

He was 80...

 

From what I gather this is something Doug has been doing for years, basically since the NHRA outlawed the Green Mamba for its forward driver position and mild steel chassis.
He didn't try racing around the track at speed, but did more of a parade lap popping the afterburner. From what I read of the accident Doug had a heart attack behind the wheel and lost control of the car. After the accident, when he got out of the mamba had another major heart attack the was fatal.