Didn't Doolittle with the Thompson Trophy flying the Gee Bee?
ack-ack
Yes, in 1932. In 1931, Doolittle's Laird Super Solution was badly beaten by the Gee Bee Model Z. Prior to the 1932 race, he was forced to crash-land the Laird. It could not be repaired for the race in time. Moreover, it was not fast enough, and Doolittle knew it. With the Granville's race pilot being killed in a speed record attempt in the Gee Bee Model Z, they didn't have a pilot lined up for the Thompson. Learning Doolittle was without a ride, they called Doolittle, offering him the new Gee Bee R-1. In the R-1, Doolittle easily won the race and set a speed record that stood for 4 years...
http://www.donhollway.com/doolittle-geebee/index.html
