Bloodhound SSC – 1000mph World Record plan

The team behind the Bloodhound SSC – a 135,000bhp rocket on wheels – plans to hit 1000mph in a land speed record attempt at Hakskeen Pan in 2011.

 

The UK has a big history of world speed record attempts, both on the water and on land. But a new effort by the team behind the Bloodhound SSC could see the current world land speed record being smashed if plans to hit 1,000 mph on land come off.

The current world record stands at a relatively measly 763mph (measly certainly in comparison to the target set by the Bloodhound SSC Team) and the technical obstacles the Bloodhound team has had to overcome to get their record attempt on target have been substantial.

The Bloodhound design has gone through ten evolutions in the last year and has now settled on a plan that has overcome initial obstacles. The first evolution of the Bloodhound saw the 200kg rocket sat above the EJ200 Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine, but that didn’t develop sufficient thrust. The rocket was then doubled in size to 400kg, but that lead to the Bloodhound pitching nose-down. The Bloodhound engineers have now moved the rocket below the jet engine which seems to have solved the problem.

Location for the record attempt is the Hakskeen Pan in Northern Cape Province of South Africa which offers a 12 mile run across a perfectly flat dried-up lake, sufficient for the 10 mile run and a one mile run-off at each end.

The record attempt is now planned for 2011 and Bloodhound have lined up 166 sponsors so far and received public donations of £137,000. Piloting (for that’s the only real way to describe ‘driving’ this 135,000bhp rocket on wheels) the Bloodhound will be fighter pilot Andy Green.

Great to see the Bloodhound SSC team flying the flag for record attempts even in this troubled economic climate. We wish them much luck.