The pair are pretty confident that they can pass the 1000 mph mark and thus smash the current record into oblivion. It has been standing for 12 years, being set by Andy Green who raced a twin turbofan jet-powered ThrustSSC (SuperSonic Car).
The new car and the entire project in fact has been dubbed Bloodhound and it's aimed at achieving the groundbreaking speed of 1000 mph, the approximate speed of a low flying aircraft and actually faster than a bullet shot from a handgun.
This speed won't be easy to achieve and that's why the team is planning a set of incremental runs: one aimed at 800 mph that will take place in 2009, one at 900 mph in 2010 and finally, one at 1000 mph in 2011.
The vehicle they will use to achieve this will be 12.8 meters long, weigh 6,422 kg when fully fueled and made out of carbon fiber bodywork. The entire fabrication process will be developed in public view at the headquarters the team has in Bristol.
No word yet on where the record-breaking attempt will take place, but the most likely location, specialists say, is Black Rock Desert in Nevada where the current record was set by Green. “I’ve met graduate engineers who are adamant that our previous record was what inspired their career choice as youngsters: that sort of thing makes all the effort worthwhile,” Green was quoted as saying.
“BLOODHOUND SSC will be so much faster and, we hope, will fire up every school kid about the science and technology. We’re going to invite everyone to follow our adventure in this, the most exciting and extreme form of motorsport – the World Land Speed Record. Both as a Mathematician, and as a Royal Air Force fighter pilot, I can’t think of anything better,” he concluded.
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