Bluebird Electric Team Hit With Setbacks at Pendine

Ever since the mid-1920, the Campbell family have used the Pendine sand in Carmarthenshire, Wales as the home for their Bluebird record attempts. This weekend, Don Wales – grandson of the celebrated Malcolm Campbell and nephew of Donald Campbell –  and his son Joseph arrived there, hoping to bring glory to Britain.

The team behind the electric land speed record attempt has already been hit by countless hurdles in their quest for speed: delayed component parts, canceled runs, tight budgets, limited testing and a tight schedule. Added to all of this is the limited time between the low tides in which an attempt is viable.

On Saturday, the Bluebird Electric hit the Pendine sands for the first time, as Joseph took the seat for the second time in his career. Limited visibility from inside the cockpit resulted in the car bouncing several times on the uneven surface of the beach. The resulting impact damaged the bodyshell, steering components and disconnected a bottom wishbone.

“When you can't see the ground in front of you for 60 meters or 70 meters you're in trouble before you've seen it,” said Don Wales after the accident.

“We’ll take the car back to Pembroke Docks and see what need to be fixed and where we go from here. We’re a small team with a lot of volunteer help and severely struggling with finance. Hopefully we can secure sponsorship to ensure the project still has life in it. But the important thing is that Joe is well,” said Don Wales, who remains optimistic that Bluebird Electric will return to Pendine for another shot at record breaking.