Bloodhound LSR clears 600 mph

Andy Green and the team at the Bloodhound LSR team have done it yet again, this time eclipsing the 600-mph mark. It was a major milestone for the England-based team currently performing increasingly rapid test runs in a dried up lake-bed in South Africa.

After a previous run saw Andy Green and the Bloodhound LSR car hit 562 mph, the team knew that its data suggested it could execute another attempt targeting 600 mph. The project may be aiming for the 1000 mph barrier in two years, but the next step for Bloodhound will be to surpass the existing land-speed record of 763 mph, which was set in October of 1997 by the very same Wing Commander Andy Green in the Thrust SSC jet-car.

Interestingly, despite lifting off at 605 mph, Andy Green still accelerated to 628 mph in a duration of 50 seconds, stopping the car 0.6-mile further down the line than expected. That was due to the jet engine winding down at a delayed rate at those speeds, thus pushing out more thrust for roughly another half a second.

Given how effortlessly the Bloodhound team progressed from 501 mph to 628 mph in a little over a week’s time, the Bloodhound LSR team lead by project owner Ian Warhurst has every reason to believe that 2020 will grant them with the first new record since 1997.

In the meantime, here’s Mr. Green demonstrating how much steering you need at more than twice a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport’s top speed.