Wanted: World’s fastest driver to top 800 mph
The team behind Britain’s attempt to set a new world Land Speed Record is on the lookout for a new driver.
Bloodhound LSR has already achieved 628 mph in testing, but the target is to exceed 800 mph, and behind the wheel could be… you?
As well as bringing the lightning-fast reflexes needed to control a car at supersonic speeds the new driver, who will unseat fighter pilot Andy Green as the fastest person on earth, will be expected to provide funding for the endeavor.
Bloodhound owner Ian Warhurst who rescued the stalled project is also aiming to achieve its record-breaking run with zero emissions. The car’s Rolls-Royce Typhoon engines will be reconfigured to run on synthetic fuel and there will be a new electric-driven fuel pump to replace the previous internal combustion-powered pump. Warhurst had estimated that a further £10 million ($12.2 m) will be required to get the car back on track, so the new driver will need deep pockets.
When it’s ready a record run will take place on the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa where Bloodhound has already tested. To set a new Land Speed Record whoever gets the driving job will need to fly past the 760 mph mark set by former driver Green in 1997.
“As we enter a new chapter of the Bloodhound LSR Project, I am excited about the opportunity and challenges that lie ahead, and confident that this will enable us to return to South Africa and set a new record,” says CEO Stuart Edmondson. “With a new driver, along with my aim of not using fossil fuels to set a new FIA Outright World Land Speed Record, the project promises to be exciting, engaging and relevant at so many levels.”
If you fancy your chances visit bloodhoundlsr.com
It is so sad Richard Nobel lost control of this. This was his car and his vision. I was able to meet and speak with him on this and his enthusiasm was off the chart but the projects cost were just hauling it down.
It is sad these speeds require F1 budget kind of money vs the kind when Arfons and Breedlove build cars in their home shops out of what they could find.
Art and Walt were locals here and you always saw them around. To see them you would never know what kind of crazy jet project they had going from Jet powered Smart cars to bar stools with jets on them.
Arts son still builds vehicles and track dryers for people but the run for speed is over.
I will never forget I sat at a party with one of Arts crew and he told of the time he got in the second seat. He got in when Art did not see him. It scared the crap out of him. It was only at a drag strip but that was enough he said.
The driver of this car will not really drive it but more guide it as at this speed it will be like driving a boat. The last Noble car that set the record was at full steering lock and just kind of let Andy hold on. The video of him at the controls is shocking and how he kept in the throttle was a testimony to his bravery.
Noble set the speed record himself in Thrust one. He said they never wind tunneled the car till later and found he was just 10 MPH from a blow over. He knew the car was getting light but shocked it was that close.
This is really uncharted territory.
No mention on the website why Andy Green, the previous driver and current record holder who is still on the team and will train the new driver, won’t do it himself.
Either smart or I suspect they are looking for a driver to bring sponsor money like F1 drivers do.
The problem here this car at these speeds are unlike anything anyone has driven. People do not understand the multiplication of power for each 100 MPH they are going over 600 MPH is just crazy.
This may be the last true speed attempt for a while there is just no technology that can do this cheap, easy or safe.
All you have to do is pay $12 million dollars for a chance to kill yourself. What a deal!
Perfect use of self-driving car tech but robots don’t have money.
Sounds like they are hurting for a sponsor. I wish them luck.
Still not entirely sure why they want to spend millions to break a record. Isnt vanity or madness?
The reason is it is one of the last few frontiers. When man has gone to the top of Everest and then the moon only Mars and the speed of 1000 on the ground is really left. The people that made the past milestones are still remembered today often for their records and too often for their crashes and deaths.
Nearly everyone that did something for the first time has been called crazy but they did this to be first.
The trouble here is the stakes get higher with the speed.
The real crazes are those on Youtube that say watch this and hold my beer. They too often do things that bring them nothing but disaster.
I have been to the Coventry Motor Museum in UK and sat in the Thrust One simulator and let me tell you, it’s scary. How Richard Noble managed to get the car back onto the black guide line after straying off at about 400 mph is beyond belief. At a speed over 800 mph as is projected, means that if it moves off line the driver had better have an ejection seat!
Ejection is not a real option as if the car even starts to roll it could eject the driver into the ground.
There is little you can do to protect the driver here. Even if you fittend him into a pod that would protect him from the crash the g loads would kill him.
I am sure there will be many that will offer to drive but the truth is there are few that could do this.
The real trouble is they need to make a number of runs in jumps to discover the issues with each speed jump. This is uncharted territory so these runs are needed to understand the changes at each 100 MPH more they run.
Imagine if you have too much steering at 900 MPH to where you can’t harley touch the controls. Things like this will be needed. But then you use up wheels, time on the engine and rockets. That is a ton of money.
If it were just about making two runs at the record Richard would have done that long ago.