The Bloodhound LSR team has ended its four-week high-speed testing phase on the Hakskeen Pan desert in South Africa on a high, both literally and figuratively.
On its final run, the Bloodhound Land Speed Record car reached its highest speed yet of 628mph (1,010km/h), and while Andy Green was the steady hand behind the wheel it was the combined hard work of the entire Bloodhound team that made it all possible. In addition, the assistance of the local Mier community who undertook the mammoth task of clearing the area of 16,500 tons of rock cannot be underestimated.
During this phase of testing the car has been relying solely on its EJ200 jet engine (the one used in the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet) for propulsion. With the engine in full reheat (afterburner) it produces the equivalent of 90kN or 54,000hp—more than the combined output of 36 Bugatti Chirons—and in its final run achieved 628mph after just 50 seconds. By then it had already covered 5 miles.
While these numbers are already mind-blowing, the Bloodhound will need an additional 60kN (36,000hp) to beat the current record of over 763mph set by Thrust SSC back in 1997. While that vehicle used two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines (courtesy of the F4 Phantom jet) the Bloodhound crew will be relying on a specially designed monopropellant rocket for its extra power.
With the team now heading back to the UK to assess the wealth of data they have collected, they are already very pleased with the performance of the car so far.
Ian Warhurst, Bloodhound LSR’s owner said: “Our speed objective for these tests was to reach 1000 km/h. Hitting 1,010 km/h (628mph) is a real milestone and shows just what the team and the car can achieve. With the high-speed testing phase concluded, we will now move our focus to identifying new sponsors and the investment needed to bringing Bloodhound back out to Hakskeen Pan in the next 12 to 18 months’ time. Not only am I immensely proud of the team, I’m also delighted that we’ve been able to demonstrate that the car is eminently capable of setting a new world land speed record.”
The road to get to this point has not been an easy one and it is heartening to see the project on track once again and meeting all expectations too. We wish the team the best of luck and look forward to their return to the Kalahari Desert next year for their land speed record challenge and that mythical 1000mph end goal in the future.
Images courtesy of Bloodhound LSR
