Bloodhound LSR set for high-speed trials in October

The team behind the Bloodhound LSR car will head to South Africa from September to prepare for a series of test runs on the dry lakebed of Hakskeen Pan, Northern Cape from mid-October.

The high-speed tests will come two years after successful 200mph (320km/h) UK runway trials at Cornwall Airport Newquay and less than a year since the project was rescued by Ian Warhurst, CEO of Grafton LSR.

The specially prepared tracks on the lakebed at Hakskeen Pan will see Bloodhound LSR’s pilot - and current world land speed record holder - Andy Green use the vehicle’s Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine to accelerate to speeds of up to 500mph, and possibly beyond. If the tests go to plan, the Bloodhound team will use 2020 to to beat the current LSR set by Green in 1997 in Thrust SSC (763.035 mph).

A key period for the car will take place between 300 and 500mph when the vehicle’s stability transitions from being governed by the interaction of the wheels with the desert surface to being controlled by the vehicle’s aerodynamics.