The Bloodhound project has announced a three-year agreement with the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH) as its prime sponsor and official automotive partner.

The Chinese automotive group – the owner of the Volvo Car Group – will provide technical, as well as financial support to the British project, which aims to set a new land speed record on South Africa’s Hakskeen Pan in 2017.

Bloodhound aims to raise the current land speed record of 1 228 km/h to 1 290 km/h in October next year. The next target is 1 600 km/h in 2018.

The value of the sponsorship has not been disclosed.

The signing of the Geely and other sponsorship deals mean the Bloodhound project now has sufficient funding pledged to complete the car and do the necessary preparations for its record campaign.

Bloodhound engineers are returning to the project, having taken short-term contracts elsewhere, with a major programme of work to become race-ready now beginning in earnest.

Geely joins a raft of international organisations supporting the Bloodhound project, such as Rolls-Royce, Castrol, Rolex, Parker Hannifin, Atlas Copco, STP, Lockheed Martin, Nammo, ThyssenKrupp and Otto Fuchs.

Jaguar continues in its role as technical partner to the project and its V8 engine will remain the auxiliary power unit used to power the oxidiser pump for the Bloodhound’s hybrid rocket.

The partnership will, however, also see Geely technology being used within the Bloodhound vehicle, as well as Geely vehicles being used in South Africa throughout the record attempt campaign.

Geely will also provide design and engineering support, where required.

“We could not have a better partner than Geely. Not only are they an international technology company with tremendous vision and capability, they share our passion for innovation and education,” says Bloodhound project director Richard Noble.

“Their support, both technical and financial, means we can now plan next year’s record-breaking challenge with confidence. It also means we can take our science, technology, engineering and mathematics inspiration message to a vast new audience, which is great for science and engineering, but also for promoting Great Britain.”

ZGH chairperson Li Shufu says his company is proud and excited to be part of the project.

The Bloodhound is set for a slow-speed (354 km/h) shakedown test along Newquay’s runway, in the UK, next  year.

This will also be an opportunity for the team to practice live-streaming data and imagery from the car.

With the shakedown test completed, the Bloodhound will be loaded onto a CargoLogicAir Boeing 747 freighter to be airlifted to Upington, from where it will be transported by road to the team’s desert base at Hakskeen Pan. 

Under the guidance of operations director Martyn Davidson, 16 container-loads of equipment will have been shipped in advance and a self-contained village complete with workshop and TV studios set up.