Name of the Project
Bloodhound Land Speed Record (LSR).

Location
UK, and South Africa's Northern Cape province.

Project Owner/s
Grafton LSR.

Project Description
The project involves the construction of, possibly, the world’s fastest car.

The Bloodhound LSR car is an amalgamation of car and aircraft technology, with the front half being a carbon-fibre monocoque, similar to that of a racing car, and the back half being a metallic frame, with panels like those of an aircraft. It is expected to reach a speed of more than 1 600 km/h.

The car, which is 13.5 m long and weighs 5.5 t, is powered by a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine and will eventually include a Nammo rocket.  The car will have two front wheels mounted within the body and two rear wheels mounted externally within the wheel fairings. The metal wheels are designed to rotate 170 times a second.

The front of the car is made from carbon fibre, while the rear is made from aerospace-grade aluminium and other composites to support the engine and, eventually, the rocket.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
R515-million.

Planned Start/End Date
The Bloodhound team announced in May 2018 that it expected to race in South Africa in 2019, slowly ramping up to tackle the 1 600 km/h record in October or November.

Latest Developments
The Bloodhound Land Speed Record team achieved the car’s highest speed yet on the Hakskeenpan desert racetrack, in the Northern Cape, on October 28, clocking 334 mph, or 537 km/h.

Bloodhound driver Andy Green said the maximum speed was reached going from 50 mph to 300 mph in 13 seconds.

The team has, so far, completed three run profiles, starting at 100 mph, building to 200 mph at Newquay in 2017, and reaching 334 mph in the third run profile.

The car’s EJ200 jet engine ran with full reheat, or afterburner, for 12 seconds, which demonstrated that it was in full working order.

“Run profile three marked the true beginning of the high-speed test programme, as all systems necessary for running with reheat have now been tested. The car’s speed will be built up in 50 mph increments over subsequent run profiles, which will be carried out over the next four weeks,” the Bloodhound team said in a statement.

The first run profile involved a static engine test, followed by a slow speed to check steering and brakes, while the second run profile involved max dry power – power without extra fuel or reheat – on the engine and then a coast-down to establish rolling resistance.

The team is targeting a top speed above 500 mph for this testing programme. Ultimately, the team wants to break the world land speed record that is currently 763 mph, or 1 227 km/h, and held by Thrust SSC. The record was set in 1997 by a UK team led by Richard Noble and driven by Green.

Bloodhound said the first few runs in Hakskeenpan have proved the surface is consistently firm, albeit with a slight soft crust in some areas. This flakes away to leave a solid surface to run the car. The V‑shaped wheel profiles leave a shallow 50-mm-wide groove in the desert surface.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Castrol (lubricants, brake and hydraulic fluids), Poynting (antennas).

On Budget and on Time?
Project Bloodhound is again active under new ownership, after having been briefly halted, owing to a lack of funds.

Contact Details for Project Information
Grafton LSR, email info@graftonlsr.com.