Didcot, Oxfordshire - After numerous postponements, the British Bloodhound team which aims to set the world land speed record in South Africa seems to be back on track for an official 1000mph (1609km/h) attempt in 2018.
The supersonic project announced this week that recent sponsorship signings have secured enough cash flow to finally finish the car, and start a countdown timer to an 800mph (1290km/h) rehearsal run in October 2017.
This practice run, which will happen at Hakskeen Pan in the Northern Cape, would actually qualify as a new record and beat the 1277.98km/h speed set by the same team in 1997 with a car called Thrust SSC in the USA’s Black Rock desert in Nevada.
Bloodhound will travel under its own power for the first time in June 2017, when the team is planning a slow speed 354km/h shakedown run. This test is planned to happen at Newquay Aerohub airport in the UK. Next the seven-ton rocket and jet-powered machine will be airfreighted to the team’s desert base at Hakskeen Pan.
The Bloodhound Team has not yet announced an exact date for its final 1000mph attempt, but is planning for sometime in 2018.