Bloodhound will run again in 2022*

It’s been a controversial time for speed records, what with all the hoo-hah surrounding SSC’s did-they-didn’t-they 316mph run. This time last year, Bloodhound LSR went almost exactly double that speed across the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa. 

That was the warm-up. Needless to say, 2020 has been as unkind to Bloodhound as to the rest of us. The project was mothballed. But now the team behind it, headed by owner Ian Warhurst, has a new timescale in place to get back out to South Africa. The problem is, as it always has been, cashflow.

Here’s Warhurst: “The project is at a stage where it either raises enough funds to carry out the record attempts, or it doesn’t, and will need to close down. There is no middle ground left. We’re seeking sponsors and high net worth individuals to help us move to the next phase.”

Nothing new there, other than the fact that the funds need to be in place by early next year. “This will allow the car to be developed further and completed in time for the weather window in July to September 2022”, says Warhurst. 

“However, starting the project’s next phase will only be done once sufficient funds are held, and we have 100 per cent confidence we are ready to move into the final record-breaking phase.” 

This involves adding a rocket motor to the existing Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine. The latter alone powered Bloodhound to 628mph last year, and the rocket company, Nammo, was out in South Africa gathering the data they need to develop the system that’ll give Bloodhound the extra thrust needed to smash the existing 763mph record. 

A documentary, “Building the World’s Fastest Car” is being screened in the UK on Channel 4 at 6pm on Saturday November 14 (after F1 qualifying). Tune in.