LOCAL RECORD ATTEMPT
Bloodhound on the supersonic spoor
It took years of research, development, and planning, as well as to secure sufficient funding before the Bloodhound LSR team could start the first project phase in their quest to not only break the current world land speed record but also safely reach a speed of 1 000 mph (1 610 km/h).
In preparation for their onslaught on the current World Land Speed Record of 1 227.9 km/h set in 1997 by Thrust SCC and a UK team lead by Richard Noble, the Bloodhound LSR team recently visited the Northern Cape to conduct high speed tests on Hakskeen Pan.
To prepare the Pan for the tests, members of the local Mier community and the Northern Cape Provincial Government undertook the painstaking process of removing 16 500 tonnes of rock from 22 million square metres of dry lakebed to ensure the Bloodhound car running smoothly and safely.
It is the largest area of land ever cleared by hand for a motorsport event, and testament to the partnership forged between the Bloodhound team, the provincial government and the Mier community. This feat was recognised by the FIA (the international motorsport regulator) in 2016 with the award of special certificates and medals for the 317 workers.
The high-speed tests were conducted over a period of four weeks with the Bloodhound blasting down the desert track, reaching incrementally higher speeds. The runs examined how much drag the car creates in a number of scenarios and at various speeds, using the wheel brakes and drag parachutes, and with the giant airbrakes locked into
position. It also involved testing solid aluminium wheels specially designed for the desert surface. Measuring 900 mm in diameter and weighing 90 kg each, they are designed to spin at up to 10 200 rpm – more than four times faster than wheels on a Formula 1 car at top speed – and is the result of 30 years of research and design by an international consortium.
Data from 192 pressure sensors on the car were monitored and compared with the predicted CFD (computational fluid dynamics) models to check whether they correspond. This data is critical to determine the size of the rocket that will be fitted to the car for the attempt to set a new world land speed record in 12 to 18 months’ time.
Test hiccups
The tests did not always go as planned. The Rolls-royce EJ200 jet engine of the car, normally found in a Eurofighter Typhoon, with peak thrust of 90 kilonewtons, or the combined output of 360 family cars, initially did not want to fire up (in part due to the intense heat on the pan) and it took some serious troubleshooting to find the fault.
Other incidents include a fire warning alert that went off in the cockpit during the engine shutdown procedure after an 806 km/h run – passing the 500 mphmilestone. Pilot Andy Green (who piloted Thrust SCC to the current speed record) called ‘Fire, Fire, Fire’ over the radio and evacuated the cockpit.
Rescue trucks were on the scene in seconds but the firefighters discovered there was no fire. The alert was triggered by a fire wire that is designed to burn and break at 160°C. The afternoon heat, combined with the heat soak from the
Eurofighter Typhoon, triggered the alert.
The Bloodhound also received minor bodywork damage to the rear deltas over the last higher-speed runs. Sand and grit kicked up by the airflow of the car hammered a small area of the bodywork, crumpling the titanium skin like tissue paper. This was repaired before the final run.
Reaching 1 000 km/h
On its final run the Bloodhound reached a new top speed of 1 010 km/h as it passed the eight kilometre mark in just 50 seconds. This sprint was pre-defined to an exacting set of parameters set out by the Bloodhound LSR engineering team and driven with precision by Green.
He rolled off the line using the EJ200 in “max dry” (no flames visible) up to 870 km/h, and then pushed the jet engine into
reheat (using the afterburner). Bloodhound LSR then reached maximum velocity in 50 seconds. He then lifted off the throttle, stabilised the car, and deployed a drag parachute to slow it to a halt at the 11 km mark. During the last run, analysis showed airflow beneath the car went supersonic and stripped the paint from an area three meters back from the front wheels.
The successful test runs have now set the stage for the next phase of the project: breaking the land speed record. According to Bloodhound owner Ian Warhurst, hitting 1 010 km/h – the equivalent of travelling from Cape Town to Johannesburg in 1 hour 23 minutes – is a real milestone.
“With the highspeed testing phase concluded, we will now move our focus to identifying new sponsors and the investment needed to bringing Bloodhound back to Hakskeen Pan. Not only am I immensely proud of the team, I am also delighted we have been able to demonstrate that the car is eminently capable of setting a new world land speed record,” said Warhurst.
Bloodhound pilot Andy Green added that the conditions were perfect for the run. “After a slick start procedure from the team, the car handled superbly once again. With all the data generated, we are in a great position to focus on setting a new world land speed record in the next year or so.”
He also complimented the Hakskeen Pan track, calling it a vital component in the success of the high-speed testing. “It has proved to be exactly what we need, and I am delighted with how the car has performed on it,” he said.
The reach the next target, to break the world land speed record, it is necessary to understand how the car behaves as it enters the transonic stage initially and then supersonic speed levels. As the jet engine is not powerful enough on its own, Norwegian rocket expert Nammo is developing a monopropellant rocket that will produce the additional 60 kn of thrust Bloodhound will need to set a new record.
Upon the successful completion of this phase, the team will review the data and technical challenges before embarking on phase two; the challenge of safely reaching 1 610 km/h – equivalent to covering 1.6 km in 3.6 seconds.
Watch the Bloodhound LSR reaching its highest speed here on Youtube.com