Autoblog

Bloodhound SSC test-fires engine, land-speed record is in danger

Zach Bowman — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, Videos, UK, Specialty

If you remember the Bloodhound Supser Sonic Car, you know the team behind the monstrosity is out to make sure the land-speed record remains in British custody for the foreseeable future. Currently, the record sits at 763 miles per hour, set by the ThrustSSD in 1997, but the Bloodhound gang wants to see that number upped to 1,050 mph. On land.

For those of you who are counting, that's Mach 1.4.

The team is already well on its way. It just completed the first test firing of its rocket system, and the get up produces a whopping 14,000 pounds of thrust.

The engine sucks down a liquid peroxide and solid synthetic rubber fuel mix and will work in conjunction with a Cosworth CA2010 F1 V8 engine to scoot the Boodhound down the salt flats. If that's not cool enough to ice your cucumbers, the whole kit was designed by 28-year-old, self-trained rocket engineer Daniel Jubb. Look out below for a video of the test run, completed in the safety of a bomb shelter.

Continue reading Bloodhound SSC test-fires engine, land-speed record is in danger

Bloodhound SSC test-fires engine, land-speed record is in danger originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breedlove says he's going back after 800 mph [w/video]

Zach Bowman — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Videos, Specialty, Racing

Hemmings reports that Craig Breedlove is preparing to jump back into the land speed record game in an attempt to break through the 800 mph barrier. Breedlove made a name for himself while vying with Art Arfons for the world land speed record back in the '60s. His efforts eventually landed him the title in his jet-powered Sonic 1, and he would later set a total of 23 FIA speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe. Breedlove was recently named the recipient of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Spirit of Competition Award, becoming only the third individual to receive the award since its inception.

During the ceremony, the racer announced that he intends to return to Bonneville in 2013 - the 50th anniversary of his first record on the salt flats - with someone else at the controls. Breedlove already has a pair of GE jet engines lying around as well as some of the engineering necessary to put the power units to work in a LSR car. At this point, it's unclear exactly who will pilot Breedlove's new machine or what the design will look like, but a motorsports legend returning to the scene of his greatest triumph is something worth keeping tabs on, even if he isn't in the driver's seat.

For a quick refresher on Breedlove in his glory days, watch the excellent in-period video of a 1963 record-breaking effort after the jump.

Continue reading Breedlove says he's going back after 800 mph [w/video]

Breedlove says he's going back after 800 mph [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Bill Warner's record-setting 311-mph motorcycle run

Zach Bowman — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Motorcycle

We're absolute suckers for speed records of any kind. There's just something about the preparation, devotion and determination that it takes to crank a machine to the upper levels of its limits that scratch all the right itches for us. That's even more true when you throw in the insanity of trying to break the 300-mile-per-hour barrier on a motorcycle.

That's exactly what Bill Warner has been trying to do for the past few years. Last Sunday, he succeeded at Loring Air Force Base during the Loring Timing Association's Land Speed Race.

Last year, Warner cranked his turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa up to 278.6 mph. This year, he beat that record by clipping up to 311.945 mph. Though a few fully enclosed motorcycle streamliners have bested that mark in the past, Warner's Hayabusa is, according to the LTA, the fastest open-cockpit motorcycle ever measured.

Surprisingly enough, Warner said that the most terrifying portion of the ride wasn't the build up to top speed, but the fight to get the bike stopped before he ran out of runway. The rider said that his bike was hopping all over the tarmac and that the experience was "a little scary." Hit the jump to check out both this year and last year's run for yourself.

Continue reading Watch Bill Warner's record-setting 311-mph motorcycle run

Watch Bill Warner's record-setting 311-mph motorcycle run originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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