Bluebird shooting to raise UK electric land speed record in 2011

Back in August of 2000, Don Wales and the Bluebird Electric Team set the UK electric land speed record at 139 miles per hour at the Pendine Sands in Wales. The record has remained intact for more than ten years, but Wales is not willing to sit around and wait for someone else to take hold of the title. Next year, Wales will attempt another run at Pendine Sands and aims to shatter a record set by his grandfather – Sir Malcolm Campbell – back in 1925. Wales stated:

I have held the record for over 10 years and it's now looking very vulnerable. I want to set the UK record well beyond 150 miles per hour, the speed Sir Malcolm clocked in 1925. Ideally I'd like to match his record of 1927 - 175mph.

Beyond the 2011 run, Wales plans to take a shot at capturing the world land speed record for an electric car and will likely attempt this run at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the U.S. Breaking records is undoubtedly a lifelong (and family) quest for Wales, but he's even more intrigued by the emerging electric vehicle industry:

At last the world is making real progress with electric vehicles as a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine. Ten years ago electric vehicles were unheard of in the news and people couldn't understand the importance of electric car technology. Now there is a whole new generation of electric road cars in production.

We hear that.

[Source: Electric Vehicle News]