Tuesday 19th July 2011

Electric Land Speed Attempt Rescheduled

Bluebird Electric LSR car will hit the sand in August

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Back in June we told you about Don Wales and the Bluebird team's plans to set a UK electric speed record as part of their bid to crack 500mph by 2013. Sadly, that attempt had to be aborted when a vital bespoke component that was being manufactured in Europe was not delivered.

But that issue has been sorted, it seems, and the team hope to crack the 139mph record (set by themselves at Pendine Sands back in 2000) when they return on the weekend of 13/14 August.

During the trials Wales also hopes to best his grandfather's 146mph land speed record, set with a combustion engine on the same beach in 1924.

We wish all the Bluebird guys - and Don in particular - the very best of British, and if you want to cheer 'em on, pop down to Pendine Sands on Saturday 13th or Sunday 14th August. The runs will start at 1pm on both days.

[dvs_dave]

Hmmm...they've still got a way got a way to then. The current battery powered electric land speed record stands at 307.7mph so 139 mph isn't very impressive......
http://www.gizmag.com/buckeye-bullet-25-world-land...

[bobberz]

Good luck to them! Cool to see land speed racing kept in the family.

[Turbobanana]

dvs_dave said:

Hmmm...they've still got a way got a way to then. The current battery powered electric land speed record stands at 307.7mph so 139 mph isn't very impressive......
http://www.gizmag.com/buckeye-bullet-25-world-land...

I think the point is it's the UK Record, not the World Record.

Pendine is, err..., a few miles shorter than Bonneville or wherever.

Good luck I say

[SteveHall30]

It's also only a test, they're aiming for 500mph from the car eventually.

[Caterham Grad]

The old Bluebird Electric car is being used as a test-bed for new technology (whilst hopefully breaking the current UK record) - the car that goes 500mph will be a new vehicle based on what the team learn.

I'm going to be at Pendine that weekend as well, going for some of the small-capacity UK records - slightly nervous - not done anything like it before

[Caterham Grad]

Bluebird didn't make the record unfortunately, missing a timing gate then hitting a pothole & breaking an upright

However, I got to run after Bluebird and set three UK class G speed records, subject to MSA ratification: 1-mile, 1/4-mile, and 500m flying start. Speeds were a lot lower than I'd hoped - but have learnt a lot about the drag of running on sand and the effects of wind on the two-way averages!