The Race to 1000 MPH in Racecar Engineering:

[Rex Schimmer]

If you can find a copy of the January 2012 "Racecar Engineering" you might want to buy it. A very large part of it is about the various teams that are trying to be first to 1000 mph. There is also a great article on the Steve Fossett/Craig Breedlove car with lots of comment from Eric Ahlstrom (Blue on this site). Also a great article on the 1930s Mercedes Benz Type 80 which is the car that they were going to try to bread the 300 mph record of Donald Campbell.

If you don't happen to find the magazine I have included the web sites for the various contenders:
Bloodhound SSC:   www.bloodhoundssc,com
Jetblack: www.jetblack.co.nz
Assie Invader 5R: www.aussieinvader.com
Silver Bullet RV1: www.bulletproject.com
Sonic Wind: www.landspeedrecordrocket.com
North American Eagle: www.landspeed.com

I have also dropped the editors a note to consider doing the same for the cars that are wheel driven and trying to break 500 mph. (which I think all of use would be more interested in.)

Rex

[Nortonist 592]

Will he fry the record after he breads it?

[WOODY@DDLLC]

You can get a sneak peek here: http://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/land-speed-record/the-fastest-cars-on-earth/

N592 - It will be extra crispy if it gets in the exhaust! 

[4-barrel Mike]

Fox News on the Sonic Wind: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/01/12/call-him-rocket-man-2000-mph-car-in-works-in-california/?test=faces



Mike

[Tman]

Mike click around his site to see a certain FR is involved

[Glen]

Looks like a rocket on wheels on it's side and no prop.   They are claiming 2000 mph now.

[Captthundarr]

Strap enough $ss to it it'll go to the moon Alice!!! Hey, if those folks want to give it a go, more power to'em. I'm just trying to get the wife over 2 bills then it's my turn

[Glen]

This should wake up the P-MAN and drive us nuts with I told you so. Thats if the web sites haven't all banned him again.

[High Gear]

Woody,

Great Video on the SSC, hadn't seen it before. Makes me appreciate just how brave Wing Commander Green really is.

Gary

[Moxnix]

Re: Waldo.  It does not have a prop, which says something.  7 front wheels is interesting.  50' long is interesting.  Going to the salt north of the military range is interesting, but there are no amenities close at hand, and no road in is there?  Bolivia.  I like that.  Big, flat, thin air.

[Randall Parker]

Yeah, Bolivia is interesting for a self admitted underfunded Team.  The fee to Bolivia alone will fund most projects.  Then there are those pesky logistics and their price tag.  Should be very interesting if he actually tries it.  Don't mean to be negative on an attempt like that, but it sure seems like he has not thought through his plan.

The Salt Flats will be too hard a surface for his wheels also. He would be better off on a dry lake bed.  Edwards AFB is only a $20,000 fee and it is closer than Bolivia and friendlier, and they already have a fire crew in place.

[F104A]

We ran Edwards twice and it was a nice surface but only 5.5 miles long. Rwy 15 can be lengthened with a lot of work and
money but you can still only get about 11 miles. Runway 17 that was used by the Budweiser Rocket is so rough and covered
with fisures (sp?) that it would be even more work to make useable for high speed runs. The other thing is the huge amount
of bureaucracy and red tape with regulations out the butt. We have been trying to get approval to run there this year but
now we are required to pay for a baseline environmental study to be submitted to the Air Force and forwarded to the
Pentagon for approval to move to the next level of red tape. Now the Bolivia site is interesting but the logistics would
be a nightmare and I'm not so sure a team of 40 or 50 people would be happy to work for a month at 12,500 ft altitude.
I guess the Brits have the best deal working for them in South Africa.

[jl222]

Yeah, Bolivia is interesting for a self admitted underfunded Team.  The fee to Bolivia alone will fund most projects.  Then there are those pesky logistics and their price tag.  Should be very interesting if he actually tries it.  Don't mean to be negative on an attempt like that, but it sure seems like he has not thought through his plan.

The Salt Flats will be too hard a surface for his wheels also. He would be better off on a dry lake bed.  Edwards AFB is only a $20,000 fee and it is closer than Bolivia and friendlier, and they already have a fire crew in place.

  I have heard that a certain team was going to build a road to that unused part of Bville, BUT this guy is such a notorius rumer monger and liar that I would not believe him if I knew he was telling the truth.

  Anyone else from a straight shooter?

                              JL222

                    

[dw230]

Thank you for the personal experience Ed.

From my limited knowledge, getting to the salt behind floating mountain, is that where they think they will run?, is tough as there is no road. The land is not for us, ask Mike Cook, Indian and railroad problems exist. Plus add in the military use and I think that the piece of salt is unavailable - from a layman's opinon.

DW

[Seldom Seen Slim]

A couple of years ago a meeting was convened at the Shootout - - about the salt that's north and west of Floating Island.  The stuff that's mentioned in this thread.  Attendees included racers, BLM, and maybe the railroad (at least they were mentioned a few times as if they had been in on some of the discussions, perhaps earlier).

At that time the idea of using that part of the salt was decided to be feasible if the railroad company were to give access.  A road to it is needed, a RR crossing, and more -- but not completely out of reach with enough $$.

Whether or not it will ever happen, it has been pretty well-researched.  If you're interested in more on this subject -- PM or email me and I'll see if I can find one (or more) of the folks that were at the meeting - so you can ask for yourself.