There is an interesting article (assuming of course that speed gives you a buzz) on PhysOrg.com about plans to go for the land speed record in 2012 … here are some details …
Director of the project, Richard Noble, who once held the World Land Speed record, said construction of the full-scale car will begin in January, and an attempt on the World Land Speed record will be made in 2012. The aim of the project is to promote science and engineering and to inspire young people. An extensive educational program in about 25,000 schools in the UK has always been part of the vision.
Its a UK initiative … yea. The article then goes on to give some details about what they will be building (starting next January). As best as I can tell, it all distills down to this … get a Falcon rocket and superglue it to an EJ200 jet engine from a Eurofighter Typhoon military plane , then duct tape on a couple of wheels, climb on, count down from 10 … also, make dam sure that anybody out to watch is at least 1 mile away for their on safety…
Well, OK, perhaps that’s a bit tongue-in-cheek :-) … but its not too far off the truth, they really do plan to blend a Falcon rocket with a EJ200 jet engine from a Eurofighter Typhoon military aircraft (if you just happen to have a spare one sitting idle on a shelf at home, do drop them a line, I’m sure they would appreciate getting it) …
This is no joke, they really do plan to do this, the runs will be attempted at a dry lake bed called the Hakskeen Pan in Northern Cape Province in South Africa. They are already well-funded and have more sponsers queueing up than they can accept … as for the track itself, the 20 km long, 1.5 km track for the record attempt must be completely clear of all loose stones before the run, as an impact with a 1,000 mph stone could cause catastrophic damage to the wheels or car body (no kidding … 1000 mph is roughly about the same as the Muzzle velocity of M16 rifle … so sod the wheels and car body, its the driver who should be worried). Around 300 local people are already working on sweeping the track clean, and Noble has advertised in the UK for helpers, offering “No wages, constant heat, tough work in beautiful but remote Hakskeen Pan.” … anybody out there up to the challenge?
Your can read lots more about all this here.