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[Rick]

News Release, 11th October 2016

FIA Celebrates Mier Community One Year From Record Attempt
•FIA officially recognizes outstanding work of Mier Community in preparing track
•22 million meters² of desert - 15,800 tonnes of stones – cleared by hand
•World Land Speed Record Challenge on track for October 2017

World Land Speed Record Holder, and BLOODHOUND SSC driver, Andy Green today joined BLOODHOUND Chief Engineer Mark Chapman, Premier Sylvia Lucas, The Northern Cape Government, the Consul General of the British High Commission and other dignitaries as the FIA, the governing body for motorsport, formally acknowledged the achievements of the Mier Community in preparing the BLOODHOUND track.

Dennis Dean, President of the Land Speed Records Commission at the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile), presented certificates of recognition to over members of the local community for their work removing 16,000 tonnes of rock from 22 million square meters of dry lake bed: the largest area of land ever cleared by hand for a motorsports activity.

Dennis Dean said, “It is only when you stand on the vast expanse of Hakskeen Pan and see the piles of rock stacked at the side of the track, that you understand the scale of the work done here. It is an epic achievement. Moving 16,000 tonnes of stone, by hand, in hot, dusty conditions, is an incredible undertaking and shows tremendous commitment.

Next year, Project BLOODHOUND can make an attempt on the World Land Speed Record, without worrying that a stray piece of rock might shatter a wheel or punch through the bodywork, and that will bespectacular testimony to the partnership forged between the team, the local community and the Northern Cape Government. It is in the best tradition of motorsport that people come together to share a unique experience – and that is certainly the case here.”

Premier Sylvia Lucas said, “Local beneficiation was of paramount importance and the local communities continue to benefit in terms of employment and infrastructural improvements. However, the deciding factor was the fact that youth development and education play such a cardinal role in this project. BLOODHOUND has had a huge impact on the local learners and this has spread globally. The excitement of building a vehicle capable of breaking the 1000-miles an hour record is serving asinspiration to an entire generation of youngsters and reigniting an interest in science and technology. And our children will have the incredible opportunity of being part of history in the making.”

Work to find a suitable running site for BLOODHOUND SSC began in 2007. Andy Green used satellite imagery and a bespoke computer programme created by Swansea University to identify flat areas of earth potentially suitable for a 1600km/h land speed record attempt. After discounting thousand of false hits and following disappointing visits to 13 deserts in the USA, Australia, Turkey and South Africa, Verneuk Pan in South Africa remained as the best option. The site of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s 1929 record attempt (at 350.054km/h) was covered with stones but close to the required length (at 18.9km) and very hard.

A subsequent survey commissioned by the Northern Cape brought further disappointment, however, when it was discovered that clearing the surface stones risked disturbing an underlying layer of shale, which would render the surface unusable forhigh speed racing. Verneuk was not the hoped for solution. The future of the Project was now in the balance.

At this point, Cape Town based helicopter filming specialists and BLOODHOUND team members, Skip Margetts and Rudi Riek, suggested another location some 512km to the north: Hakskeen Pan. A type of dry lakebed known as an alkali playa, it presented the prospect of a hard, flat surface, 19km long that would be ‘repaired’ by seasonal rains. A causeway dissected the Pan but was constructed from easily removable clay, rather than rock. With a new tarmac highway linking the site to Upington, 266km to the south, it soon became clear that BLOODHOUND had found its track at last. Work to prepare the track began in 2010.

Andy Green said, “Hakskeen Pan is as important to the process of setting a record as the engineering in the car. Without this place, without the support of the local community and Northern Cape Government, we would have nowhere to run BLOODHOUND SSC.

The car’s wheels are designed specifically for this surface. We have laser mapped the every square metre of it, capturing over 4 billion data points, so we can fine tune the suspension. Ron Ayers is designing the run programme based on the length of the prepared area and number of separate tracks we can lay down within it, and so on.

The track is one of BLOODHOUND’s key components and clearing an area equivalent to asix lane highway stretching from Hakskeen Pan to Cape Town, an achievement that our friends in the Mier community can be enormously proud of.”

BLOODHOUND Chief Engineer Mark Chapman commented, “There are many ways in which Hakskeen Pan influences what we do. The track is 19km by 500m, with large safety areas on both sides. This allows us to lay out up to 50 individual tracks side by side. This is important as we can’t run over the same piece of ground twice: the car will break up the baked mud surface as it passes. We need multiple tracks so we can build speed slowly and safely – going up in 80km/h steps, comparing real world results with theoretical data – and Hakskeen is the perfect place to do this.

The surface is hard, too, which means we’ve been able to design slightly narrower wheels that reduced aerodynamic drag. AV shape profile means they ‘key’ into the surface giving BLOODHOUND some purchase before speeds rise above 350mph and the aerodynamics really come into play to keep the car straight and stable. The desert surface also has a slight degree of ‘give’, which will work with the suspension to give a smoother ride, reducing vibration inside the car.

There are a few minor pieces of work still to be completed but, having inspected the surface and looked at the entire length of the raceway, I am delighted with the condition of the track and in awe at the achievement of the community who created it.”
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[Penman]

Hi
Inside Out SouthWest, https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09bhf5k/inside-out-south-west-23102017
News of the Bloodhound project is the first section, there is also a nice little chrome bumper MGB roadster and some tantalising views of some of Cornish Aviation Museum's planes.
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Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[Rick]

Investment sought to break land speed world record.

Bloodhound Programme Ltd, the company behind Project Bloodhound, the initiative to break the land speed world record, entered into administration on 15thOctober 2018 with the appointment of Andrew Sheridan and Geoff Rowley, partners at specialist business advisory firm FRP Advisory LLP, as joint administrators.

Project Bloodhound was founded in 2007 and aims to hit speeds of 1000 mph at a specially built, 18km long, 1500m wide race track at Hakskeen Pan in the deserts of the Northern Cape of South Africa.

In addition to seeking to break the land speed world record, the project is a major R&D catalyst and the focal point for a STEM education campaign which has reached over 2 million children since its launch, including 120,000 UK schoolchildren per year.

To date the project has operated on a partnership and sponsorship model, with support from a variety of partners including Rolls-Royce and Rolex as well as the Ministry of Defence which has lent prototype jet engines for the car, and the Northern Cape Provincial Government in South Africa, which has supported the creation of the track. Individual donations from members of the public have also supported the development of the car and the global education programme.

The project has already successfully built a viable racing car which has been tested to 200mph, whilst developing or testing propulsion, aerodynamic and telecommunications technologies with the potential for far reaching applications outside of the project. The team is now seeking around £25m in investment to provide guaranteed funding and see the project to completion.

Andrew Sheridan, joint administrator, commented: “Bloodhound is a truly ground-breaking project which has already built a global audience and helped to inspire a new generation of STEM talent in the UK and across the world. Entering into administration provides some breathing space to identify an investor who will bring the guaranteed funding, impetus and expertise required to drive the project forward.

“Whilst not an insignificant amount, the £25m Bloodhound requires to break the land speed record is a fraction of the cost of, for example, finishing last in a F1 season or running an Americas Cup team. This is an opportunity for the right investor to leave a lasting legacy. We are already in discussion with a number of potential investors and would encourage any other interested party to contact us without delay.”

Mark Chapman, Chief Engineer, Project Bloodhound, commented: “Bloodhound has had enormous success in creating the world’s most advanced land vehicle. As we now move out of the R&D phase and into the operational phase of the project, we recognise that we need a different approach to funding. This project is built around the most successful team in the history of Land Speed Racing, and with the right support we have no doubt that the project will achieve its aims and could be racing for the record in as little as ten months.”

Interested parties should contact FRP Advisory LLP Bristol office on
0117 203 3700

About Bloodhound
http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/

BLOODHOUND is a combination of fast jet, F1 car and spaceship. The Project is followed in over 220 countries and territories. At full speed, BLOODHOUND will cover a mile (1.6km) in 3.6 seconds – that’s 4.5 football pitches laid end to end, per second, or 300m in the blink of an eye. The World Land Speed Record of 763mph (1,228km/h) is held by Thrust SSC, a UK team led by BLOODHOUND’s Project Director Richard Noble and driven by Andy Green.

The Project engaged with over 120,000 students in the UK alone in 2017 and aims to deliver BLOODHOUND Education inspiration to over 5m students each operational year. 65% of students engaged by the BLOODHOUND Education Programme would now consider engineering or science as a vocation (sample size: 1,804).

Applications to study engineering at university have substantially increased as a result of Project BLOODHOUND (sources: University of West of England; Swansea University).
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[Peter_L]

and so it appears that "Bloodhound" has lost the scent.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-46480342

On sale for around £250.000, it should really be snapped up by one of the larger transport museums.

Personally, I think that the idea is from a bygone age and has little relevance in the 21st century. The costs were far beyond private enterprise and even if the vehicle had reached 1000 mph, so what ? spend another 10 years and millions of £'s to reach 1001 mph.

It deserves a preserved place alongside the other speed behemoths, but in a world where man can send unmanned probes into far space and provide technology for driver less vehicles perhaps the Land Speed Record idea is a little outdated.

[Rick]

What a shame, yes I suppose there was little relevance to the real world but much the same could have been levelled at Campbell and the rest. I'd like to think that there is still room for such Boy's Own-type adventures in today's increasingly sterile world.

RJ
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[Rick]

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FRP Advisory secures future of Bloodhound Project

On 7th December 2018 Andrew Sheridan and Geoff Rowley, Joint Administrators of Bloodhound Programme Ltd, the company behind Project Bloodhound, the initiative to reach 1,000 miles per hour in a land vehicle, announced that efforts to secure an investor to take the project forward had not been successful.

Following this announcement, the Joint Administrators were contacted by a number of other interested parties and a purchaser for the business and assets has now been secured, which will allow the project to continue.

The business and assets are being bought for an undisclosed amount by Yorkshire-based entrepreneur Ian Warhurst.

Andrew Sheridan, Joint Administrator and partner at specialist advisory firm FRP Advisory LLP, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the passion that clearly exists for Bloodhound and are thrilled that we have been able to secure a buyer who is able to give this inspiring project a future.

“Ian has a strong background in managing highly successful businesses in the automotive engineering sector and he will bring considerable expertise to bear in taking the project forward. He will be outlining his plans for the project in detail early in the New Year.”

“In the meantime, we would particularly like to thank the Ministry of Defence and Rolls Royce for their support and collaboration throughout this process, without which it would not have been possible for the project to be in a position to continue.”

Foot Anstey provided legal services to the Joint Administrators, while Gordon Brothers acted as their chattel asset advisors. Walker Morris provided legal advice to Ian Warhurst.

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[Peter_L]

Read this today.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-46591860

The Melett company is now based in Barnsley, my old hometown.

https://www.melett.com/about-melett/

Will be interesting to follow the story.