× A BARNSLEY man who pioneered a rocket-powered car’s path to breaking the 800mph barrier believes £8m is needed to achieve the land speed record - otherwise the long-running project will fold.
Ian Warhurst - the former managing director of Barugh Green-based company Melett - rescued The Bloodhound Project after it fell into administration following unsuccessful attempts to raise investments to keep the project going.
The car, now known as Bloodhound Land Speed Record, is powered by a Rolls-Royce jet engine and Nammo rocket and is aiming to break the current land speed world record of 763mph which has stood for more than 20 years.
ROYAL Wootton Bassett Academy students pitted their wits against a car that broke the land speed record by designing and racing their own prototypes. Around 230 Year 7s tried their hand at cutting-edge engineering technology with help from the Bloodhound Education charity and a donation from the Rotary Club of Royal Wootton Bassett and District. The presentations and interactive workshops helped them become budding engineers. The academy s DT teacher and Key Stage 4 co-ordinator Sarah Day said: “Our pupils had an amazing two days seeing design and technology in action and learning how engineers are making it possible to break land speed world records.
From left, Sarah Day with pupils Mia Aldous, Katie Curley, Thomas Evans and Ibraheem Ali James Boyton Year 7 pupils at the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy got up to speed with cutting edge engineering technology when they pitted their wits against the legendary Bloodhound Land Speed Record Car. Thanks to Bloodhound Education, a charity that brings STEM subjects to life and makes the link between the classroom and careers, and a donation from the Rotary Club of Royal Wootton Bassett and District, around 230 pupils spent two days taking part in hands-on engineering challenges, putting learning into practice and developing skills and confidence whilst having fun.
The Bloodhound Land Speed Record Project is looking for some fresh investment. Following a tricky financial year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which has brought delays, the team needs a further £8 million to push the car through its 800mph run.
The Bloodhound’s 800mph attempt was originally scheduled to take place in autumn last year, but Covid-19 restrictions have forced the run to be pushed back to 2022. Now, the firm is faced with two difficult decisions – either put the project onto the market or place the car in long-term storage and wait for the pandemic to end.
However, the company isn’t keen on the latter solution, as there’s no guarantee that it will find the funding to restart the project once the world returns to normality. The engineers are also eager to see the project through – especially given that the planned attempt in 2022 will be the Bloodhound’s first crack at the current land speed record of 763mph, which has stood untouched since it was