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The Bloodhound LSR team passed 537 km/h milestone on the Hakskeenpan desert test track.

The Bloodhound LSR team today passed a major milestone, as the car hit 334 mph (537 km/h) on the Hakskeenpan desert racetrack: the highest speed it has ever achieved.Three ‘run profiles’ have now been completed, starting at 100 mph, building to 200 mph – the previous top speed achieved at Newquay in 2017 – before hitting 334 mph in Run Profile 3.

The car’s EJ200 jet engine ran with full reheat (a.k.a. afterburner) for 12 seconds, demonstrating it is in full working order, plus providing impressive drama for those watching. 

Run Profile 3 marked the true beginning of the high speed test programme, as all systems necessary for running with reheat have now been tested and checked. The car’s speed will be built up in 50 mph increments over subsequent run profiles, carried out over the next four weeks, with a target top speed above 500 mph for this testing programme.

Bloodhound driver and current World Land Speed Record holder Andy Green said: “We’ve had two very successful runs today, with the second run reaching a max speed of 334 mph – going from 50 mph to 300 mph in 13 seconds. There was strong cross wind gusting at over 15 mph and we’ve established that this is pretty much the limit for running in the car. We’re happy because this was a successful test, now we’re ready to progress on to higher speeds.”

Run Profile 1 – a static engine test, followed by a very slow speed (max 100 mph) check of the steering and brakes. Run Profile 2 – 200 mph achieved using max dry power (power without extra fuel for reheat) on the jet engine, then a coast-down to establish rolling resistance. Run Profile 3 – 350 mph achieved using full reheat, with stability tests before and after peak speed, then a coast-down period after engine shutdown to measure rolling resistance without idle thrust from the jet engine. Parachute data collected.
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