Bloodhound project seeks new driver in pursuit of 800mph

Bloodhound, the British jet-rocket car bidding to push the world land speed record beyond 800mph, is on the hunt for a well-heeled new driver to help fulfil its creators’ long-held dream.

Bloodhound’s only driver so far, and the existing speed record holder, Wing Commander Andy Green, is standing aside in the interests of raising the funds the project needs for its next phase. But he’ll continue to be a vital part of the team as the new driver’s mentor and coach. 

Green, a former fast jet pilot, believes the new driver will ideally be someone with pilot level skills, or a top end racing driver. He also confirms that he’ll be on hand to drive in case the new recruit decides that 500mph is enough, but is willing to fund the next record run, a bid to beat 800mph.

While the search goes on, the project is being reconfigured to deliver its world-beating performance in a new, zero-emissions guise – and become a prospective pioneer in the development of synthetic fuels that will power the low-emissions intercontinental aircraft of tomorrow.

Bloodhound's owner, Ian Warhurst, estimates that the project will need around £12 million to beat 800mph, its primary objective. It began life with a modest £600,000 government grant 15 years ago. 

Backers have been displaying a full-size replica of the car at seven venues in England – beginning with the British Motor Museum at Gaydon – in a bid to “attract passionate and skilled individuals who are ready to push the boundaries of speed and aspire to become part of history by driving the fastest car on Earth".

The "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” will take place on a specially prepared track in South Africa.

The project, born out of a conversation 20 years ago between Green and his predecessor-cum-project organiser Richard Noble, has passed through several sets of hands, encountering what looked like terminal financial problems and at one stage came within a day of being cut up for scrap before being rescued by Warhurst.

Most recently, the project was knocked off course by a lack of funds and the effects of the Covid pandemic. It has been in abeyance ever since, stored in Coventry’s Transport Museum with two earlier Thrust record breakers. 

Bloodhound CEO Stuart Edmondson said: “As we enter a new chapter of the Bloodhound LSR project, I'm excited about the opportunity and challenges that lie ahead and confident that this will enable us to return to South Africa and set a new record.