The overwhelming response to October’s successful low-speed runs has had a galvanising effect on the BLOODHOUND SSC project, according to Richard.. After he delivered this year’s James Clayton Lecture, we asked him about the highs and lows of the journey that he has been on, from the days of Thrust2 and Thrust SSC, to the 1000 mph world land speed record attempt.
What inspired the triumphs of Thrust2 and Thrust SSC and now the BLOODHOUND challenge?
At around the age of six, I saw John Cobb’s amazing jet-powered boat, Crusader, at Loch Ness. I was inspired by his speed endeavour and realised that taking on a challenge like this was what I wanted to do.
When I built Thrust1 I really didn’t know what I was doing. I had a crash at 200 mph, which nearly killed me. Thrust2 was designed by brilliant engineer John Ackroyd. At the start all we had was £175 from the sale of Thrust1 to a scrapyard, and on top of that I wasn’t a racing driver. But we worked hard and brought the world land speed record back to the UK in 1983.
When the McLaren and the American teams aimed to break the sound barrier, we took them all on with Thrust SSC and reset the world land speed record at 763 mph in 1997. It’s the first ever and current supersonic land speed record at Mach 1.02.
BLOODHOUND came about because there was to be a further challenge to the Thrust SSC record and Andy Green and I couldn’t resist taking it on. We gave BLOODHOUND a social mission: to inspire the next generation of engineers.
It’s been our longest and hardest venture yet, but the passion to succeed – technically and educationally – is very much there.
Richard Noble and BLOODHOUND
What was the main aim of the Newquay ‘low-speed’ runs?
The Newquay trials helped prove the car’s steering, brakes, suspension, data systems and other functions, as well as the integration of the EJ200 jet engine. The tests also provided Andy Green with his first opportunity to driv eBLOODHOUND SSC, and allowed the team to develop its operating procedures, safety protocols and practice radio communications. It also served as a dress rehearsal for operating in front of the world’s press.
Andy Green, our driver, had to be very highly disciplined, so the speeds were hit on the nail, with a range of 190-210 mph achieved across the three-day period. It is a very complex car with a digitally managed Eurofighter EJ200 engine. To give you an idea of this, Britain’s latest aircraft carrier 'Queen Elizabeth' has 80MW of motive power and BLOODHOUND 100MW.
The great performance of the car, and the positive response from the 9,500-strong Newquay BLOODHOUND audience confirmed we’re on the right track.
The Newquay trials generated worldwide media coverage with national and international simultaneous live broadcasts. This is exposure few projects get and it’s a sign of the fascination the media and the public have for the BLOODHOUND project.
How is BLOODHOUND inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists?
Newquay’s education day was magical: 3,600 children took part in an array of activities, from pre-programmed robot cars to driving experiences. They saw two BLOODHOUND runs and were supported by 150 of our 800 education ambassadors.
BLOODHOUND is providing inspiration, which results in aspiration and more focused education. To meet the skills shortage we really have to do more nationally to raise the profile of STEM learning, often through practical, hands on activities to offset the virtual world the children experience. In 2016 we engaged 129,000 schoolchildren with the project.
We are also providing the car’s performance data, live. That’s 550 data channels and 20GB of data every time the car runs, together with all the apps, which enables schools, students and followers to understand the engineering, predict car performance and second-guess our engineering team. About 20 million people in 200 countries will be accessing this data for each high-speed run.
What have been the main challenges on the journey so far?
Financial survival has been incredibly tough. Seeing the crowds and sensing the enthusiasm at Newquay was a highlight towards the end of a difficult financial year. There was enormous media coverage, with 550,000 people following events on BLOODHOUND's Facebook page.
BLOODHOUND’s high points are directly related to the many people who took corporate risks for us, such as the Trustees at the Institution who, like Rolls-Royce, backed us from the earliest stages. We now have some 320 dedicated financial and product sponsors.
Key to all this was Ron Ayers’ huge CFD innovative aerodynamics programme carried out at Swansea University, which demonstrated that we can manage the supersonic shockwaves around the car and gave us the confidence to advance the programme.
What are the next steps for BLOODHOUND?
On the technical front, we have more tests to perform: in 2018 we’ll progress to faster desert runs of around 600 mph. After sorting medium-speed handling we’ll add a single monopropellant rocket motor, which will enable a world record of around 800 mph in South Africa in 2019.
With the new supersonic record confirmed, and provided we are happy with the data and safety, a cluster of three hybrid rockets will be added. We’ll go for the 1000 mph record in 2020. Both rocket designs are being provided by specialist Norwegian company Nammo.
As a result of the fantastic response to the Newquay exposure we are seeing an enormous increase in demand for information and engagement with the project educationally. To meet this demand, we need to recruit more BLOODHOUND Ambassadors who visit local schools, using BLOODHOUND education toolkits, to ignite the next generation’s interest in engineering, technology, science and mathematics.
How would you sum up the BLOODHOUND spirit and its legacy in years to come?
BLOODHOUND is not a government venture. It’s funded by those who believe passionately in the project. We are a very tough organisation and our lives are committed to BLOODHOUND’s success.
The Thrust SSC and Thrust2 legacies are such that the cars attract 400,000 people a year at the Coventry Transport Museum. People have a great appetite for real engineering, as we learned through the Thrust projects. They want to consume technical detail and visit these awe-inspiring builds.
With success, BLOODHOUND should provide an even better result – this time its massive data will be available online free for the next 20 years. That means the project can remain alive. As the demand for engineers keeps growing, but as a nation we struggle to fulfil it, we feel BLOODHOUND has a role to play in inspiring the next generation through real engineering success.
We now know that we have a superb team and car and whilst, frankly, we can expect to go through hell on the rest of the journey, there is now a real chance of achieving a brilliant feat of British engineering.
Find out more about BLOODHOUND.
How to become a BLOODHOUNDAmbassador.