Do YOU have a need for speed? Search is underway for a driver to get behind the wheel of a supersonic car capable of travelling at 800mph – so, do you have what it takes?

  • The Bloodhound supersonic car will attempt to break the land speed record
  • But a new director is needed. Do you have what it takes to get behind the wheel?

Whether it’s skydiving or bungee jumping, many people get a kick out of adrenaline-pumping hobbies.

But these activities pale in comparison to a ride in this supersonic car, which can travel at dizzying speeds of up to 1,300 km/h.

Now the team behind the Bloodhound car is looking for a new driver brave enough to get behind the wheel.

“This unique opportunity will attract passionate and skilled individuals ready to push the boundaries of speed and be part of history while driving the fastest car in the world,” Bloodhound said.

However, there’s a catch: to sign up, you must have a major sponsorship deal behind you.

The team behind the Bloodhound car is looking for a new driver brave enough to get behind the wheel

The Bloodhound car

Length: 44 feet

Weight: 7.5 tons

Height: 9ft 2in

Speed: 800 km/h

Engine: Rolls-Royce EJ200 engine used in Eurofighter Typhoon jets

Wheels: Aluminum wheels weighing 95 kg, rotating at 10,200 rpm at full speed

Temperature: 5,432F (3,000C)

The Bloodhound car is built to reach a speed of 800mph – a speed that would theoretically allow it to reach Aberdeen from London in less than 30 minutes.

It is powered by a Rolls-Royce EJ200 Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine and a rocket engine from a supplier working with the European Space Agency.

It also features sturdy aluminum wheels designed to withstand the stress of traveling at supersonic speeds – the speed of sound.

The overarching goal is to beat the current world land speed record (LSR) of 1,230 km/h, which was set more than twenty years ago.

In 2019, the car reached speeds of 1000 km/h during an impressive test in the Kalahri Desert.

However, the project stalled the following year due to a lack of funding.

Now Bloodhound is back for round two and the search for a new driver has begun.

‘As we continue to raise the necessary funds to establish a new LSR, the appointment of a new driver will add new excitement to the project,’ the company explains on its website.

The Bloodhound car is built to reach speeds of 800mph – a speed that would theoretically allow it to reach Aberdeen from London in less than 30 minutes

In 2019, the car reached speeds of 1000 km/h during an impressive test in the Kalahri Desert

‘People can follow the journey of a new driver and get direct feedback from someone who has never driven at LSR speeds.’

Unsurprisingly, the record-breaking attempt comes with a hefty price tag and is expected to cost as much as £12 million.

While Bloodhound will pay part of that bill, the company says the driver will “have to bring the remaining financing.”

This may sound like a big question, but it’s actually quite common in Formula 1.

For example, Lance Stroll’s father spent $80 million (£65 million) in 2017 to help his 18-year-old son secure a Formula 1 seat at Williams F1.

Once funding is secured, Bloodhound says it is “extremely confident” it will make the LSR a reality.

“The team, the track and the car have already proven themselves during our high-speed tests (where we reached 1000 km/h),” it added.

“The only obstacle standing in our way is raising the necessary funding.”

HISTORY OF THE WORLD SPEED RECORD

1904: Frenchman Louis Rigolly becomes the first man to drive a car at a speed of 160 km/h, taking the record from American car manufacturer Henry Ford

1927: Brit Henry Segrave passes the 200 mph limit while driving the Sunbeam 1000 HP Mystery in Florida

1963: American Craig Breedlove sets the first record with a jet-powered car, reaching a speed of 650 km/h, although this was only later confirmed as an official record

1964: Breedlove reaches a speed of 800 km/h, driving on Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the United States

1983: Great Britain regains record as Richard Noble pilots Thrust2 at 620mph

1997: Andy Green breaks the record twice in the same year in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, reaching the current benchmark of 1,230 km/h in October that year while riding ThrustSSC

2024? Bloodhound manufacturers hope to beat the record

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