Chapter 1 - Project Thrust

The Target

"Wanted - 650 mph Car Designer" said the advertisement in the September 1977 issue of "Cars and Car Conversions". Richard Noble was the man behind it. His dream was to bring the World Land Speed Record back to Britain and he needed the machine with which to do it. The author was lucky enough to read the advertisement and take on the job of producing the car with which Richard finally did bring back the record for Britain.

This is the story of that vehicle, known as "Thrust 2".

The brief was simple: to design and build a car capable of breaking the Land Speed Record and reaching 650 mph.

To achieve the goal we had with one car to leapfrog American progress made since 1964 through a succession of 8 different jet or rocket powered record contenders.

The resources available were:-

• One Rolls-Royce Avon jet engine with reheat — ex-Lightning fighter,
• no workshop or premises,
• no materials or components,
• no tools,
• no team,
• no experience,
• no money,

which meant, at least we would start with a clean sheet.

Early days

The seed of the project was sown and by working spare time, evenings and weekends, a preliminary design was produced. TI Reynolds Limited were impressed enough to offer to build the space frame, but spare time progress was too slow and the project was in danger of losing momentum.

In May 1978 came the breakthrough. With a great show of faith Loctite International Limited put in some cash - enough to keep the project going for a few months. We took the gamble. The author started full time and we were committed to make or break.

The early days were not easy. A derelict kitchen in a condemned house was rented for £5.00 a week at Ranalagh Works, a conglomerate of small factories scattered around a boatbuilding site on the banks of Wootton Creek on the Isle of Wight.

The kitchen was equipped with a large drawing board, a bare light bulb and little else. The nearest telephone was a call-box, a stack of coins and a quarter-mile away. The nearest copier was in Ryde, 6 miles away. Printing a drawing meant a 14 mile trip to East Cowes. By the end of 1978 the design was well under way, the space frame was drawn and Ken Spayson was busy fabricating it at TI Reynolds Limited in Birmingham.

We were soon going to need a workshop. Early in 1979 we rented a corner of one of the boat sheds on the waterfront at Ranalagh Works and took on our first team member, master craftsman Ron Benton to build the structure around the frame. Ron was determined that the car was to be built not just as a record breaker, but also as a flag carrier for British craftsmanship and as such it will do justice to the museum where it finally comes to rest. Poor Ron had 'a hell of a time' trying to concentrate on his precision work, surrounded by the banging and grinding of aluminium boats being turned out at a great rate.

Things could only get better. We rode out the inevitable financial crises, built a wall around our corner of the shed and moved office from the kitchen to a "Portakabin", which even had a heater and telephone installed.

The engineers

As work on the car progressed, diverse skills were required and we gradually attracted a team of specialists. Each one was an expert in his own field and virtually appointed themselves to the team.

A small nucleus was employed full time to build the car. Ron Benton and Mike Barrett took on the structure, Gordon Flux the mechanics and Eddie Elsom the operations, a title which covered a whole host of duties, all urgent.

The remainder of the team was made up of part-time enthusiasts who either worked for one of our supporters or had special skills needed to complete the car. They gave up weekends and holidays to do their bit. Glynne Bowsher from Lucas Girling Limited designed and serviced the wheel brakes, Brian Ball from British Aerospace wheeled the difficult nose panels, Mike Chambers from British Timken assembled and monitored the hub bearings, John 'One Take' Watkins from the R.A.F. had the vital role of setting and servicing the engine. The wiring and electrics fell to Gordon Biles, while Peter Hand designed and operated the electronic monitoring equipment. Tony Meston and Geoff Smee who had worked on Lightning fighters, helped us to get the engine installed and working. Unfortunately, they could not be 'in at the kill' as they were 'on duty' flying for commercial airlines.

Shut away alone in the damp and gloomy kitchen producing drawings for a 650 mph car could lead to sneaking doubts - was I some sort of a crank? Would it really work?

However, as each team member came along he looked at the designs, looked at the skeleton and set to work with a will. Their faith in our potential to get a record and their determination to realise that potential was very reassuring and relayed confidence to both designer and driver.

Four years and three overseas record attempts, often with heartbreaking setbacks, welded this band of widely different characters into a highly effective team which never lost its humour, or will to win, whatever the fates threw in their path.

The Record

Britain last held the World Land Speed Record in 1964 when Donald Campbell reached 403 mph in the wheel driven "Bluebird" at Lake Eyre, Australia. From then until the 4th October 1983 the record was held continuously by the United States with a succession of jet or rocket powered vehicles. It stood at 622 mph from 1970, a record set by Gary Gabelich with the rocket car "Blue Flame" on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, U.S.A.

"Project Thrust" set out to regain the title for Britain with "Thrust 2" which meant exceeding the existing record by I%, so we set a target of 650 mph.

The attempt was originally planned for 1981 on the Bonneville Salt Flats, but was 'flooded off' the day after we had become the 'fastest British Car and Driver' with an average 2-way speed of 418 mph.

The return to Bonneville in 1982 was delayed by an accident during trials at Greenham Common in June. The team arrived at the Salt Flats in September to be greeted by torrential rain which flooded the track once again, before the car could be run.

It was immediately decided to investigate alternative dry lake beds in the Western Desert. Black Rock Desert mud flats offered the best possibilities with a potential track up to 13 miles, and it was still dry.

The car and team were moved to the new site and the track surveyed in ideal weather. As soon as the track was ready, we were delayed by environmentalist objections and when these were cleared, it rained!

With cold weather, slow surface drying, dwindling funds and impending winter, the car was run when conditions allowed. On 4th November a new British Car and Driver Record of 590.6 mph was set, with a peak speed of over 600 mph, taking "Thrust" into the transonic regime.

The track was limited by wet mud at one end and a soft, crumbly surface at the other. With winter storms forecast the attempt was abandoned. Two days later the snows came to Nevada.

The winter was spent preparing for the next attempt. The engine and reheat was bench tested by Rolls-Royce and reset to extract the last pound of power. Additional fuel pumps were fitted to squeeze in maximum fuel. The undertray was cleaned up and the wheels faired in more closely to smooth out the underbody airflow. The monitoring equipment was refined to help us analyse the results.

We planned to return to the desert in June 1983 to finish the job and for once the car was ready on time. However, like the best laid plans of man, it did not work out that way. The Western States suffered the worst winter on record. Precipitation was three times the normal, with a staggering 60ft of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

An advance guard was despatched to Gerlach at the end of June to report on the condition of the desert site. Their news was not good, the snow melt had come late and flooded the desert bed. For nearly 3 months we waited and watched as our precious funds trickled away. The desert played tricks with us, raising our hopes when the wind blew the great sheet of water off the track, only to dash them when it blew back again. In July the sun shone relentlessly and the temperature soared into the 100's. The water evaporated fast, drying out the surface crust of the track area, but the intense heat generated ominous black clouds which piled high into the sky over the surrounding peaks until they could hold it no longer. Violent thunderstorms broke and a deluge poured down the mountainsides and onto the desert, dashing our hopes again.

Finally, at the beginning of September, it dried out; not hard enough to run "Thrust", but enough to survey the track. The decision was made to fly out "Thrust 2" and the team, an irreversible gamble that committed the rest of our funds - the 1983 attempt was on.

We had planned a minimum of 8 runs leading up to the actual attempt, and the first of these was made on 17th September.The sub-surface of the desert was still not fully dry and hard so the rolling drag was high but at least the surface supported the car and we had to make hay while the sun shone. With the end of our funds and the start of winter in sight, we could not afford to delay. We pulled the 'elastic' back further and further and the speeds leapt up to 600 plus, right on schedule, but then we hit problems.

The J.P.T. (Jet Pipe Temperature) broke record heights, while the rpm (engine revolutions) and power dropped. The little video camera tucked behind Richard's shoulder proved invaluable in enabling us to unscramble the engine instrument readings and relay them to Rolls-Royce for advice.

It was a desparate position - we were all set to go for a Record, but the engine was down and our engine expert was still 'on duty' at his air base in England. Fortunately our urgent SOS was answered, the R.A.F. released 'One Take' and Rolls-Royce despatched George Webb from Atlanta. The car was rushed to Reno Airport and lashed down for static tests. George and 'One Take' checked the settings, washed the compressor and bled the fuel system. There was air in the fuel and as the fuel is used to control the I.G.V. (inlet guide vane)itch mechanism, it was thought that this could be our trouble.

The engine was run up and performed perfectly. Maximum reheat was held for a full minute. The earth shook and the team, with hands to ears, looked in awe at the pulsing shock diamonds like a rattler's tail in the reheat flame. The lashing strops strained at the loadcells which showed a steady thrust of 16,800 lb (corrected for altitude) and the instruments indicated correct J.P.T. and rpm. We had the power!

On 29th September we were back on the track as dawn broke between the heavy clouds. At 8.12 a.m. the car blasted off down the track with a healthy roar. The steady reheat flame was soon obscured by the storm of choking dust that enveloped the start team. It looked and sounded a good one; "622.837 for the mile" crackled the timekeepers over the radio. The best yet - and we had been running from the soft draggy north end of the track. Richard had equalled the existing record and pushed the Mach Number up to .834 in the cold (43°F) morning air.

The car was smoothly turned round and restarted for the next run - could this be the one? As the engine wound up and the brakes let off, we knew it wasn't to be. The engine sounded weak and reheat failed to light. Richard aborted the run 2 miles down. So near - but so far.

The rain started as we returned to base m Gerlach, to think. Ideas abounded - intake shape, shock waves, dirty fuel, engine surge, blocked vents, vortex generators, then someone hit it - long runs up - low fuel tanks - drag chutes out - fuel surges forward - air in outlet pipes - fuel flows back - bubble trapped!

Off came the panels, the system was bled and out came the air - this must be it. Curing the problem was too long-winded so we fitted a remote bleed nipple and cut a mini access panel We would bleed the system between the next runs. But when would that be?

October and it had rained every day since our last run.

Our next chance could be our last so we could not miss a trick. To increase our speed for a given Mach Number we must run at the hottest time of the day, when the chance of winds was higher. To reduce the wheel drag we would have to take some weight off the wheels. To do this the rear suspension struts were wound down to give the whole car a slight nose-up incidence. This would give the car slight lift in place of the ultra safe, but power-consuming, downthrust.

On 3rd October it stopped raining. By late afternoon the temperature had risen and the track was almost dry. We would 'roll-out' at I p.m. the next day.

The 4th dawned clear and still ... The temperature rose steadily and wind stayed down At 2.53 it was 72°F, the car ready to go, the team in position and track clear. The Palouste starter screamed into life, the Avon spun, but did not light. Try again - no light up, ignition - dead! It must be the igniter fuse - just a damned fuse - and the spares were 10 miles down the track with the turn round crew. Richard was sweltering in the cockpit and it seemed an eternity before the crew bus arrived with Gordon Biles and his spare fuse Nervous fingers fitted the fuse, the panel was screwed back and we waited another eternity for the crew bus to get back on station. Tension was high, just waiting for a slight movement of air that could herald the wind that would shut us down. We were praying we had not le this chance slip through our fingers.

At 3.37 the engine whined into life, brakes off, reheat on, he's away and it's a good one 624.241 mph for the mile.

The turn round was slick, the fuel bled, and conditions were still ideal. The temperate was up to 75°F and the 6-mile run-up was on the harder south end.

The car was away again on its return trip well within the stipulated hour. A perfect light up was followed by a steady engine note roaring into billowing desert dust pulverised by the speeding metal wheels. 'Speed for the mile 642.971 - that's a Record'.

Elation was suppressed as we decided to make it a 'best of three' with a longer run-up to the poor crumbly north end. The turn round was a scramble, "Thrust 2" was almost down to her belly through the mud crust and after breaking the tow-rope, had to be pulled ou backwards. The Range Rover struggled to tow her to the new start line. We just made the start in the time limit but the omens were not good. The car ran well but the colossal surface drag negated the extra run in and Richard was distracted by false tracks across the course He achieved 620, fast but not fast enough to improve our average - light was fading so we called it a day and left the rest of the action to the Press.

The team could hardly believe it; we had broken the record by eleven miles per hour with an average of 633.468 mph and a peak of 650. It was all over, bar the celebrating. The next day the wind came up - we had taken our only chance.

Conclusions

Perhaps we needed three attempts to knock us into shape. Each attempt taught us lessons and gave us valuable experience that was used to improve the car, driver and team.

Our 'near miss' in 1982 showed we were in with a very good chance and encouraged more commitment from our industrial supporters. Rolls-Royce decided to put our engine on their test bed and set it to give maximum power for the limited life we required. Davy McKe decided to supply us with the loadcells we needed to measure the engine thrust installed the car. For the first time the engine was set to our special application. We had the power and means to measure it.

The driving and operational experience gained reflected in the track layout, consiste performance and slick turn rounds that were vital for the Record.

It was not easy - but if it was, someone else would have done it already!

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