News The main aim of the Bloodhound SSC project is to introduce science and technology to the young generation. By pushing back the frontiers of physics, engineers have embarked on an adventure at the cutting edge of technology which they hope to share with the whole world. The form taken by this adventure is a supersonic vehicle, the first to reach a speed of 1,000 miles per hour (1,609.34 km/h), which will be tested in South Africa over the next two years.
Since 2011, Rolex has been involved in this adventure in the capacity of official partner. The brand produced two instruments (an analogue speedometer and a chronograph), designed especially for this project and incorporating the brand’s renowned accuracy and reliability. They will be of valuable assistance to the vehicle’s driver, helping him not only to break the 1,000 mph barrier, but also to brake in time. Contrary to what might be believed, the greatest challenge in this land speed record attempt is not power, but deceleration, as the space needed to stop is limited.
The vehicle, currently being built, will be finished in the middle of 2015. After initial tests in the United Kingdom, the project will move to South Africa where the attempt to break the record will take place in 2016. The selected site is at Hakskeen Pan, a hard and flat desert area covering 20 square kilometres, where a 20 km long and 1 km wide track has been specially cleared for the purpose. The driver, Andy Green, currently holds the world land speed record established in 1997 aboard the Thrust SSC, which reached a speed of 763 mph, or 1'228 km/h, thus breaking the sound barrier.
May 07, 2014
