LSR ThrustSSC report 97-09-14

Battle for Mach 1 on Land:

Today was an ace day. At 0950 ThrustSSC driven by Andy Green set off on run 45 with a six mile run in. Using only 13 seconds of max afterburners the 110,00 hp car hit a peak of 624 mph with a Mach number of 0.84.

Onlookers commented that ThrustSSC appeared solidly stable and that the run seemed effortless. 624mph was the same speed as Thrust2's first half of the World Land Speed Record Run in 1983.

Tomorrow , the 13th run 45 will be repeated to check readings and Run 46 will be attempting 650mph- Mach 0.85. This will make the car every bit as fast as Thrust2 and put the team in the position of being able to attempt the World Record next week.

Sunday and Monday will be down days to enable a full engineering check- and the USAC timekeepers to set up. Chief Steward will be Dave Petrali, son of Joe Petrali who timed the records in the 50's and 60's. Dave also acted as Chief Steward for the Thrust2 runs in 1981/2/3.

Craig Breedlove has run into financial trouble following the damage his engine from foreign object ingestion. Faced with mounting debt he is seeking additional funding to maintain progress next week. The ThrustSSC team are having a whip round to make a contribution.

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