Hakskeen Pan - Bloodhound Land Speed Record Attempt

Hakskeen Pan

South Africa and the now Northern Cape made world headlines in 1929 when racing driver Malcolm Campbell attempted to beat the world land speed record. Unfortunately for Campbell he was only able to reach a speed of 350km/h which was considerably slower than the 372km/h record set by Henry Segrave earlier that year. New plans were put in place for a new record attempt and the BLOODHOUND SSC project was started. Originally the plan was to make use of the same pan that Campbell had used, Verneuk Pan in the Northern Cape. Campbell have needed a track 120ft wide for his attempt but the Bloodhound SSC required an area 18 km long by 1500 m wide, about 40 times the size of Campbell's.

By the summer of 2009, Verneuk Pan in the Northern Cape region of South Africa was becoming our firm favorite for running BLOODHOUND SSC, despite the mountains of stones. It was the site of Malcolm Campbell's 1929 record attempt track. Campbell was also worried by the stones and shale and a large team of labourers took 3 months to prepare a track 120 ft wide for him. We need to prepare an area 18 km long by 1500 m wide, about 40 times the size of Campbell's! Unfortunately after the Northern Cape Governments full survey of Verneuk Pan had been completed it was found that the site was not suitable. Clearing the pan was going to be much more difficult than had been expected and the survey also found that the shale bed was breaking up underneath the playa surface which would have causes a lot of problems. But there was another option

Tucked away in the North Western corner of South Africa, almost unseen was the other option, Hakskeen Pan. Over 19 km long and 5 km wide, the pan is very hard and very flat, has great access via a new tarmac road, with nearby accommodation, on-site power, good communications, and ideal weather, this was ideal location. BLOODHOUND SSC will attempt to break the world record at Hakskeen Pan in South Africa, becoming the world's first 1000 mph Car.

The Bloodhound Project is not just a landspeed record attempt, it is also a global Engineering Adventure which is using a 1000 mph World Land Speed Record attempt to inspire the next generation about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Bloodhound SSC is the name given to the vehicle that is to be used in the attempt.

The SSC stands for what it is, A Super Sonic Car. The fact that it is designed to go faster than the speed of sound make it supersonic and the fact that it has four wheels, a seat and a steering wheel, and that the vehicle is under full control of the driver makes it a car. But that's where the similarities end. This SSC is jet and rocket powered and designed to exceed 1600km/h. The vehicle is 14m long, weighs over 7 tonnes and has 135,000 horsepower. It is a mix of technologies with the front half being a carbon fibre monocoque like a racing car and the back half being a metallic framework and panels like an aircraft. Developers say that the power is more than 6 times the power of all the Formula 1 cars on a starting grid put together!

Bloodhound SSC aims to set a new World Land Speed Record of 1609.34 km/h (1000mph) in South Africa during 2015 and 2016