We woke to ideal weather conditions on Saturday, but when we got to Pendine Sands in the morning our hopes were dashed. The weather of the previous days had taken its toll on the sand. A few test runs in the SEAT rally car proved that the sand was too wet and at about two miles from Pendine village the car began to sink into the sand.
The team remained optimistic. Volunteers rallied to FOD the beach and soon after lunch the scene was set. A large crowd of spectators had gathered to watch the proceedings together with a small army of press and media. By now the tide had turned and everybody was aware that the Four pm window offered by the tide was fast closing in.
The one thing that had surprised the Bluebird team more than anything was the sheer volume of spectators and well wishers that had arrived at Pendine, and unfortunately this had been responsible for one last delay, access to the beach had been blocked by the volume of cars in the car park that offered access to the slip road onto the beach. In true Bluebird fashion and style we managed to overcome the hurdles and soon the car made its long awaited appearance on the sand.
After a few final checks by the engineers, the car went for its maiden run on Pendine Sands. It effortlessly covered the two miles of firm sand at approximately 80 mph giving Donald Wales his first feel of Bluebird's performance in this new environment. After returning to the Pendine end of the beach the approaching tide forced Bluebird to make a hasty retreat to its garage at the DERA Pendine.
Confidence is high for the team's chances on Sunday. The weather forecast is good and the conditions of the sand can only improve. Bluebird Electric is scheduled to be on the beach as early as 9:00am. This should provide enough time for essential safety checks to be performed before allowing Bluebird to run at the top speeds it is capable of.
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