Please note, the latest events are first, to read of the day's progress please scroll down the page.
Sunday morning, as soon as the tide had ebbed the team made way onto the beach. Some final adjustments and alterations had to be made to the seals around the car and the battery boxes. Bluebird made one successful trial run at low speed (approx 80mph) but during the first in a series of higher speed runs, the batteries died. They had to be charged. This cost the team valuable time. With the tide now coming ever closer we could see that we had no time to loose, unfortunately the next run had to be aborted, and it was at this point at 4:30pm the day had to be drawn to a close. Bluebird had made significant progress in the few runs she made on Pendine this Sunday. It cruised at approximately 110 mph on her second run, almost our current record. Unconfirmed rumors have been circulating that during her final run Bluebird Electric reached a speed of 156 mph. If this is true I shall confirm it later.
I've just learnt that there were a few problems that needed attention after the first run along Pendine. Dirt had got into the throttle module which hampered the Bluebird's first run. Engineers have dealt with the problem by now and Bluebird's next run is imminent.
We are now faced with the problem of the advancing tide but still the team are very confident of success.
Good news, at 1:44pm Bluebird Electric made her first run along Pendine Sands. It was a run for safety checks only and hence was not timed by the RAC. Her speed timed by the chase car was approximately 80 mph.
I'm informed that the electrical engineers this morning have been doing some final touches to the new battery boxes in the car. In the meantime the mechanical engineers have been working on ensuring that all the seals around the car are water and sand proof. As you can imagine, at high speed there is a high risk of damage to crucial components from salt water and sand impregnation.
As hoped Bluebird Electric made her way onto the sand at Pendine carried in the VW trailer at 9:00am this morning (unfortunately she was under wraps at the time). The sand condition as expected is much better than it was on Saturday and it is expected that Bluebird will start running soon. The Press have been busy all morning interviewing Donald Wales and other team members. A large crowd of supporters have made their way to Pendine again today and their support is greatly appreciated by the team.
Your faithful web team (the 1 member) is now very hungry, so I will update you with more pictures and stories after lunch. Stay tuned, and keep an eye on our live pictures (webcam). Be the first to see Bluebird set a new Land Speed Record.
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