The weather outlook is rosy and large crowds are expected to be at Pendine Sands tomorrow (Saturday) to watch Don Wales and Bluebird Electric renewing their assault on the landspeed record for electric vehicles.
It’s eighteen months since Don’s last attempt at Pendine ended in disappointment at the hands of an electric hiccup. But much has happened since then. The project has undergone a thorough restructuring that has involved building a completely new car incorporating many engineering and aerodynamic improvements as well as reducing the overall weight by 30 per cent.
So, when the tide recedes at lunchtime tomorrow, the race will be on to complete the final test sequence ahead of Saturday’s record attempt.
Today’s tests have gone well, according to Project Director Martin Rees. "We have put the car through its paces on tarmac at the DERA site this afternoon and the speeds we achieved suggest we are on the right course," he said.
If Don Wales succeeds this weekend, he will be writing a glorious new chapter in the history of his famous family. His grandfather, Sir Malcolm Campbell, set three world landspeed records on Pendine Sands in the 1920s.
This weekend is the first of three scheduled attempts during the summer which, if all goes according to plan, will take Don past these three marks – but powered by electricity. The target this weekend is the first of those speeds – 146mph which Sir Malcolm achieved in 1924.
Further attempts planned for the next few months will hopefully see Don past Sir Malcolm’s highest speed on Pendine of 174mph, achieved in 1927.
"If we can do that, then we know we have got what it takes to tackle the international (or world) EV record of 245," said Martin Rees. "There simply isn’t enough room on Pendine for that, but a mark of 174 would give us the confidence to go to America and have a go at beating the American holders."
Campbell and Bluebird are the two most famous names in the history of the Land Speed Record. Sir Malcolm’s 1927 record of 174mph at Pendine remains the last to be achieved on British soil. His uncle, Donald Campbell, was also a prolific record-breaker, and is the only man ever to have held both land and water speed records simultaneously.
Don Wales renewed the link when he broke the UK National Record for electric vehicles at Elvington in Yorkshire in May 1998. It stands at 116.41 mph and this is the first target for this weekend.
The international (or world) record is held by the American White Lightning team at 245 mph, set last year at Bonneville, Utah.
But there is more to Don’s dream that merely speed. His Bluebird is not electrically-powered by coincidence.
"I have long thought that something has to be done about the pollution that conventional automobiles bring to our cities," he says. "I live and work in London (he is a photographer by profession) and my children suffer from asthma. Electric vehicles offer a solution, especially in an urban environment and we hope that our success will act as a showcase for EVs."
It’s an ethos shared by the whole team, and underpins an operation that seeks to go beyond the glamour of record-breaking.
"We are keen to develop technical partnerships with companies working at the forefront of this technology," said Project Director Rees, "just as Sir Malcolm did in his day. We see Bluebird as an ideal vehicle for R&D on anything from drive train to metals, plastics and power units – anything that can help us develop a new generation of vehicles that will take account of tomorrow’s environmental and technological demands."
Such partnerships are already bearing fruit. The association with Hawker Energy (Invensys) has greatly enhanced Bluebird’s performance and further developments are envisaged. Bluebird Electric is powered by Hawker Genesis batteries, which are also deployed in most of the world’s commercial air fleets.
Chassis: Steel tubular space frame
Body: GRP/aluminium
Length: 21’00"
Width: 4’1" (max)
Weight: 860Kg
Aero-drag: 0.15 Cd
Motors: 2 rear-wheel direct drive three-phase brushless DC 8-pole 12 slots
Speed: 20,000+ rpm (reduced via 10:1 epicyclic gearbox in each wheel)
Torque: 70Nm (52 ft. per lb.
Power: 135bhp/100Kw
Press Release Ends.
Volunteers are needed to assist in all areas of preparation for these events. If you have any specialities and are willing to assist, please note them in your submission.
Please note: Due to safety reasons no children under the age of 16 will be allowed to attend any restricted areas at landspeed record attempts.