Aug 12 2006
The JCB DIESELMAX team, which is aiming to set a new land speed record for diesel vehicles in Bonneville, USA, later this month, faces its first major challenge in the US - to reassemble the car in time for Bonneville Speed Week scrutineering this Saturday.
The team arrived last Sunday and has simultaneously had to establish its operation in unfamiliar surroundings and rebuild the car, which was stripped down for air freighting from the UK. The streamliner will then be run on a 1.5-mile runway at Wendover airport, which the team is using as its base, in readiness for Friday’s technical scrutineering.
Scrutineering for speed trials is especially stringent and the JCB DIESELMAX has to comply with two different sets of regulations. The car is being run at Speed Week which is the first chance the team will have to acclimatise to the unique conditions of the Bonneville Salt Flats prior to the official record runs which take place during a dedicated FIA Week seven days later. However, regulations laid down by the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association), are different from those of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile).
“There are regulations covering the class of vehicle, the compliance of the vehicle, and the compliance of the driver,” says Project Manager David Brown. “For both the SCTA and the FIA we’re classed as a special vehicle with a supercharged diesel engine in the largest category – over eight litres. However, the SCTA does not require the size to be verified whereas for an official record attempt, the FIA does and is measuring and sealing the engines.
“And whereas the FIA’s regulations are based around circuit racing, where there are always marshals close by, at Bonneville you might be three miles from a fire and rescue crew, so the SCTA demands a different standard. For example, the safety cage has to be exceptionally strong and the wheels have to be attached to the car in a very specific way.
“It’s the same for the driver. His overalls have to resist burning for four times longer than a Formula 1 race suit, his arms are tethered to the car so they are not exposed if the car rolls and the canopy becomes detached, and he has to be able remove himself from the cockpit unaided within three or four seconds.
“We have a lot do but the task is being made a little easier by the welcome we’ve been given here. The people are right behind us, which I think is a legacy of Richard Noble’s accomplishments. I hope we can achieve our goal just as he did with Thrust and bring home the diesel record.”