An Australian race crew hoping to beat their British rivals to a new supersonic land-speed record of over 1,000mph launched their bid Thursday, unveiling the first parts of their rocket-powered car. Daredevil drag-racer Rosco McGlashan has dreamed of being the fastest man on wheels since, aged 12, he saw Britain’s Donald Campbell hit 403 miles (645 kilometres) per hour on Australia’s Lake Eyre saltpan in 1964. The record has been smashed several times since and currently stands at a blistering 763mph—faster than the speed of sound—set by another Briton, Andy Green, in 1997.
McGlashan believes he can go quicker still and top 1,000mph using rocket technology to propel his 200,000-horsepower super-car, Aussie Invader 5R, set to blast off in 2014, 50 years after he first eyed Campbell’s mark. If successful, McGlashan will travel faster than a bullet, going from 0-1,000mph in 20 seconds as he rips through three tonnes of rocket fuel.
Like Austrian adventurer Felix Baumgartner who made headlines this week with a spectacular freefall jump from the edge of space, McGlashan believes it is important to push the boundaries of human knowledge and endurance.
“A lot of people will say ‘Oh that’s great but how does that benefit mankind?’,” McGlashan, 62, told AFP. ”But there’s just so many spin-offs with it—the physics, the science, the technology that goes into developing something like this is a win-win for everyone.” Via Australian race crew in faster-than-a-bullet bid
