Tuesday 12th November 1996. By 0630 hrs local time - 0430 GMT - the ThrustSSC team are demolishing plates of egg, bacon and beans. They’ll need it - it will be a long day.
ThrustSSC has completed her static engine tests and system checks and the paneling is complete - it remains only to load the car onto its trailer, transport it to the Jafr Desert and begin the high-speed testing. At 0700 almost everyone is down at the hanger starting work. While half of the team prepare for loading the car, the remainder complete final checks, load the last-minute items into the Pit Station Trailer, or fuel their vehicles. The Jordanian television crew are milling around, as are a few photographers - the team are rapidly getting used to the media attention they are creating.
First vehicles to leave are some of the Land Rover Discoverys to look after Press and VIPs. By late morning, the car is ready to load and the Pit Station Trailer (PST) is secured for transit. At 1100hrs Jeremy Davey eases ‘Scania 2’ away from the hangar en route to the desert - escorted by a Discovery with Martyn Davidson and Andy Green to check the clearances of the vital antennae protruding above the roof of the trailer. A number of hazards were known on the route - trees lining the main road into the air base, the new archway at the gatehouse, and numerous wires across the road through Al Jafr village. In particular, the limited ground clearance of the trailer meant that the direct route to the desert could not be taken - in order to negotiate the ramp off the road at the start of the desert track, ‘Scania 2’ would need to take a diversion to approach from a straighter direction.
The base was cleared easily, and with careful road positioning - including driving off the side of the road at one point - the PST made it through the village. Another 5 miles down the main road from Al Jafr, then 5 miles back down a side road, and the desert entrance was negotiated - again without problems. The softer parts of the track posed no problem for the powerful unit as Jeremy steered it carefully towards the ‘Desert Pits’ - Richard Noble travelling in the opposite direction even radioed to say how magnificent the PST looked! Finally the Scania and attendant Discovery pulled up in front of the expectant press and VIPs and the waiting team members could begin unloading their equipment while the generators were fired up and the satellite dish re-aligned with ‘the bird’.
Back at the air base the star of the show - ThrustSSC herself - had been loaded. While the car was being secured, the Merlo forklift set off on its long, slow journey to the desert - Pete Ross must be getting used to the trip by now, having towed and unloaded the satellite dish yesterday! Finally, ThrustSSC was ready, and as the waiting military personnel, local villagers and media watched, Transport Manager Brian Palmer pointed his load towards the desert: with no high antennae he would have no problem with clearances, but no-one had reckoned on some stray camels… Sadly this historic event was marred by team member Rob Hemper taking an awkward fall as the vehicle pulled away and fracturing his left arm in two places.
As ThrustSSC negotiated the dusty track across the alkaline playa, the media took their photographs, then raced ahead for the next. Approaching the Desert Pits, the 'Scania 1' was a magnificent sight - flanked by team and press vehicles, it was greeted by a wall of VIPs and media all straining for a good view of the car they had waited so long to see there.
By 1230hrs the team, car and equipment were all on the desert. ThrustSSC proceeded to the North end of Track 17 to be unloaded for the first run, while back at the Desert Pits the work to unload and set up the Pit Station continued. The press photographers were escorted to Mile 2 to get their pictures, while the attendant VIPs settled into their seats in the huge Bedouin tent erected to shelter them from the sun.
As the time of the run approached, the desert police closed the desert from access to ensure that no stray vehicle would venture onto the track. ‘Firechase’ took up position at Mile 4 and the Recovery Team ensured their equipment was ready.
Finally, at eight minutes past four, the moment everyone had awaited for so long came as ThrustSSC forged away from the Start Team. She quickly accelerated past 100mph before slowing again to measure the rolling-resistance of the desert. A second burst of acceleration took the jet car to around 200mph before slowing again. Finally Andy Green applied power once more to take the car to peak of 260mph before releasing the triple parachutes and braking to a stand.
It would be no exaggeration to say that the team exulted! After so many lost weekends and late nights their labours had finally borne fruit.
The jet-car was quickly made safe, and a crowd of media and sponsors descended on the spot where she had come to rest.
As I write, the results of the first test are still being analysed, but a few facts are known. The car steered well, staying on its allotted track and making little impact on the desert surface. In view of the time taken to load and unload the car, ThrustSSC now rests at the Desert Pits under the guard of both the team and armed military personnel. An ‘air hangar’ is on its way to provide the team with a workshop to work on the car. The beds in the two Scania units are going to be invaluable…
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