(Robert Atkinson and Steve O'Donnell work on an electronics box. Photo: Jeremy Davey. Image taken with a Fujifilm DS-515A Digital Card Camera)

Sunday was a very strange day. After Saturday's run the ThrustSSC team were taking a few 'down days' to work on the car and take some rest - the idea being that over the next 4 days everyone would get one day - with running to resume on Thursday. With the timekeepers on site and the car at the right speeds, an attempt on the World Land Speed Record could be made.

Spirit of America arrived back in town in the small hours of Sunday morning with fireworks and film crews as the custom transporter passed through Gerlach. A run was possibly on the cards for Sunday morning, but in the event the SoA team decided not to run. From the ThrustSSC Teams point of view it is great to see them back in town - the race can resume.

(Martyn Davidson in the dust storm. Photo: Jeremy Davey. Image taken with a Fujifilm DS-515A Digital Card Camera)

By lunchtime the winds on the Black Rock were increasing steadily. By early afternoon the Desert Pits were in the middle of a duststorm that steadily grew in intensity. Before long you could hardly see you hand in front of your face, and everyone outside was wearing goggles. The roof mounted Web Camera was just a whiteout, while in the Aireshelta is was impossible to see from one end to the other. There was simply no point in trying to work, and in the occasional lulls those who could made for the safety of the road and on to Gerlach.

(The dust storm moves over the ThrustSSC Desert Pits. Photo: Jeremy Davey. Image taken with a Fujifilm DS-515A Digital Card Camera)

The wind speed increased, reaching a steady speed of over 40mph, and the dust storm worsened. Those moving around the Desert Pits were forced to follow the rubber-matting routes or the ropes slung from the Fecher track markers. Everything was battened down and those on the desert prepared to ride out the storm. On the Internet the weather satellite photos showed a hurricane developing in the Pacific off Mexico - the question was: "Would it turn North towards us or South away from us when it hit the coast?"

It was a rough night for the desert security crew, but there were no serious incidents and minimal damage to the valuable equipment - just four portaloos blown over... The track markings survived well - much better than they survived the rain just before the team arrived on the Black Rock.

(Emerald bay of Lake Tahoe. Photo: Jeremy Davey. Image taken with a Fujifilm DS-515A Digital Card Camera)

About half the team took their rest day yesterday, with many of them heading to the shops in Reno and the beauties of Lake Tahoe. Nestling in the Sierra Nevadas, this huge natural expanse of water is a well-known beauty spot - we were looking out over Emerald Bay when Eddie Elsom came out with the best quote of the day: "Humbling isn't it - to think that all man has added is a few railings and a couple of telescopes?"

Yesterday evening was a fantastic event - the two teams held a birthday party for our composites specialist Mike Horne in the Black Rock Saloon. Rob Hemper was on his usual guitar and mouth-organ, while the SoA masseuse Alison brought her saxophone along. One of the visiting enthusiasts, Dan, sang the teams a couple of songs he has written - "ThrustSSC" and "Spirit of America lives on" - and one of the Mach 1 Club members had everyone in stitches with his Richard Noble impression. Some locals turned up with what looked like a jet-powered tractor under a tarpaulin - but refused to take the covers off. It must have taken them days to build, but it was a great spoof! It was a good evening...

(Spirit of America's dust trail. Photo: Jeremy Davey. Image taken with a Fujifilm DS-515A Digital Card Camera)

Today we have just a breeze on the desert and the temperature is rising as it moves into the afternoon. Craig Breedlove made a couple of runs up at the North end of the desert this morning - all we could see from the ThrustSSC Desert Pits was the dust trails above the haze. The first was a 330mph - no speed for the second has been issued as yet. All being well he will be making another run this evening - meanwhile the track lining and defodding teams are out at work.

(Robbie Kraike works on the suspension. Photo: Jeremy Davey. Image taken with a Fujifilm DS-515A Digital Card Camera)

The engineering work is going well - the power converter that was giving trouble on the last run has been changed, and the necessary adjustments are being made to the rear suspension to raise the tail from its existing lowest-possible position. Advantage has been taken of the engineering days to tidy up some bits of wiring, and to strip down the interface box for the video cameras and check it out. As each day goes by, ThrustSSC gets in better and better shape for the record runs ahead.

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