ThrustSSC Mach 1 Club

PROJECT BULLETIN & MESSAGE FROM RICHARD NOBLE

Hello again and welcome to another short Thrust SSC Project Bulletin. A new colour Mach 1 News sponsored by DERA is being produced right now, and will be available very soon, but in the meantime here is some important project news that you may already have heard something about in the press, plus a couple of further offers that we know you will want to follow up. The Summer was taken up by everybody working flat out to create sufficient cash-flow to enable us to catch up on lost time and make it to Black Rock this year. Sadly, that wont now be possible and we will have to wait until next year. We need your help more than ever. Richard Noble explains.

Well, despite all our best endeavours, we finally had to announce that we wouldnt complete the car in time to take it to Black Rock this year. We knew from the beginning that time would be extremely tight and that it would be an extraordinary achievement to complete within one year of project launch. I really hoped that we would could have made it to the US this year (we even had transport arranged in the shape of an Antonov AN124 provided by Heavylift of Stansted) - but it was not to be.

We tried every trick in the book to ramp up cash flow sufficiently but the response was delayed. The best description of what has happened is that we are rather like a surfer who has tried too hard and got ahead of the wave - and we have had to slow down while the wave of support and resource caught up with us. As I write this, it seems that deals are flying thick and fast again and I know that the wave is catching up with us, but it is simple too late for this year. We need all the help we can to keeping pushing on while that wave heads our way.

One thing you cant control is the weather. Lyn Clemons from the Bureau of Land Management, Winnemucca rang to tell me that the desert was still wet from last Winter. Been one of the wettest seasons for years, he said, the surface is very crumbly and it still needs plenty of consolidation. Local reports are also predicting an early start to the rains this year. Craig Breedlove will make the Black Rock this year but only in the first week of October and Gary Swenson from the American Eagle team tells me that they hope to make sometime during September, so dependant on the condition of the desert and the weather, both teams will get a head start on us. We shouldnt be too disheartened by this because both have been building for much longer than us and as we know from Thrust 2 days, the first trials can be very tricky with a new car on solid wheels and the going tends to be slow and frustrating.

But back to Thrust SSC. We now have 122 companies on the project and just over 2,000 Mach 1 Club members. So heres the next target and a real opportunity for you to help. We have to complete the car for the London Motor Show which takes place from October 19 - 29 and where we have been given a huge ground floor stand (H6) so that we can show Thrust SSC to the public for the first time. This is no mean undertaking for it means working 5500 man hours in 8 weeks, or 11 people working very long 60 hour weeks and will take every bit of funding that is coming in. This is where you can help and get something special in return.

To mark the occasion of the car being rolled-out for the show we are offering club members a special Build Certificate signed by everybody on the design and build team. This is a limited edition opportunity marking a significant milestone on the road towards our ultimate goal, and these certificates are bound to become highly sought after collectors items in years to come - dont forget, this only happens once and they will not be offered after October 18. Each certificate costs 12 and you can even buy multiples if you wish. Why not but one as a gift for a friend? Mark the box and we will include your name on a special Roll of Honour on our Internet server. At the end of this Project Bulletin you will find an order form for your certificate, so please print it out and fill it in as soon as possible so that we can reserve your personal certificate (s) for you.

On August 20 we had the second of our Mach 1 Club Open Days attended by 160 people. I do enjoy these days and in the midst of such intense pressure its great to be able to relax with people who are even more enthusiastic than the team! As usual with Thrust SSC Roadshows, we gave a series of talks and presentations - Ron Ayers on aerodynamics, Glynne Bowsher on structure, brakes and wheels, Jeremy Bliss with a superb computer animated display on the systems, and Greg Tallett on engines. As always we make a point of sharing both the good news and the bad, which surprised some and went down really well. People tend to expect only good news, but as Ron Ayers put it, we are all in this together, so you might as well know whats really happening!

Over 300 hundred of you have taken advantage of this part of your club membership and we have one more chance for you to visit Fontwell before the car is complete. The date is October 15 and the whole show starts at 10:30 and last until well into the afternoon. We can cater for up to 200 hundred people maximum, so this offer is strictly on a first come, first served basis. Your membership entitles you to bring a guest, so please fill in the registration form now to guarantee success. Please could you ensure that you also include a letter sized stamped addressed envelope with your application so that we can send full details to you.

If you are not one of those lucky enough to make it on October 15 we will send you an invitation for the next Open Day which will take place as soon as possible after October 15. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you for all your help
Richard Noble

Form to print, fill and post...

Name: .....................................................................................................................

Address: ......................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................

Membership No:......................................

Certificates Required, please enter number:.....

Please add my name to Internet Roll of Honour (please tick)

Sterling cheques only payable to : SSC Programme Ltd, PO Box 77 , Hampton, Middx, TW12 2XN.

PLEASE RETURN WITH A MEDIUM SIZED STAMPED, ADDRESSED ENVELOPE TO:
Mach 1 Club, PO Box 77, Hampton, Middx, TW12 2XN

Name:..........................................................

Membership No:.......................................

Signature: ..........................................................................................................

I confirm that I will be visiting G Force Precision Engineering on Sunday October 15 1995

PLEASE TICK AS APPROPRIATE

I will not be bringing a guest
I will be bringing a guest Name:..................................

If oversubscribed please book me for the next visit - date to be advised

I would like to help for a day at the London Motor Show 19-24 Oct

I acknowledge that all visitors to the above event attend at their own risk, and neither Thrust SSC Programme Ltd nor G Force Precision Engineering Ltd accept responsibility for injury or loss of or damage to personal property.

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