Since the early days of the SSC project, the search has been on for a new record site to rival the Black Rock Desert in order to provide two running periods in a year and have a fall-back in the event that the Black Rock does not harden sufficiently in any one year. It’s important that the chosen surface floods every year to ensure that it is perfectly flat and refreshed when it does dry out. Now you’d think that there must be plenty of suitable places in the world, but as previous record breakers have found, this is not so. In previous issues of this Newsletter and via the Internet Webserver, we received information from a number of you about possible sites, but when you do get a lead on something, there is simply no alternative to sending somebody to check it out personally - preferably someone with good first hand knowledge of how it compares to Black Rock. Richard Noble’s brother, Andrew, was with the team in Thrust2 days and has quickly become the `overseas Mr Fixit’. So, bags packed and ready to go, Andrew continues to rack up his airmiles searching out the perfect location. Here’s a taster of some of the places he’s visited..
What we were looking for, was an identical surface to Black Rock, alkali mud with truck access, dry and hard in April/May each year (to complement the September/October period for Black Rock) and near to a town for logistics. We soon found that apart from the leads provided from a variety of sources, there is no data base for such sites - they are mostly considered waste, wilderness areas or are disused military test areas. Undeterred, we started enquiries with national geological institutes, tourist offices and embassies.
From this initial list, and making whatever checks we could, we drew up a short list of likely candidates and in October 1995, made the first trip to the USA, always a most receptive country for us to operate in. There were two possible sites, both close to the Mexican border. The first site, Willcox Playa had an excellent 9 mile surface on military land, and as word got around, we gained huge backing from the town and the mayor. Sadly, we were finally refused permission by the military some months later.
The next site was a top secret missile testing base, and this time the military nearly tore our arms off to go there, in the case of the commanding general almost literally, but the track was a 6 mile compacted gypsum runway, complete with built in runway lights and markers and no run off area. Gypsum is also much harder and more corrosive that salt and unsuitable for our aluminium wheels. The next three sites in Sonora State, Mexico were also unsuitable, and spectacularly so. Somehow our track specification had been seriously misread with hilarious results! And that was it for the USA, so there was nothing for it but to head for another Continent.
Now that it has taken its place back in the international community, South Africa is keen to promote itself whenever it can and responded with great enthusiasm to our request to investigate three potential sites in the north west. Like Willcox Playa, Hakskeen Pan had a 9 mile track, but this time only of fair quality and, worse still, with a large rock causeway road across the measured mile. I’m sure Andy wouldn’t appreciate an obstacle this large! Groote Vloer was huge but totally covered in scrub, so that just left Verneuk Pan, a site that already figures prominently in LSR history, albeit from many years ago.
In the late 20’s, Malcolm Campbell, Segrave and Keech had pushed the record up to over 200mph on the sands of Daytona Beach, but after suffering a rough ride due the uneven surface, made worse by the vagaries of tides and winds, Campbell sought a new site. Verneuk Pan was his chosen site and he ran Bluebird here in March 1929, experiencing bad weather and a chapter of typical LSR disasters. The LSR eluded him, although he did set some distance records. Eerily his track is still clearly visible. Verneuk has an excellent load bearing surface, with the potential of an 11 mile track but with a thin covering of small black glacial scree stones. These would need to be completely cleared over the entirety of our chosen track and the surrounding run off area to allow the SSC to run safely. Right now, tests are underway to see if this is feasible. Middle East and Far Eastern sites have also been put forward for consideration, and we have in fact inspected a secret desert offering a 5-6 mile track on the best surface yet found, certainly much harder and therefore less drag inducing that Black Rock. Even though it’s on the short side, this desert has real potential, especially since we have been told to count on considerable government and military support, although hazards there include locals with a fairly loose control of both their trucks and livestock.
Other areas in Western Pakistan, Syria and Algeria have been rejected for security reasons for the time being, while one huge area is inconveniently underwater at present and not available for checking out until the late Spring. The search goes on and we welcome any input or suggestions from readers. In fact, our secret desert site was suggested by a Mach 1 Club member. We will keep you up to date on our progress in future issues.
Before all that happens, the arrangements for this year have to be made and at the end of March Richard Noble and I were on our way to the US to attend the crucial public meetings in Gerlach and Reno. The Bureau of Land Management is the Government organisation which is responsible for issuing the permit for Spirit of America and ThrustSSC to run on the Black Rock desert. No permit means no runs! The public meetings, known as Scoping Meetings, are held to table the proposal and take public soundings. They are taken very seriously and are an extremely good example of well-run democracy in action. Craig Breedlove attended with us.
The meeting at Gerlach attracted an audience of around 60 and ran for 4 hours. The primary concern was from the other permitees that we would encroach on their activities - principally the incredible Aero-Pac amateur rocket people who plan to launch around 100 large rockets each day and to make the first amateur space launch very shortly - and the Burning Man Festival which is a huge 5,000 person party and involves the symbolic burning of a beautiful 40ft wooden statue. Very quickly the various parties realised that we could all not only get along together with a bit of give and take but also actively help each other.
The Reno meeting was very much a rerun of the Gerlach meeting with around 70 attending - many of those having made the 100 mile journey from Gerlach to support the application. At Reno we met our old adversary Charlie Watson from the Nevada Outdoor Lands Recreation Association who had opposed the Thrust 2 applications in 1992-3 - but this time he was in general support provided care was taken to ensure protection of the valuable surroundings. The National Historic Trails Association were there to point out that 1996 was the 15Oth anniversary of the important Applegate-Larsen immigrant trail and they planned to run wagon trains along the route in commemoration. They were particularly keen to ensure that the participants are not exposed to the 2Oth century and do not want to see dust trails or LSR signage on the desert from their route. In fact the A-L trail runs a long way north of the proposed LSR track and there would be no conflict, unless the wagon train found the Northern end of the Black Rock desert too boggy and decided to cross the desert further South, in which case they would want to cross the LSR course at right angles and through the high speed section! ThrustSSC and a wagon train would make for some wonderful global PR!
The meetings were very well run, the subject was fully aired including all the difficult questions about supersonic booms - and the rest of the action is now with the BLM. They close the doors on public input from April 11th and then they plan to make the decision in early May. Frankly from our perspective, it seems to me that with a little give and take and an undertaking to help each other there is no reason why all the events cannot coexist and mutually benefit. Time will tell.
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