Jordan 2 is now behind us, and if anybody ever doubted that this car and team have what it takes to be successful, then they've got their answer. As you will read elsewhere, there were problems, but that was the whole point of initiating the two testing trips to Jordan in the first place. Years of research and planning are vital, but in the end it's only when the driver is strapped in and the car actually runs in anger, that the theoretical data is turned into hard facts.
Its been a very tough period since we last mailed you a copy of Mach 1 News. In fact this is the 7th edition and it shows that we have survived to the point of being able to run ThrustSSC at Black Rock against Spirit of America. But survival has been very tough indeed - as you remember we were washed out of Jafr last year by flooding with only 331mph to our credit and when you get a result like that, sponsors just don't come running forward with sackfuls of money. That's very painful when you have risked everything and still have a huge pile of unpaid bills to face when you come back - plus a large team to pay.
So how does the organisation survive that sort of a setback? Well we made it with the help of the Mach 1 Club who attended multiple Open Days and bought a great deal of our merchandise. By the end of the first quarter BTR had decided to come in - and their money enabled us to pay off more of our debts, and to get ready for Jordan 2. But despite BTR's generous help, the situation was still black. We had to pledge everything we had to get back to Jordan. I remember emptying the bank account for conversion into dollars for Jordan 2 and wondering what in God's name we could do when we got back. But not for long because you have to move forwards fast in this business - (in more senses than one!).
Jordan 2 took us by surprise. It all happened amazingly quickly. 13 days after arrival we had made nine runs and we had finished with 540 mph and a very stable car. The teamwork was superb and there was a high level of enthusiasm and some very long hours - about 4,600 of them. To leave then was the right decision - the temperatures were climbing fast and a few days later the heat was unmerciful. The course was still as hard as in 1996 and we had not been able to reduce the bumps to a level where ThrustSSC could run without substantial suspension movement. So the car was working much harder than we had designed it for. By contrast Black Rock has a longer softer surface and there are no bumps.
So we come back to UK with the agreement to race signed with the Spirit of America Team and arrangements in place with the US Bureau of Land Management. We start on September 02 and we can expect the race to carry on through until mid October. The tension and media coverage is going to be very considerable indeed and we know we are starting from a really strong position. The Jordan 2 work has enabled us to calibrate ThrustSSC and Ron's performance prediction software - so we know just what we are capable of . In short the gamble of running two attempts in different parts of the World in the same year looks as though it will pay off.
Over in Nevada things are beginning to happen - Bruno's is beginning to book up solid with media. Bruno is going to make a fortune - again! And if you want to come and work on the project in Nevada we need volunteers for the desert patrol work. But there is just a small hitch on the way to Nevada. There is considerable work to be done on ThrustSSC and the team is fully needed. The cost of keeping the operation going for another five months - and adding to all that the costs of operation in the US and the costs of getting out there and back amounts to a huge sum. My current budget is £600,000 or $800,000.
So we leave on August 25th. Today that gives us just under 43 days in which to make £600,000- or about £15,000 a day. Who said that Land Speed Record breaking is all about cars and driving? Can we really do this - can we really make this amount of money in such a short time? If you want an answer, come and see the team depart for Nevada on August 25th, but to remember to check the exact departure details first by ringing the ThrustSSC Hotline 0839 888850.
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