Businessman Richard Noble was responsible for reviving British interest in the Land Speed Record in the late 1970s, raising a new challenge against the American domination of the record since 1964. Noble's dream of capturing the record began as a six-year old child during a family holiday in 1952, when he saw John Cobb's jet boat Crusader preparing to attack the Water Speed Record at Loch Ness in Scotland. In 1974, he decided to turn his dream into reality, and started out by building the first British jet-powered car, Thrust 1. It was a crude machine, and crashed following wheel bearing failure in March 1977, but Thrust 1 showed that Noble was serious. The scrap value of Thrust 1 became the first investment in his World Land Speed Record challenger.

The first breakthrough came - the RAF agreed to sell Noble a Rolls-Royce Avon 210 jet engine from a Lightning fighter aircraft. Noble campaigned ceaselessly for sponsors, and recruited designer John Ackroyd. The build commenced in the summer of 1978 on the Isle of Wight. By late 1980 Thrust 2 was running, and set six British records on the runway of RAF Greenham Common, reaching speeds of over 260 mph.

Equipped with a more powerful Avon 302 engine developing 17000 lb. thrust, the Thrust team were on their way to Bonneville in September 1981. Once there, problems were quick to greet them. Most seriously, they found that the solid aluminium wheels were digging ruts in the salt, causing serious problems if Thrust hit those same ruts on the return run. This meant that a fresh track had to be prepared for each run of the car. And the British had to learn all of the lessons of running jet cars on the salt that the Americans had learnt twenty years before. Eventually, on 10th October 1981, Noble became the fastest British driver ever with a two-way average of 418.118 mph, lighting the afterburner for the first time on his return run of 447.029 mph. After that run, Noble declared he was much happier with the handling of the car, but by the next day the salt flats were waterlogged and the dejected team had to return home.

Bonneville Salt Flats were again in very poor condition in 1982. By the end of September, the salt was still wet after more heavy rainfall, and the arriving Thrust team were faced with the prospect of another cancellation. By chance, someone suggested that the Black Rock Desert in Nevada might be worth a look. Black Rock turned out to be exactly what they were looking for: long, flat, featureless, devoid of vegetation - and dry! By 7th October, the team had relocated and Thrust 2 was making its first run on the baked mud surface. Thrust 2 found the new surface much more to its liking, and on 4th November Noble achieved a two-way average of 590.551 mph. But Thrust 2 was curiously lacking the power to go faster, and within three days the winter weather had set in...

The team realised that their 1983 campaign would be their last chance. Upon their return to Black Rock, speeds soon crept above 600 mph, but the car suffered engine problems on Run 7. An engine inspection revealed that it was not operating with full afterburner, explaining the lack of power. After rectifying the fault, static tests at Reno airport proved the engine was now restored to full power. Ackroyd also changed the attitude of the car to reduce the downforce on the front wheels. On 4th October 1983, Noble achieved 624.241 mph on the outward run, then 642.971 mph on the return run for an average of 633.468 mph over the measured mile. After nine years' work, Noble's dream was fulfilled - Project Thrust had returned the Land Speed Record to Britain.

14 years later Noble would return to the playa he had come to know so well - this time with the ThrustSSC jet car in an attempt to set the first ever supersonic World Land Speed Record. The Web Site is the story of that successful attempt.

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