The ThrustSSC team finally made it to Al Jafr arriving on the 22nd around 6.30pm at the King Feisal Air Base in the HeavyLift Antonov 124. The aircraft carried 16 team members, the ThrustSSC on its trailer, the Jaguar XJ-R Firechase, the Pit Trailer, two Supacats tractor units, the Merlo all-terrain lifter, and the project's borrowed MAN tractor unit - loaned at the last minute by CRR in Feltham. Spares and support material included the project's two Spey 205 engines, tools, the Hughes satellite dish, the 60ft long Aireshelta inflatable hanger, and food for the 26 person team for 30 days.

Al Jafr desert in Jordan is sixty miles NorthWest of Ma'an which is some 120 miles from Amman the capital. It is the site of the famous well scene in the Lawrence of Arabia movie and offers the Thrust team a quality 10 mile desert surface on which to develop the car. Due to the shortness of the track the team has no plans to call for timekeepers to establish a new record - the objective is to develop ThrustSSC, Andy Green the driver, and the Thrust operational team to speeds above 600mph.

The team arrived in the middle of a heatwave with temperatures as hot as 35C but despite the heat the Antonov unloading was completed by just past midnight. The Antonov then refuelled from the project's precious fuel stocks and departed for Brazzaville, People's Republic of the Congo. Arrangements are in hand for the team to be rapidly recovered from Jafr once the high speed runs are complete.

The non-run days start at 6am when the desert was coolest, and by the late evening of Friday 23rd the base was established on the Al Jafr desert about 50 yards from the 1996 position. Considerable advance party work had been completed which included the complete surveying of the 10 mile track and considerable defodding or stone removal. The winter's floods have left the track in pretty much the same condition as before - and the surface is very hard. There are still problems where the local Bedouin roads cross the Thrust Track causing slight surface dips and work starts today to provide additional filling and compaction. ThrustSSC is off its trailer, in the Aireshelta hangar and being prepared for its first runs. The BBC documentary camera team are on site filming every move - and we understand that BBC Tomorrows World are expected on site next week - together with the project's sponsors Paris-Match.

Head of Workshop Nick Dove reports that ThrustSSC is in ready to go condition and driver Andy Green can be seen putting in the hours on the desert track preparation.

The last of the design team fly out today Saturday and on Sunday the plans will be laid for the first runs on Monday. The team plans to set a fast pace making two runs per day - certainly before 11am when the ambient temperature rises above 25C and makes the Spey engines susceptible to reheat buzz - which can destroy engines and car. First run will be started at 100 and the second run planned for 350mph - thereafter the speeds will increase by 50mph increments until 600mph is achieved.

The team are very aware of the need to develop the car to 600mph quickly which will enable them to return to UK for further fund raise effort prior to departure to the Reno, Nevada, for the head to head race with Craig Breedlove for Mach 1 which starts on September 2nd.

The ThrustSSC Internet service restarts today, with site visitors being able to see ThrustSSC and the inside of the computer pit trailer using the spy cameras. Two World first innovations are now to be revealed for the Digital ThrustSSC Web Site - to complement the first in UK total electronic trading established in conjunction with Microsoft, Trintech and NatWest last week.

This is copyright free report service provided by ThrustSSC. A complementary copyright free service which includes reports and digital photos appears on the ThrustSSC Digital Web Site - please access on http://thrustssc.digital.co.uk.

There will be a further update report tomorrow.

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