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The earth moved for Wing Commander Andy Green this week, as he piloted the JCB DieselMax land speed record attempt car to just over 200mph in testing at RAF Wittering.
The twin-engined diesel streamliner managed seven runs of over 180mph and a top speed of 201mph. While this is still some way short of the DieselMax’s 300mph target, the runway at RAF Wittering is just 1.6 miles – at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the team will have over nine miles to play with. The DieselMax will also then be properly unfettered to produce 1500bhp; at the moment it is restricted to 1200bhp.
“I’m so impressed with what has been achieved - exceeding 200mph really shows the potential of the car to break the record,” said Green. “It’s remarkably easy to drive. It steers very well, the brakes work smoothly and the chassis is extremely stiff. That gives you the confidence you need when accelerating to very high speeds and then coming to a stop in a limited space.
The DieselMax team is heading to the US in the next few days for a week of testing prior to the record attempt.
See the DieselMax in action here.
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