BAR Honda Formula-One Land Speed Record attempt.

[Cotterik]

The team confirmed the project during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, and revealed that South African Alan van der Merwe would be the man at the wheel, rather than Briton James Rossiter, as had been initially rumoured.

Interested in finding out just how fast an F1 car can travel were it taken away from the confines of a race circuit, the team has set about developing a car to cope with the increased speeds thought achievable on the Utah salt flats. However, despite being slightly modified for the event, the car will remain a 'track legal' version of the current Honda-powered 007. It has been classed as a 'Lakester' in order to fall into the established speed record categories, being deemed an 'open wheel car of special construction. It's three-litre Honda engine drops it into the 'unblown gas lakester' category.


"There is a degree of madness about it," BAR sporting director Gil de Ferran admitted, "When you go to a place like Bonneville, it's easy to see why people used to think the world was flat, that you could fall off the edge..."

Formula One's current speed 'record' sits at around 372kph, which McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya registered in testing at Monza last week, but van der Merwe, who tests occasionally with BAR, was being geared to take that mark as close to 400kph as possible. In order to prepare himself for the record attempt, the South African will consult former outright land speed record holder Richard Noble, whose Thrust supersonic car - driven by Andy Green - reached 1220kph.

"To imagine a Formula One car running [at Bonneville] is bizarre, totally offbeat," he told Reuters, "But that's what this is all about. It's a challenge for us all."

The Bonnevile Salt Flats in Utah, where BAR test driver Alan van der Merwe had aimed to break the 400kph barrier, are currently under an inch of standing water and will not have sufficiently dried out by the time the attempt is scheduled to take place (October 5-8).

Therefore the BAR-Honda team has been forced to postpone its Formula 1 land speed record attempt because of torrential rain.

“The adverse weather conditions in Bonneville have given us no other option but to postpone the scheduled running of the BAR Honda 067 on the Bonneville Salt Flats," said the team's sporting director Gil de Ferran.

The team insists that the postponement is only a setback and has sent an observation team out to the US to gather information on when best to try again.

"We will be rescheduling our record attempt once our observation team returns to Brackley," said de Ferran.

"But we are determined to get back out to Utah again as soon as possible.”

This is a short term disappointment to the team, but the very nature of attempting to run a car at speeds in excess of 400 km/h on a natural surface means it is always susceptible to bad weather and were fully prepared for this eventuality.

The car BAR Honda will use for the record attempt, while being slightly modified for the event, is still a track legal BAR Honda 007 – the team's entry in the 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship. At the wheel for the record attempt will be Alan van der Merwe, member of BAR Honda's Young Driver Programme.

The team aim to reach speeds in excess of 400 km/h (248.4 mph)

Watch this thread for updates.

[Jakg]

repost, but you posted more info

[Cotterik]

nothing showed up on the search..

this is upto date anyway.

[culver]

I wonder how fast the Ilmor pushrod V8 Penskee Indy car could go. I think CART was hitting 245+ on the straights at Michigan. The qualifinng reacord is241.XX mph average speed around the same track.

[Cotterik]

BAR-Honda is getting its speed record attempt back on track later this week, when its modified Bonneville 400 chassis will test for the first time on a ten thousand foot long airport runway in California.

The aim of the project is to set a new speed record for a Formula 1 car on the famous Bonneville Salt Flats – scene of many historic record attempts.

The mission hit a snag when heavy rain in October left the flats waterlogged and forced the postponement of the record run.

But work continues despite this hiccup, with the Bonneville 400 project chassis set to run for the first time at Mojave Airport on Friday.

Although the car fits the F1 technical regulations, several legal modifications have been made in a bid for maximum straightline speed.

The team stressed that Friday’s test run is not an official record attempt.

“The most important thing is that we check that all the systems on the car are working properly,” said a spokesman.

“There are a lot of new bits on it that we need to assess.

“It will be an important occasion, but this is just part of the journey.”

BAR emphasised that the plan remained to return to the salt flats as soon as conditions improved – “even if we have to wait until next year to do it.”

[spi-ti-tout]

Originally Posted by Cotterik

Richard Noble, whose Thrust supersonic car - driven by Andy Green - reached 1220kph.

That's so ****ing crazy.

[johnnyperl]

maybe next year instead of doing BS like this they can focus on making a good car that doesnt break the rules...

[2ndclasscitizen]

its happening today at mohave airport, they're gonna take it down the runway and check the speed with a radar gun, but they are still planning to do the average each way runs at bonneville

[Cotterik]

BAR test driver Alan van der Merwe set a new unofficial speed record for a Formula 1 car on Saturday, as the team continued to shakedown its Bonneville 400 car at Mojave Airport in California.

The South African managed three runs at over 400kph, the fastest of which was his last: 415kph (257.88mph).

The modified BAR-Honda hybrid's speed along the 10,000 asphalt runway was recorded by an on-board Pitot Tube* and a 60-metre radar trap set up by the team.

“The car ran perfectly,” said Gary Savage, Bonneville 400’s technical chief.

“The day proved how important all the recce work has been, and how important it was to approach this challenge in a proper professional manner, to show it respect, rather than just turn up on the salt flats, go for it and hope for the best.”

The day, however, was not without problem: a 45-knot side wind, with gusts up to 60 knots.

BAR must wait until it returns to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in May of next year before it can gun for an official record however.

The project's original attempt was ruined by torrential rain which flooded the salt plains.

“It was an encouraging day and we are confident that we can achieve this speed – and more – at Bonneville," said Savage.

"But we also know that its salt surface is a much more difficult proposition. The key now is to be patient and wait for the right conditions.”





for the official website, click here

[Esperante]

How many gas tanks was this one carrying? They could've made it go faster without one of them, especially in a case with no rules...

[Cotterik]

I think it has to have the basics of a formula one car specification to qualify for the 'formula one land speed record'

[magracer]

The one shown didn´t a have a proper rear wing, so I don´t think its up to F1 spec. Although in low downforce configuration a proper wing should not provide much (if any) drag, but still.

[2ndclasscitizen]

Originally Posted by magracer

The one shown didn´t a have a proper rear wing, so I don´t think its up to F1 spec. Although in low downforce configuration a proper wing should not provide much (if any) drag, but still.

despite the rear wing on it, it is up to 05 F1 specs

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by magracer

The one shown didn´t a have a proper rear wing, so I don´t think its up to F1 spec. Although in low downforce configuration a proper wing should not provide much (if any) drag, but still.

Ther is no requirement to HAVE any wing elements in F1 in 2005 regs, only the endplates IIRC

[RacingManiac]

They made a special sidepod for it too...looks almost F-Renault 2000 style...