“We are working on a considerable number of major sponsorship deals but these are taking time to come to fruition so we have had to slow our rate of development,” said the project director, Richard Noble. “The hardest parts are behind us: the Bloodhound SSC car is 95% complete and we have prepared the best land speed racing track in history.”
Noble was keen to point out that the Bloodhound project isn’t all about the car and that it has been used to get children excited about science and engineering to combat the skills shortage. The project has delivered events and lessons to around 100,000 children last year and also set a model rocket car competition with schools around the world taking part. The project is also teaming up with the BBC’s Mirco:bit computer to allow pupils to investigate the behaviour of model rocket cars.
However, Noble added: “Our immediate objective is to ramp up the engineering programme, advance the rocket test programme in the summer and have the car ready for running at Newquay this year.”
Noble is hoping to do this is by launching an easier way for donations to be made on the Bloodhound website as well as selling 1 x 1cm up to 4 x 4cm sections of the chassis for supporters to get their ‘selfies’ printed on the bodywork of the 1000mph car.
