The British Steam Car Team Has Success At Edwards AFB

“The Lean, Green, Mean Machine” of the British Steam Car Challenge as it finally rolls along on the desert sands of the Rogers Dry Lake Bed, located on Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, Southern California [ctrl-click for steam test video]. Image Credit: BSCC (2009)

The British Steam Car Team Has Success At Edwards AFB

After numerous technical problems, the British Steam Car team successfully carried out its first test run on US soil, yesterday. The team has been working tirelessly to get the car ready for the record attempts to break the century-old world land speed record for steam-powered vehicles.

The team was in position by 7.00am ready for their first run. Test Driver Don Wales was strapped into the 25ft-long car that he has nicknamed “the lean, green, mean machine” – because of the technical issues the team has had to overcome. The goal was to replicate the test program that took place in April at Thorney Island. The throttle lag was approx 5-7 seconds but it seemed longer as the vehicle accelerated slowly away.

Project Manager Matt Candy said: "We reached 77mph over a very short distance of just 1km which was comparable to our tests at Thorney. We were due to do a high speed return run but the gas rig had trouble refueling and so we had to abort it. We will replace this gas pump tomorrow and resume the testing programme. The software has since confirmed that the vehicle produced more steam on the test run than in the UK, a bypass valve was open for approximately 1/5 of the test and the majority of the steam was wasted. This can be rectified, and knowing that it not performing to its full capacity is really encouraging news, as we can utilize the steam to generate more power than we thought we had."

World Record Attempt will Be Delayed

Despite the successful test run, the team has taken the decision to delay the record attempt to the week commencing 17th August. Candy continued, "It’s important that the technical issues with the support rigs are resolved before an attempt is made, and these things can’t be rushed. In addition, the FIA officials have to leave on the 4th August to attend Bonneville Speedweek. However the FIA are free from the 17th August after they have carried out their duties at Bonneville and can join the team at Edwards to calibrate and record the attempts"

The British Steam Car Team hopes to achieve the official FIA Land Speed Record for a steam-powered vehicle. The current official FIA record is 127mph previously set by American, Fred Marriott, driving a Stanley steam car in 1906.
(ht: Chris Wall, BSCC)

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: British Steam Car Challenge, BSCC, Chris Wall, Don Wales, Edwards Air Force Base, FIA, Land Speed, Record, Rogers Dry Lake Bed, Steam-Powered, The EDJE

For The British Steam Car Challenge ... It's Base Camp Made, Course Laid!

The BSCC land speed car gets unloaded from its special shipping container and checked out at the base camp for the British Steam Car Challenge scheduled to begin July 13, 2009 and end July 24, 2009. Image Credit: BSCC

For The British Steam Car Challenge ... It's Base Camp Made, Course Laid!

The British Steam Car team arrived at Edwards Air Force Base on Monday 29 June.

Despite temperatures of over 100 degrees (that's dry heat) and a Fourth of July celebration, they have now established the BSCC Base Camp.

Team Manager, Matt Candy, says: "There's a lot of work to do before we can make the record attempts. We have to set up our communication system, check the radios, assemble the fuelling rigs, unpack the tools, obtaining the propane, get the fridge working and put the toilet in place. It's a bit like an Everest expedition but in baking heat rather than the freezing cold!"

One of the most nerve-wracking tasks was to check for any damage to the British Steam Car during transit. Fortunately, and this was largely because of the special shipping container which was made for it, the car arrived just as it had left the UK 21 days earlier.

The daily schedule the team has been working has been from before 5am. After 9am, due to the high temperatures. The heat , it is suspected, will affect the timing of the record attempts as well.

Candy says: "It can also get quite windy and by the afternoon it can get up to 20-30mph, we can't run the car if the wind is over 15mph."

Safety equipment to meet the regulations of the Southern Timing Association – the recognized body for Land Speed Records – has been fitted to the British Steam Car. Today the car will be inspected by representatives from the Southern Timing Association and the FIA (the international governing body of motor sport).

Tomorrow, the team's test driver, Don Wales, will arrive and dynamic test runs will start on Monday, July 13, 2009.

Candy says: "We then have a window until the 24th July in which to make the record attempts. Potentially, each run could be an attempt on the record but to qualify as an official record we have to turn the car around and make a run in the opposite direction within 60 minutes. Obviously, if a first run is not at the required speed we shan't attempt to go for the record. Instead, we'll wait and make another attempt to get a fast first run."

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: BSCC, Don Wales, Edwards Air Force Base, July 13th, July 24th, Land Speed, Matt Candy, record attempts, Southern Timing Association FIA, The EDJE