406.320mph! JCB Hydromax breaks World Land Speed Record
After much promise and anticipation, the JCB Hydromax has achieved its ultimate goal, breaking the world land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Piloted by the legendary Wing Commander Andy Green — the only person to break the sound barrier on land — the hydrogen-powered JCB achieved an average time of 406.320 mph from its two runs, managing 400.623 mph in its first run and an astonishing 412.135 mph on its second run. The time was a remarkable increase from its speed of 368.347mph during the recent effort at Bonneville Speed Week.
Powering the Hydromax’s record attempt were two of JCB’s own production-based hydrogen digger engines. The engines, which produce a combined 1,600bhp, were manufactured at JCB’s engine factory in Derbyshire as part of the company’s £100 hydrogen programme. The hydrogen record attempt was the brainchild of JCB Chairman Lord Bamford, with the engines now being used to power JCB machines and equipment rolling off production lines in the UK.
With its most recent exploits, the JCB Hydromax has smashed the FIA-officiated hydrogen internal combustion benchmark of 185.5 mph set by the BMW H2R in 2004, as well as the 350.092 mph world diesel land speed record set by Andy Green in the JCB Dieselmax 20 years ago.
“It shows hydrogen works”
Lord Bamford said: “Twenty years ago we came to Bonneville with JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel power. Today we have done it again — this time with engines powered by hydrogen. This record was set by production-based engines, the same engines powering JCB diggers right now. That is the point of JCB Hydromax: it shows hydrogen works, and it works today at the highest level with zero emissions.”
Andy Green said: “Bonneville is the spiritual home of the world land speed record, and JCB Hydromax has just written itself into that history. The car was terrific — stable, strong and fast. Setting a world land speed record with hydrogen power, twenty years after Dieselmax, is a huge privilege. This record is a huge achievement by a world class team and superb technology.”
“Motorsport has always been a catalyst for technological progress”
President of the FIA, H.E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said: “This is a truly historic milestone for motorsport showcasing how innovation, performance, speed, and sustainability can go hand in hand.
“Motorsport has always been a catalyst for technological progress pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This new land speed record continues this tradition, showcasing the potential of hydrogen combustion for the future of sustainable mobility.”
words: Mike Booth
pictures: JCB