Brits aim for wind-powered, land speed record

Britain has a reputation for trying to push the envelope in exploration, daring feats and cutting edge technology; we love to try to be the very best at all kinds of wonderful extremes.

In the latest feat of daring-do, two Brit’s will attempt to break the existing world wind-powered, land speed record.

They have taken their Donald Campbell’s Bluebird inspired “Greenbird” over to Western Australia to break the current 116mpg world record while racing across Lake LeFroy in the totally carbon neutral Greenbird.

They will not be flying across water as Lake LeFroy is a 500 sq km dry salt lake, which is very hard and very flat, ideal for the speed attempt.

Presumably not a concept that Campbell with his gas guzzling monster vehicles would have comprehended, but times change and 40 years on the race is to save fuel not burn as much as possible while going very fast.

Dale Vince, self proclaimed eco-entrepreneur and his green fingered engineer Richard Jenkins, will make the attempt in the land yacht, which has huge sails to catch the wind, unlike older style land yachts seen flying across the beach at Southport every weekend.

This vehicle does not have canvass or fabric based sails, its wind catching sails are solid and have more in common with an aircraft’s wing than an ancient sail from a galleon.

This is not just one of those mad dogs and Englishmen record attempts, the pair are determined to prove that this technology can be used successfully in a version of a regular type car and they even intend to have a prototype on the road at the end of the year.