Bloodhound LSR—the revival of the defunct Bloodhound SSC project—is currently working its way up to its ultimate goal of 1,000 mph by taking the machine out for test run after test run in South Africa. And the newest video of the vehicle shows just what it’s like to hit 628 mph for driver Andy Green.
Green is a former fighter pilot as well as the current holder of the World Land Speed record of 763.035 mph, which makes him the most uniquely qualified man for the job. And you can see how much work he’s putting in below:
This view is honestly really great. It’s a 360-degree video, which means you can click and drag the view around to get a full sense of what’s around Green. You can watch Green’s eyes darting around as he takes in the information being displayed around him as well as the incredibly minor corrections he makes while driving. Everything here is just pure focus. And while there’s too much glare to really be able to see the path in front of Green, it is often reflected in his helmet.
The whole shot is worth spending two minutes on. It’s a testament to the sheer amount of skill it takes to pilot a vehicle like this.
The video likely shows one of the last runs Green and the Bloodhound crew made before the vehicle was shipped back to Britain for the holidays, where crew members will analyze all the data acquired this year before outfitting the car with a jet engine in the hopes that Green will be able to break his own record at the start of 2020.