SOMERSTOTALKARE, the UK supplier for heavy duty vehicle lifting solutions, will be sponsoring the Bloodhound SSC team’s bid for the world land speed record, by donating a set of cable-free lifts.
The equipment will be used to allow safe and easy access to the underside of the jet and rocket powered vehicle during its development and in preparation for a Supersonic, 1,000mph, record attempt in 2013/14.
The car is currently being assembled at its Bristol-based headquarters and Tristan Johnston, marketing executive at SOMERSTOTALKARE, said the company was delighted to be involved.
“This is a really exciting project at the very cutting edge of engineering technology and we want to help in any way we can.
“The Cosworth engine that pumps fuel in to the hybrid rocket engine is only accessible from underneath and the Bloodhound SSC needed a flexible and manoeuvrable lifting system.
“Our cable-free lifts are ideal as they have no connecting cables, which present a trip hazard, and can be used in four, six or eight column configuration, with a lifting weight of 7.5 tonnes per column.”
A set of four S6cf lifts will be shipped out to the Bloodhound Project within the next couple of weeks, and will be used during the manufacturing process and to carry out valuable dismantling, testing and reconstruction of the car after each test. Special adaptors will also be used in conjunction with the lifts to help remove the Bloodhound SSC’s solid aluminium wheels, which weigh 95kg each.
The car itself offers a wealth of staggering statistics. It’s 13 metres long, weighs over seven tonnes and the engines produce more than 135,000 horsepower – more than six times the power of all the Formula 1 cars on a starting grid put together.
To push the car to 1,000 mph its engines burn nine gallons of fuel every second.
Tony Parraman of the Bloodhound SSC team commented, “A combination of aircraft and automotive technology, Bloodhound SSC is breaking new ground in engineering.
“Obviously this involves a massive amount of testing and the cable-free lifts supplied by SOMERSTOTALKARE will make this much easier and safer for engineers working on the car.
“We’re pleased to have the company joining the team, which has already attracted more than £8m in cash sponsorship and even more in product sponsorship from the business community.”
