Bloodhound to be driven for first time in tests at Newquay Airport in October

The world's first supersonic car the Bloodhound will be driven for the first time during tests at Newquay Airport later this year.

Bloodhound is aiming to eventually break the world land speed record and could even top 1000 miles per hour.

It will be taken through its paces in October at the end of a month of tests with thousands of visitors expected to watch the car hit 200 miles per hour on the 1.7 mile runway.

The car was initially unveiled in September 2015 after being built by engineers in Bristol.

The claim it would be able to travel a mile in 3.6 seconds stunned the publicand gained the car huge recognition.

A shortage of funding meant the project was put on hold last year before a new sponsorship deal put it back on track.

The tests at Newquay Airport will assess the car's capabilities as well as driver Andy Green.

He holds the current world land speed record with Thrust SSC, the first vehicle to break the sound barrier at 763mph.

Wing Commander Green achieved that record exactly 20 years ago on October 15, the day of the Newquay tests.

It will be his first opportunity to drive the car and experience things that can't be simulated, including the steering feel, throttle, brake action, noise and vibration.

Richard Noble, Project Director, said:

The runway trials at Cornwall Airport Newquay will be the biggest milestone in the history of the Project so far.

They will provide important data on the performance of the Car and give us a first opportunity to rehearse the procedures we’ll use when we go record breaking.

Just as importantly, it is a way of saying ‘thank you’, to the schools, students, families and companies, big and small, who support The Project.

We are proud to be waving a flag for British skills and innovation on a world stage but, most of all, this is about inspiring young people.

Last year alone we directly engaged with over 100,000 students in the UK and we have already seen more students take up engineering as result of Project Bloodhound.

With the Car running, we can showcase science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the most exciting way possible. Bloodhound is Go!”