[Land-speed] Bloodhound

[Ray Buck]

  The question of "how many wheels on the ground" has been discussed 
before and I'm not sure I ever saw a definitive answer.

If a car is presented with 4 wheels but one (or even 2) of them happens 
to lift off the ground during a record run, is the record invalidated?  
It might be seen as somewhat like outrigger (training?) wheels on a bike 
liner.  Some may start with 3 or 4 wheels, but at speed only 2 are in 
contact with the ground at speed.

Just for the sake of argument, let's say that a car like the Bloodhound 
which has 2 front wheels with a much narrower track than the rear, finds 
itself in a state where the front wheels are off the ground for a period 
of time...maybe 100 yards, maybe a mile...???  Would this then 
invalidate an FIA record?  Or could someone protest a record if they 
could show that only the rear wheels we in contact with the ground?  I 
think that's what Mayf's alluded to in the last sentence of his post, 
and it sure seems like a questionable area to me.

RtR
(gonna be on the salt early for SW to photograph course setup)


On 7/21/2010 3:52 PM, drmayf wrote:
> I am sure that their superior British engineering can come up with 
> power to over come  nearly double the drag to go from 762 to 1000 mph 
> ( caveat...area needs to be considered).  Transonic drag is gonna bee 
> a bugger to overcome. Ever see a transonic drag vs speed curve?  Now 
> if drag is nearly double and it is likely to be way way more then 
> increased thrust needs will be significant. I am sure they can do it, 
> however.  I wonder how they are going to over coming rolling 
> resistance?  That also goes up as some power function of speed.  Going 
> to be interesting for sure.  I hope they can keep all the tires on the 
> ground as they set the record. Some manner of objective evidence for 
> that needs to be developed as the shock wave is going to in all 
> likely  obliterate the track marks from the wheels.