Land Speed Records

An autonomous race team from the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) has set a new land speed record for driverless cars, recording a two-way average of 192.2 mph (309.3 km/h) over a flying kilometer on a space shuttle airstrip at the Kennedy Space Center.

The outright land speed record has stood firm since 1997. Now, with its two main competitors out of the picture, Western Australia's Aussie Invader team has its sights set on a 1,000 mph run next year, using a custom-developed 62,000 lbf rocket.

The bumpy road endured by the Bloodhound supersonic car appears set to continue for some time yet, with the current owners behind the venture putting the project up for sale again, citing difficulties raising funds in light of the global pandemic.

French manufacturer Voxan can now claim to have the world's fastest electric motorcycle. Using a short airstrip instead of a salt flat, rider Max Biaggi and the 362-horsepower Voxan Wattman set no less than 11 land speed records on the weekend.

Land speed racers are a rare and different breed, willing to put their lives on the line for a chance to look at the world from a perspective and velocity nobody before them has experienced. Last week, the world's fastest biker lost his life.

Voxan and Max Biaggi's attempt at the electric motorcycle land speed record has been postponed, along with all your hopes and dreams for 2020. But here's the 367-horsepower, partially streamlined monster that'll hurtle down the Bolivian salt in 2021.

Although the Bloodhound supersonic car recently reached its fastest speed yet, it'll still need some more oomph to meet its next target of over 800 mph. To that end, its makers have announced that it's now being equipped with a zero-emissions rocket.

Looking to maintain its forward momentum, the Bloodhound LSR team has taken to a lakebed in a South African desert for a test run, in which its jet-engine-powered vehicle reached its fastest speeds yet.

An ex-Isle of Man TT Zero bike has set a new land speed record and become the "fastest electric unfaired motorbike in the world" – subject to ratification by the FIM. The record speed, a two-way average over a flying kilometer, was 185.103 mph (297.894 km/h), with a best one-way speed of 194.086 mph (312.351 km/h).

Time for a quick update on Shea Nyquist's quest to break the land speed record in a fully electric streamliner. The bike is up and running, albeit without any fairing panels on it yet, and Nyquist has been doing some "kind of illegal" but successful testing on quiet backroads near his home.

The Bloodhound supersonic car project has bounced back from the brink of bankruptcy to set its sights on the land speed record once again. The vehicle will hit the track in October for the first time since its relaunch, with plans to carry out high-speed testing in a South African desert.

Ex-BMX freestyler and custom motorcycle builder Shea Nyquist is putting together a home-made electric streamliner motorcycle to take a shot at the land speed record books. It takes a highly skilled, doggedly determined and slightly nutty person to succeed on the salt, and Shea might be that guy.