Rain may have stopped Venturi from taking the VBB-3 to the absolute max at Bonneville in the past, but the French team hasn't given up on its dream of taking out the electric land speed record. With that goal in mind, Venturi Automobiles will be back at Bonneville in September, with fingers and toes crossed hoping the wet weather doesn't prevent a run at the record for the fourth year running.
Having set the world land speed record for electric vehicles with the 307.7 mph (495 km/h) Buckeye Bullet 2.5 in 2009, the team at Venturi and Ohio State University returned to the Salt Flats at Bonneville in 2013 with the 3,000 hp (2,237 kW) VBB-3. Aiming to eventually exceed 440 mph (708 km/h), the team has been stopped in their tracks by rain on the last three attempts.
That's not to say the car hasn't managed at least some records in its lifetime. Faced with a shortened, choppy track last year, driver Roger Schroer managed an average speed of 240.32 mph (386.757 km/h), enough to take out the record for electric cars over 3.5-tonnes as a consolation prize.
But weight specific records aren't really what Venturi wants here; it wants to go faster than its own 2010 record. In an attempt to raise the funds necessary, the team has turned to Kickstarter. Pledges range from US$10 to $7,000, with rewards from a signed flyer to a 15 x 10 cm sticker bearing your name on the (hopefully) record-breaking car on offer.
Venturi expects the record attempt to take place at Bonneville this September. The team is yet to announce the exact dates, but says it will be at the Salt Flats for 20 days.
Source: Venturi