TARGET 1000 MPH

There are lines in the desert. “Tell me what you see,” says Andy Green. I see a tall triangle, wheel tracks converging on the horizon, as pure a vanishing point as it’s possible to see.

I know this isn’t what Andy is referring to because his brain doesn’t work like that. “You see how the two lines on the right are closer together than those on the left? What does that tell you?” Realisation dawns slowly. The wider rear wheels are out of line with the fronts. “Bloody hell, Bloodhound is oversteering,” I reply. “Well, carrying about two degrees of yaw” is Andy’s comeback, because that’s how his brain works.

Never let anyone tell you that land-speed records are a doddle. That you just point the damn thing straight and nail it. “It’s worse to drive than I expected,” says Andy. “There’s not a lot of grip, and above 322kph it’s like driving on ice – steering inputs are fairly constant.” I like to think I know a bit about driving, but I simply can’t get my head around what Andy Green is