JCB DIESELMAX TAKES BONNEVILLE SPEED RECORD WITH RICARDO-DEVELOPED ENGINES

[Newsreader]

The international diesel land-speed record for diesel-powered vehicles moved a step closer as the JCB DIESELMAX broke the Bonneville Salt Flats course record with a measured-mile speed of 317mph.

JCB Dieselmax passes 300mph

Having already achieved a recorded average speed over a measured mile of 308mph in the late afternoon of Thursday 17 August, the JCB DIESELMAX needed to complete a second run within a twenty four hour period at least matching this speed in order to take the record.

The second run was completed successfully achieving an average speed of 325mph. The average speed of the two runs was thus recorded as 317.021mph, thus establishing the JCB DIESELMAX as the fastest-ever diesel over the Bonneville course.

“Establishing a new Bonneville course record in excess of 300mph is a major achievement for the team and demonstrates the power and capability both of the vehicle and its Ricardo-developed JCB444-LSR engines”, said Ian Penny, Ricardo director of diesel engineering. “We have every confidence that the JCB DIESELMAX has the capability to take the official international FIA record in the next few days and the Ricardo engineering team on site at Bonneville will be working flat out to ensure that the engines they have developed will perform to their full potential”.

Having achieved the course record, the JCB DIESELMAX team will now prepare the vehicle for its official FIA record attempt. This will entail the replacement of the engines with two new units which have been certified and sealed by FIA inspectors at Ricardo’s Shoreham Technical Centre prior to shipment to Bonneville.

For the record attempt the JCB DIESELMAX will need to complete two runs within the space of one hour from entry of the measured mile on the first run to exit on the second.

[Lighting90]

Fingers crossed for the guys... would be a good record to have.... and I am sure it has done no harm to JCB's presence in the USA as a digger supplier..

[charliedenny]

I wonder if one of those will fit in a series 2!

[Newsreader]

I wonder if one of those will fit in a series 2!

Worth a try?

[abyssdj]

now ask yourself - why are JCB going for the record? why not someone that makes fast stuff... not diggers

[Bigkid]

Just a thought here, didnt Lamborgini start his sports car industry off the back of his Tractor business......

Bigkid

[vzh7gk]

Perhaps we'll be getting a real JCB-GT soon??

[abyssdj]

what, so we can dig the road outside people's house up at 300+ mph?

[Newsreader]

Just a thought here, didnt Lamborgini start his sports car industry off the back of his Tractor business......

Bigkid

I know a guy with a Lamborghini tractor ... the name badge is where the resemblance ends

[Newsreader]

now ask yourself - why are JCB going for the record? why not someone that makes fast stuff... not diggers

Well they do make the FastTrac Funnily enough they had some pics of FastTracs in the press pack and I nearly posted one by mistake - how about, FastTrac does 300+!!!

[abyssdj]

that would be a bit dodgy... even more dodgy than a defender doing above 85

[Newsreader]

The JCB DIESELMAX yesterday secured the FIA international land speed record for diesel-powered vehicles with speed of 328.767mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Powered by two state-of-the-art JCB444-LSR engines developed by Ricardo, the JCB DIESELMAX beat the existing record by almost 100mph

The record attempt began at daybreak when course conditions on the Salt Flats were most favourable. The official record is the average achieved over two successive test runs which under FIA rules must be undertaken within the space of one hour.

“Securing the international FIA land speed record for diesel powered vehicles is a major achievement for JCB and for the Ricardo team which has played a key role in this project with the development of the JCB444-LSR engines”, said Ian Penny, Ricardo director of diesel engineering. “This has been a very bold initiative which has served to demonstrate the ultimate performance than can be achieved from a diesel engine and at the same time the very robust architecture of the production JCB444 engine from which the JCB444-LSR has been developed by Ricardo and with which it shares many original components. We congratulate JCB on this stunning achievement.”

The two JCB444-LSR engines which power the JCB DIESELMAX are much more than the world’s fastest and highest specific power diesels. At its heart the engine uses the advanced Ricardo High Speed Diesel Race (HSDR) combustion system which the company originally developed for competition applications. It also shares many technologies which Ricardo is developing in order to make the vehicles of tomorrow more energy efficient and less polluting. In addition to diesel particulate filters for example, the JCB DIESELMAX includes technologies such as two-stage inter-cooled turbo-charging, high pressure fuel injection and a low compression ratio, low temperature combustion system. All of these technologies are being developed by Ricardo for application on the high performance, ultra-low emissions diesel vehicles of the future. Today’s success of Ricardo’s leading role in the JCB DIESELMAX diesel world land speed record engines follows news that the company is working with a leading global automaker to demonstrate technologies capable of achieving the world’s cleanest diesel exhaust emissions standard (US Tier II / Bin 2), as well as the roll-out in June of the Efficient-C hybrid diesel demonstrator vehicle which boasts one of the world’s most energy-efficient powertrains.

“Ricardo is committed to delivering the ultimate in performance, emissions and energy efficiency for our customers and the products which we help them to develop”, said Ian Penny. “While this is true for all aspects of our business and for vehicles of all types and fuels, our position with respect to diesel engines is particularly strong. With the JCB DIESELMAX today claiming the international FIA world speed record for a diesel vehicle, Ricardo can now claim to have developed the world’s highest specific power and fastest ever diesel engine. This follows our role in developing one of the world’s most energy efficient diesel powertrains in the Efficient-C hybrid announced in June this year as well as our on-going research which we expect to deliver an ultra-low emissions diesel capable of achieving the world’s toughest emissions standards later in the year. As such our diesel expertise is now demonstrably able to deliver the world’s fastest and most powerful, as well as the most fuel efficient and clean diesel vehicles for the future.”

Having already taken the FIA international land speed record for a diesel vehicle, the JCB DIESELMAX team will continue to run at Bonneville over the coming days with a view to further increasing the record.

[Mogwyth]

Having already taken the FIA international land speed record for a diesel vehicle, the JCB DIESELMAX team will continue to run at Bonneville over the coming days with a view to further increasing the record.

Which they have done the record now stands at a shade over 350mph, on the first run they managed 363mph, second run was slower due to cooling problems.

Wing Commander Green said after the run that Dieselmax felt capable of 400mph, but the tyres would not be up to the job, so the team was unlikely to do any more runs. 'We've achieved our maximum aspirations for this car - and we've still not been in sixth gear. There's so much more it can do.'

Until the team's 329mph success on Tuesday, the diesel record had stood at 236mph since 1973.

Great achievement

[vzh7gk]

what, so we can dig the road outside people's house up at 300+ mph?

ROTFL

No - they wouldn't have time for buckets of tea!
But they could do 300mph getting to the site of the hole

Anyway - well done chaps!!