JCB Hydromax sets new high speed on path to world record attempt

The JCB Hydromax has set a new high speed as it heads towards an FIA world record attempt next week.

Completed as part of the Southern California Timing Association’s (SCTA) Bonneville Speed Week in Utah, the Hydromax managed a speed of 368.347mph. To qualify for the SCTA record, entrants are required to make two runs on consecutive days, taking the average from the maximum speeds reached.

The twin-engined Hydromax’s speed means that it has eclipsed the previous record of 348.342 set by the Spectre Streamliner in 2010.

The record was achieved with Andy Green behind the wheel, who holds the title as the only person to break the sound barrier on land. Speaking after the record-breaking run, he said: “This record has given all of us huge confidence in the car, the team and the quality of the engineering. With our first record in the bag, we’re now turning up the power on the engines, aiming to go even faster next week.”

The Hydromax is powered by two production-based hydrogen engines which, together, provide 1,600bhp. Many elements of the high-speed vehicle are used in JCB’s production models, too, with the Hydromax’s crankshaft, for instance, being used on JCB’s 448 hydrogen and diesel engines.

JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said: “To reach 368.347mph is a fantastic achievement for the whole JCB Hydromax team. It shows just what JCB’s hydrogen engines are capable of ahead of our outright FIA world record attempt. This project is about proving that hydrogen power can perform at the very highest level with zero emissions, and today’s result is powerful evidence of that.”