0:00:28 > 0:00:32I don't know about the kilometre.
0:00:32 > 0:00:40We'll find out from our learned friend here. Regrettably, we didn't get that, but this one suits me fine.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Richard, many, many congratulations. Was it all worth it? Oh, God, yes!
0:00:45 > 0:00:51It's just beginning to sink in why did you do it in the first place?
0:00:51 > 0:00:56Eh, well, I suppose for Britain
0:01:14 > 0:01:19The bald facts are these: that on the Black Rock Desert of Nevada
0:01:19 > 0:01:21on Tuesday, October 4th, 1983,
0:01:21 > 0:01:26Rolls-Royce Avon-powered jet car,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30inspired and driven by Twickenham
0:01:37 > 0:01:42By making two trans-sonic runs
0:01:49 > 0:01:54held by Californian Gary Gabelich
0:01:54 > 0:02:01and brought the record back
0:02:06 > 0:02:12who had backed the £1.5m project
0:02:12 > 0:02:18But this, the third attempt, had again been plagued by problems,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21climatic, mechanical and financial.
0:02:21 > 0:02:27could be the last. In the end, all sponsors expect results.
0:02:32 > 0:02:39by Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat in his electric-powered Jeantaud.
0:02:39 > 0:02:45than the cycling record of the time,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49but it launched the odyssey of the fastest men on Earth.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Sir Malcolm Campbell, often heard as editor of British Movietone News,
0:03:01 > 0:03:10has attained this amazing velocity
0:03:14 > 0:03:19The timing gear is ticking over as the car enters the measured mile.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43and later his son, Donald, provided the inspiration for Richard Noble.
0:03:43 > 0:03:56It is their mantle that, in a dream held since the age of six,
0:04:20 > 0:04:29the world's land speed record
0:04:29 > 0:04:35There's something about running for
0:04:35 > 0:04:41that...to me, is unbeatable,
0:04:41 > 0:04:48to describe, except that it's you
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and the technology and your team
0:04:55 > 0:05:01and doing something together and being a part of history.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05All dreams have their beginnings and for Noble it was Thrust 1,
0:05:05 > 0:05:11designed and built by himself
0:05:11 > 0:05:17but by 1977 she was rolling.
0:05:20 > 0:05:27Noble started again and this time, with designer John Ackroyd,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Ladies and gentlemen, good morning and welcome to Project Thrust.
0:05:49 > 0:05:55Noble had harnessed the funds,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00of some of Britain's top companies and the services of their best
0:06:03 > 0:06:08We all need a lift at the moment. If we can do this for Britain,
0:06:11 > 0:06:18Yet how naive the British had been
0:06:18 > 0:06:24There had seemed endless reasons for confidence. Noble steamrollered his way through all the sceptics
0:06:24 > 0:06:28who said he would not make it even
0:06:30 > 0:06:36land speed record car ever built, is a truly formidable machine
0:06:40 > 0:06:46It is built to full aerospace standards and, in that sense,
0:07:00 > 0:07:06the second cockpit used initially
0:07:08 > 0:07:21going from standstill to record speeds and back to a standstill
0:07:21 > 0:07:31but, in the years since Gabelich had set his record, had deteriorated,
0:07:31 > 0:07:50From the moment of its first
0:07:50 > 0:08:00The salt clung to and solidified on the rims and each run meant hours of work cleaning them again.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05At 250mph, centrifugal force threw the salt off the wheels
0:08:08 > 0:08:13But still she weaved uneasily
0:08:30 > 0:08:36But already it had become apparent that the carefully-graded track
0:08:36 > 0:08:42Thrust could not run back down If she did, she would veer wildly
0:08:44 > 0:08:49with the first signs of bad weather.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Was it simply too big? Too heavy?
0:09:01 > 0:09:07brought it all together, but now,
0:09:07 > 0:09:13of having to drive the beast mainly of his own creation,
0:09:14 > 0:09:21It was a doubt aired almost shamefacedly by some of his team in quiet, foot-shuffling moments
0:09:21 > 0:09:26they waited for the wind to drop
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Keep rolling. Keep rolling.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Noble hit 392 miles per hour
0:10:06 > 0:10:10as the fastest Briton was now his.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Well done. That means we came out of the measured mile about 450, then.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41but to pack up and go home.
0:11:15 > 0:11:38early December, the team resolved
0:12:11 > 0:12:16Clear the area! All personnel apart from Greenham fire crew.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26Bodywork, suspension, engine.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31Noble had miscalculated, kept his foot down a fraction too long.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Instead of the planned 230mph,
0:12:33 > 0:12:39seconds, the project had travelled
0:12:46 > 0:12:51How are you? I'm all right. How's the car? A little bit bent.
0:12:56 > 0:13:03the disparate team Noble had forged
0:13:04 > 0:13:10After removing the engine at Greenham Common, the mangled car
0:13:10 > 0:13:12at Fishbourne, Isle of Wight.
0:13:12 > 0:13:18With a speed and determination which they rebuilt it in under 12 weeks.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22It was at Bonneville, ready to run,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38fascinations about record-breaking
0:13:38 > 0:13:44is it has every kind of challenge you could imagine. The appalling financial challenge for the project,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48keeping it going, keeping people paid, keeping momentum going.
0:13:48 > 0:13:54To give an example of that, the amount we spend each year
0:13:54 > 0:14:01That puts a tremendous strain on us all. You've got that aspect,
0:14:01 > 0:14:06you've got the fun of getting the fascinating personalities
0:14:06 > 0:14:09And keeping them on the job!
0:14:10 > 0:14:14And then you've got the management
0:14:14 > 0:14:19which is, as Ken has found, a very interesting situation.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23You've got a mix here of people
0:14:23 > 0:14:36and people who are doing this for the fun of it. They've given up holidays or taken unpaid leave
0:14:36 > 0:14:41I believe in the olden days
0:14:41 > 0:14:47you had someone like Sir Malcolm Campbell, who paid for everything and ordered everybody around
0:15:19 > 0:15:25but once again pack up and start
0:15:25 > 0:15:31But land speed record-breaking is not about common sense. It's about guts, determination, perseverance.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38We were having a dinner in the casino, sitting opposite Ken Norris,
0:15:38 > 0:15:44and as he sat down, having announced to the team that they had had it
0:15:44 > 0:15:51he said, "If only there could be to Iran, we've been to South Africa.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56"If only there was somewhere
0:15:56 > 0:16:02I thought to myself, "What do you really need?" So I asked Ken.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06miles, flat, clear of scrub and dry."
0:16:06 > 0:16:12on the Black Rock Desert before so I knew it was that sort of area.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15So I suggested the Black Rock.
0:17:09 > 0:17:15threading northwards from Reno of wilderness and mountains.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20it's the last stop off for hunters.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26Not without reason does the sign on the general store proclaim that this is where the pavement ends
0:17:28 > 0:17:34Just beyond here is High Rock Canyon where the last Indian massacre
0:17:34 > 0:17:41There's the remains of an old cavalry fort. Mustangs live in the Calico
0:17:41 > 0:17:47There's a mountain just down there where eagles nest on the top.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53The whole area is full of fascinating
0:17:53 > 0:17:58Well, our driver Richard says
0:17:58 > 0:18:02that the ride on this kind of
0:18:02 > 0:18:08shaken around a lot. That does make for quite a lot of comfort.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12At long, long last we have found
0:18:12 > 0:18:18120 square miles of surface that we don't have to grade,
0:18:18 > 0:18:23I think it's absolutely outstanding.
0:18:23 > 0:18:34Bonneville had that feeling about it.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37But this place is different.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40to the Federal courthouse in Reno demanding that Thrust should run.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Good morning. Good morning.
0:19:46 > 0:19:53We're representatives of Gerlach and we'd like to present you with this petition we took up.
0:19:54 > 0:20:02We feel that the Thrust team should have a right to try their speed
0:20:02 > 0:20:07In front of the Reno TV networks, now well aware of the British
0:20:07 > 0:20:12the Bureau of Land Management
0:20:18 > 0:20:25Because the BLM had banned the use of marker dye, Ken Norris marked
0:20:25 > 0:20:31in a manner unprecedented in records
0:20:31 > 0:20:33in unerringly straight lines.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40Tyre marks and a flag at each mile
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Each of the 16 12-mile tracks
0:20:48 > 0:20:53to find any foreign objects which might chip Thrust's wheels
0:20:53 > 0:20:57or be sucked into her virtually
0:20:59 > 0:21:05Even more worrying, the Black Rock Desert had been used as a bombing range by the US Government.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11Every winter's rain would reveal
0:21:17 > 0:21:23for just one mile. This was only
0:21:23 > 0:21:29A load of rocks, each of which would
0:21:29 > 0:21:35There's a rusted-up bit of Horsa
0:21:36 > 0:21:41There's a bit of fodder's brick from a previous land speed record
0:21:47 > 0:22:06so the Sheriff can rest easy.
0:22:06 > 0:22:18With the bad shape they're in,
0:22:18 > 0:22:43These are 2.75-inch rocket warheads.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47But now after two poor runs
0:22:47 > 0:22:58Fallon Air Base was needed.
0:22:58 > 0:23:04At last, the dancing diamonds,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48and the speeds climbed inexorably.
0:23:48 > 0:23:54Any doubts about Noble's ability were replaced by a growing sense of shame that they had existed at all.
0:23:54 > 0:24:00The tiredness that you're feeling at the moment, is it physical or mental or both? Totally mental.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04a very, very high pressure minute.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14'Anyone who gets into a car, drives at 650 miles an hour,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28'Richard is an extraordinary man
0:24:28 > 0:24:33the whole Project Thrust affair
0:24:41 > 0:24:46the finance, the logistics,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and knocked them down one by one.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52'If you look at it in that sense,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57the last obstacle to be overcome,
0:25:04 > 0:25:10'and throughout that period his public composure crack.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16after the crash at Greenham.
0:25:16 > 0:25:27'And, you know, a lot of his team say they still don't know Richard,
0:25:27 > 0:25:51'I think the answer is that he's lived with the project for so long,
0:26:23 > 0:26:30'Each one of us has a personal goal, but each one of us is riding with him
0:26:32 > 0:26:37with a technical masterpiece.'
0:26:44 > 0:26:48and gave Richard fresh air.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53'Richard was sat there quietly
0:26:53 > 0:26:57'Now, a man who's frightened
0:26:57 > 0:27:02that's worth a million pounds
0:27:02 > 0:27:06'and total driving experience
0:27:07 > 0:27:12'..and that man's got to get in there and go at 650 miles an hour,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15'the team knows he's got courage.'
0:27:22 > 0:27:27waiting for the desert to dry.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32It's drying over the top. Most
0:27:32 > 0:27:38Well, I wouldn't have believed that you could have so many misfortunes
0:27:38 > 0:27:41come in so many different forms
0:27:41 > 0:27:44for so...for so long a period.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48at the end of Bonneville last year,
0:27:51 > 0:27:57and this was really bad luck.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02"Next year, it's going to be
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Finally, it dawned bright and clear.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11With snow forecast just a day away,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17I've got to get it all smoothed off
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Brian said we're putting on two coats to go supersonic!
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Even though the track was soft
0:28:39 > 0:28:42peaking at 615 miles per hour.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04But the average was only 590, still 40 miles per hour short.
0:29:06 > 0:29:13We've got an interesting situation. We want a hotter day, a drier course and a little bit more power.
0:29:13 > 0:29:27The meeting that night found the Thrust team badly divided.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35"decide that we have enough thrust,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41That strain... We've had 12 weeks.
0:29:41 > 0:30:17Absolutely. The strain started before running at Greenham,
0:30:28 > 0:30:33an unprecedented 60 feet of snow,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35three times the usual amount,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39the Black Rock Desert below.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52should the whole project be stood down for another year?
0:30:52 > 0:30:56been waiting for seemed to be open.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Deep down, he knew this could be
0:31:33 > 0:31:37there was growing scepticism.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42and there was no way of knowing when the weather might break.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51for his perseverance in being able to put this programme together
0:31:51 > 0:31:55struggling with it for a long time.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58when I feel like giving up.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02You get fed up with rejection
0:32:02 > 0:32:06to be able to get up and say,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09"I got knocked down that time,
0:32:09 > 0:32:15"I can't take that left jab any more. I'll have to get back up and do it again." That's really what it takes.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28by the garage on the edge of town,
0:32:28 > 0:32:33the team began to groom Thrust
0:32:57 > 0:33:05is happy to see the Thrust.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12We're all thrilled to death
0:33:12 > 0:33:24and very hopeful that you can break
0:33:41 > 0:33:46Once again, the course was surveyed.
0:33:46 > 0:33:51Norris proceeded with the task of checking desert firmness.
0:33:51 > 0:33:57What I'm doing is pushing this in
0:34:00 > 0:34:04California bearing ratio machine,
0:34:04 > 0:34:09going up towards ten and increasing on resistance which is what we want.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13of the desert for load-bearing
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Finally, on September 17th,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45of only three-quarters of a mile.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20winds were gusting to 15 knots
0:35:20 > 0:35:23and United States Auto Club officials stopped any further runs.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26OK, Dave, the wind's still gusting...
0:35:26 > 0:35:30At high speeds, a side wind of over five knots could be catastrophic.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35We're going to be stuck here This is Control standing by.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43'..I'll find out what it is and report back to you. Over.'
0:35:48 > 0:35:53And so the Thrust team was into another boring period of waiting,
0:37:32 > 0:37:38How did it feel to go through over 600 miles an hour on the loo?
0:37:42 > 0:37:45She's just perfect, this machine.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50So, really, you thank the machine? It is the machine. Why did you do it?
0:37:50 > 0:37:54Well, it's like mountains, you know. They just happen to be there.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57Have you any ambitions left?
0:37:57 > 0:38:01I want to break the sound barrier.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53Thrust reached a peak speed
0:39:00 > 0:39:03right in the middle of a run.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28Nice run. Not really, Gary. Could be a hell of a sight better than that.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Where's Dave? Where's Dave?
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Dave is around. Dave? Dave?
0:39:45 > 0:39:50Really? Yeah, really. I've never
0:39:54 > 0:40:03I've called you all here just to tell you what's happening today.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10As ever, Noble put on a calm front.
0:40:19 > 0:40:29So that's why we've aborted the run today. I don't think
0:40:47 > 0:40:57Faults were cured and a tie-down
0:40:57 > 0:41:06Thrust was run to full power
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Surely, nothing else could go wrong.
0:41:24 > 0:41:31sponsors grew increasingly nervous.
0:41:32 > 0:41:38Already broke, the team learned that one of the largest sponsors, Faberge, had suddenly pulled out.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43in the region of £20,000 short
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Suddenly, it all came right.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56The other main sponsors, Initial Services, GKN, Champion, Castrol,
0:41:56 > 0:42:01Plessey, Trimite and Loctite, had travelled the final mile
0:42:01 > 0:42:04and were immediately labelled
0:45:12 > 0:45:16for he's a jolly good fellow
0:45:29 > 0:45:34Was it worth it? Yeah, every second
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Did you wonder about it sometimes?
0:45:37 > 0:45:42What about you, Gordy? It was great. A wonderful sight. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45Did you think it would happen?
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Can you believe it? Yeah...
0:45:56 > 0:46:00Are you going to celebrate much tonight? Yes. Oh, boy, all weekend!
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Much, much closer together.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19Can I just ask the gentleman
0:46:38 > 0:46:43we always get an enormous let-down,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46whether the end is successful
0:46:46 > 0:46:52because, of course, suddenly, you're dismantling everything you've worked
0:46:56 > 0:47:00terrible withdrawal symptoms.
0:47:00 > 0:47:06The thing is, we've done something or been involved in something which is so remote from everyday life
0:47:06 > 0:47:11with enormous risks and it's going
0:47:59 > 0:48:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd