Lawn mower world land-speed record attempt by Project Runningblade

This is real Boy's Own adventure stuff. On the 27th and 28th February 2010, a British team will attempt to smash the world land-speed record for a lawn mower when they set out along the 'billiard smooth' surface of Pendine Sands off of the Carmarthenshire coast, South Wales (see map).

Don Wales, the Grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell and Nephew to Donald Campbell, will attempt to break the previous lawn mower land-speed record set by Bob Cleveland on the Bonneville Salt Flats, 4th July 2006 - prior to that, no land-speed records existed for a lawn mower.

The challenges is being masterminded by team principal Stephen Vokins - himself a lifelong car nut who has worked at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu for over twenty five years.

The forty eight year old underwent major heart surgery and, whilst he had time on his hands in recovery and thinking about his new lease of life, decided to do something a little eccentric and different.

Having nurtured the idea of beating Cleveland's record of just over 80mph, Stephen decided to go for it.

"I decided, that having successfully got through this life-saving surgery, I should do something spectacular with the new lease of life I've been given. Climbing Everest is too much like hard work, but taking Bob Cleveland's record for Britain is mad, bad, and slightly dangerous - in other words, perfect!"

For appropriately named Wales, it should be an emotional return. His Uncle Donald set the first fastest land-speed record for a car in 1924 in a Sunbeam topping 146mph, later returning for his final attempt in 1927 and smashing the subsequent three attempts with a speed of 174.88mph, in a Napier Campbell.

Read the full history of all the land-speed records at Pendine Sands on the Bluebird Supporters Club website.

The team hope to smash the existing mower record by more than a quarter and top over one hundred miles per hour.

To qualify for the record, the Countax machine must be capable of cutting grass in the morning of the event. The blade will be removed and the machine will be timed as it travels one mile of the seven mile long sands. It must then make a return run within one hour - the average of the two runs will determine the final time.

Vokins dismisses talk of any airy-fairy games by a bunch of British eccentrics with nothing better to do: "Lets get serious, this is a proper record, and building a lawnmower capable of speeds well into 3 figures is no easy feat undertaken in an afternoon.

"For a start, it still has to be a lawnmower, capable of cutting grass properly. And then it has to obey the laws of physics that will try to stop it going so fast, both through drag and also aerodynamics. There is a real danger that if the aerodynamics are wrong, it will flip up in the air, with disastrous results".

Vokins continues, "Be under no illusions, this is no collection of blokes standing around in a shed wondering what to do until the pub opens. Backed by some of Britains finest companies who are contributing their expertise and funds to the project, this is a hand-picked team of professionals and experts in their fields, all bringing their knowledge and experience to achieve something that no-one has ever done before - to crack the ton on a ride-on lawnmower!"

The record attempt is also raising funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the Wessex Heartbeat.

Visit the Project Runningblade website.