Halesowen firm Somers TotalKare giving a lift to land speed record team
A British bid to for the world land speed record has been given a major lift by a Halesowen company.
Somers TotalKare, of Chancel Way, a supplier of heavy duty vehicle lifting solutions, will be sponsoring the Bloodhound SSC team by donating a set of state-of-the-art cable-free lifts.
The equipment will be used to allow safe and easy access to the underside of the jet and rocket-powered vehicle during its development and in preparation for a supersonic 1,000 mph record attempt.
The car is currently being assembled at its Bristol headquarters and Tristan Johnston, marketing executive at Somers TotalKare, said the company was delighted to be involved.
"This is a really exciting project at the very cutting edge of engineering technology and we want to help in any way we can," he said.
"The Cosworth engine that pumps fuel in to the hybrid rocket engine is only accessible from underneath and the Bloodhound SSC needed a flexible and manoeuvrable lifting system.
"Our cable free lifts are ideal as they have no connecting cables, which present a trip hazard," he explained.
A set of four lifts will be shipped out to the Bloodhound Project within the next couple of weeks, and will be used during the manufacturing process and to carry out dismantling, testing and reconstruction of the car after each test. Special adaptors will also be used in conjunction with the lifts to help remove the Bloodhound SSC's solid aluminium wheels, which weigh 95kg each.
