bloodhound project land speed record car copy mediumTwo apprentices from engineering specialist Dawson Shanahan have won a special educational competition organised as part of the BLOODHOUND Project. As winners, first year apprentices Jack Cowell and Alex Baker will have the honour of having their names printed onto the tail fin of a new world land speed record attempting car.

The BLOODHOUND Project centres on BLOODHOUND SSC, a supersonic jet and rocket car that is designed not only to go faster than the speed of sound but to over 1,000mph (1,600kh/m). It produces more than 135,000 horsepower and will cover a mile in just 3.6 seconds.

The competition, set up through the local college in Welshpool, tests the design abilities of entrants. Jack and Alex, who only begun their journey into the world of engineering at the end of summer, exhibited many of the design talents that earned them a spot on Dawson Shanahan’s competitive apprenticeship programme to earn first place.

“This is a wonderful achievement by Jack and Alex, who are both delighted to have won the competition and earn the unique opportunity to be named on what is expected to soon be the world’s fastest car,” said Ken Toop, senior process development engineer in charge of apprentice training at Dawson Shanahan.

“With a shortage of engineers posing a serious risk to the future of our industry, we urgently need our young people to be motivated to enjoy studying subjects that lead to a career in engineering. Education projects such as BLOODHOUND that truly inspire youngsters are key to ensuring this.”