A specially adapted Land Rover Defender OCTA helped the hydrogen-powered JCB Hydromax set a new land speed record for a hydrogen combustion vehicle at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Fitted with a bespoke push plate, the 635PS Defender OCTA pushed the JCB Hydromax from a standstill at the start of each run.

Event regulations allowed the JCB Hydromax a push start of up to 300m at the beginning of each run. The attempt followed a week of testing at the Bonneville Salt Flats SpeedWeek event, resulting in a Southern California Timing Association Speed Record and a Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) world hydrogen land speed record.

In a statement, Lee Harper, Chief Engineer at JCB Hydromax, said: “We’re operating on a surface that is incredibly loose, in an environment where the effective altitude rises as the temperature increases through the day, which can be a challenge for naturally aspirated engines. That makes the combination of Defender OCTA’s all-wheel drive capability and twin-turbo V8 performance perfect for the task.”

The push plate was mounted to Defender OCTA’s integrated, crash-tested winch mount, while its 6D Dynamics suspension kept the vehicle level under hard acceleration. The JCB Hydromax went on to set a new land speed record for a hydrogen combustion vehicle of 406.320 mph, driven by world land speed record holder Andy Green OBE.

Source: JLR