Canterbury Christ Church Public Lecture – Richard Noble OBE

This is the first in a short series of public lectures offered by the Christ Church University at Canterbury.

We Need Inspiration to Supercharge our Education (featuring replica supersonic car) – Richard Noble OBE 

Richard Noble is a World Land Speed Record Breaker and Director of the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car Project.

Imagine a car that can travel faster than a speeding bullet.  Land speed record breaker and entrepreneur Richard Noble OBE has been working with a team of Britain’s finest engineers and scientists to make a dream a reality.  The Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC) is a British-developed high-tech vehicle, which is part jet fighter, part Formula 1 racing car and part space rocket.  It is the world’s most powerful land vehicle, designed to travel at 1,000 mph and break the world land speed record.

In this lecture Richard reveals the background to this ambitious engineering project and the challenges involved in trying to develop the world’s fastest car.  He highlights how the project has been used as a springboard to inspire and motivate a new generation of UK scientists and engineers just as the Concorde programme did for previous generations, creating one of the largest STEM programmes in the country.

The lecture will also feature a full-size replica of the Bloodhound supersonic car so that attendees can enjoy an up-close experience of this engineering marvel.

Richard Noble was holder of the land speed record between 1983 and 1997 and was the project director of Thrust SSC, the vehicle which holds the current land speed record.  In recognition of his considerable achievements, Richard was awarded an OBE in 1983 and an Honorary Degree from the University of West of England in 2010.

Image shown courtesy of Canterbury Christ Church University (Photo Credit: Stefan Marjoram)