Why is it a big deal to achieve 491mph when others have achieved 750mph+? Is the technology substantially different, or is there some other reason that being viable at this speed means they have a good chance of breaking the record or hitting 1000mph?
Not trying to be rude, just trying to understand whether the article is reporting anything noteworthy at all (other than that the Bloodhound project exists).
This is essentially the same team than achieved 763 mph in 1997 with Thrust SSC. Andy Green drove then, and is the driver of Bloodhound now. Ron Ayers was the aerodynamicist for both cars. Richard Noble who set the land speed record in Thrust 2 and was project director for Thrust SSC was also project director for Bloodhound. There's no more experienced team.
Back in 1997, Thrust SSC had enough power to achieve greater speeds than 763 mph, but proved to be nearly uncontrollable. They learned from those lessons, and Bloodhound not only has more power (or will do when they add the rocket engine), but also benefits from years of CFD research. But funding was difficult, and it's taken well over a decade to get this far. Last year the project went bankrupt, only to be rescued at the last minute by Ian Warhurst. The news is that after so long, and so much development effort, the car is finally on the salt flats and progressively increasing speeds as step by step they validate all the new technologies and also validate the actual behaviour matches the models. The fact that after such a difficult path, they've got this far is noteworthy, and bodes well for a full attempt on the record next year.
Not trying to be rude, just trying to understand whether the article is reporting anything noteworthy at all (other than that the Bloodhound project exists).