Australian racer aiming to build world's fastest car

Sydney, December 2 (ANI): An Australian racer is all set to try to break the world land speed record by building the fastest car ever.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the racer in question is Rosco McGlashan, an Australian Drag racing record-holder.

He is preparing to better the 1228 km/h world land speed record in a rocket-powered showdown against a British team.

When completed, his sleek, seven-metre steel missile on wheels, powered by four rocket thrusters - the Aussie Invader 5R - will be able to accelerate from a standing start to 1000 mph (1600 km/h) in just 20 seconds.

The British entrant - the Bloodhound - is better funded but more complicated. It has three separate engine types crowded into its fuselage.

Both cars will be capable of breaking the sound barrier - 1236 km/h.

The race is now on to see which car will be ready to roll first. The Australian entry is on track but needs about 3 million dollars in sponsorship to finish the job and pay for the enormous amounts of jet fuel required.

"'Our car is beautifully simple. Theirs is obviously a nightmare, with three different engines on it," McGlashan said.

The showdown probably won't take place until 2011, as both teams struggle through technical and financial challenges.

"There's a very good chance they might be up and running before us, but I'm 1000 per cent certain that, when it comes down to it, our car is better and it will see us win," McGlashan said.

The Aussie Invader 5R is heavy, weighing nearly seven tonnes without fuel.

The steel shell is 12 millimetres thick, making it more heavily armoured than the fighting vehicles the Australian Army is using in Afghanistan.

"We hope Australia gets really proud of this team once it starts running. We're going to build it up into something really fantastic," said McGlashan. (ANI)