Swindon-based motor lubricant brand Castrol has signed up as a partner to the Bloodhound supersonic car project which aims to set a new land speed record.
To reach its target of The 1,000 mph, the Bloodhound car now being built in Bristol requires high-performance lubricants – a role Castrol has fulfilled in the past in a raft of pioneering engineering achievements. 
The company, owned by oil giant BP since it acquired it the Swindon-based Burmah-Castrol group in 2002, boasts a notable heritage in land speed racing.
The land speed record has been broken 21 times with Castrol as a partner, from Sir Malcolm Campbell’s first record attempt in 1924 (146mph/235kmh) to a 30-year history of supporting the Thrust campaigns.
Thrust successfully raised the record first to 633 mph (1,019 kmh) with Richard Noble’s Thrust 2, and then to 763 mph (1,228 kmh) with Andy Green at the helm of Thrust SSC in 1997.
This record still stands today and will be the first target for Bloodhound when it arrives in Hakskeen Pan, South Africa in 2015.
The new 135,000 thrust hp car will use a variety of state-of-the-art Castrol products during testing and record attempts, including the company’s strongest-ever engine oil – Castrol EDGE, motorsport formula brake fluid – Castrol React SRF and Castrol hydraulic fluids previously used by NASA.
Castrol global chief executive Paul Waterman said: “At Castrol, we have a proud history of fuelling pioneers and this partnership gives us the chance to showcase how our high-performance products set new standards and push boundaries.”
Bloodhound project director Richard Noble added: “The Castrol brand is synonymous with racing at the highest levels and, of course, with many pioneering achievements in land speed racing – I am happy to continue a 30 years relationship with Castrol having worked with them on both Thrust 2 & Thrust SSC projects.
“They are a great brand and will not only work with us on the technical side, they will help us share this engineering adventure with a global audience.”
Castrol is based in Wakefield House off Pipers Way – named after Castrol founder Charles ‘Cheers’ Wakefield. Its iconic red, white and green colour scheme dates from the launch of Castrol motor oil in 1909.
