British driver who broke sound barrier sets new speed record

A British driver who was the first person to break the sound barrier in a car on land has set a new speed record, this time in a hydrogen-powered vehicle. Andy Green, a 64-year-old retired Royal Air Force pilot, reached a speed of 406mph (654km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the fastest a hydrogen-powered car has ever travelled. Green's record was measured as an average of two runs in a car powered , with a combined 1,600 brake horsepower (bhp). In 1997, Green drove the jet-powered ThrustSSC across Nevada's Black Rock Desert at 763mph (1,228km/h), making him the first, and still the only person, to break the sound barrier on land. This video can not be played Watch: Hydrogen-powered vehicle makes world record attempt at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats Twenty years ago, Green also set a world land speed record for a diesel vehicle in the JCB Dieselmax, attaining a speed of over 350mph (563km/h). The new record, set in JCB's Hydromax vehicle, surpassed the previous official hydrogen combustion title set in 2004 (185.5mph) . "Setting a world land speed record with hydrogen power, 20 years after Dieselmax, is a huge privilege. This record is a huge achievement by a world class team and superb technology," Green said. Last month, Green said his wife's encouragement was crucial in persuading him to accept the challenge after getting a call from JCB chairman Lord Anthony Bamford. Lord Anthony said: "Twenty years ago we came to Bonneville with JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel power. Today we have done it again - this time with engines powered by hydrogen." The JCB Hydromax was unveiled at the company's global headquarters in May The company had developed the Hydromax car in an attempt to set a new record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle. In May, the Hydromax reached 208mph (335km/h) during testing at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire.