A TEAM trying to set a new world steam land speed record is being kept on the boil by customs officials in America.

The Lymington-based British Steam Car Team and the car are ready to go, but is taking time to get clearance to freight it to the Edwards Airforce Base in California for the record attempt in July.

“A lot of the car’s parts have a shelf life and this record HAS to happen this year,” said a team spokesman.

“There’s a lot of red tape to go through because it’s an active air force base.”

The team has packed the steam turbine car, named Inspire, in two 40ft containers ready to ship it out to the Rogers Dry Lake Bed, where the Space Shuttle lands, at Edwards Airforce Base.

That’s where project leader Charles Burnett of Newtown Park, Portmore will attempt to break the 103-year-old Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-recognised land speed steam record of 127mph held by American Fred Marriott in a Stanley steam car in 1906.

The team will also be going flat-out to beat the American steam record of 145.607mph set by the Barber-Nichols team in Steamin’ Demon in 1985, which was never put forward for ratification as an FIA record. However, the Lymington team recognises this as the record to beat.

Following successful testing of Inspire at Thorney Island, Portsmouth on April 1, when the car reached the speed of 84mph before running out of room, the UK test programme is now complete.

Lack of room for the record attempt anywhere in the UK is the reason the Edwards base has been chosen.

The car has fixed gearing between the turbine and wheels and is effectively in top gear when it pulls away. It weighs three tonnes and, combined with the gearing, it takes time to reach its top speed.

In fact it will need a minimum six miles to make the record attempt.

That’s two-and-a-half miles to accelerate, a measured mile for the actual attempt, and another two-and-a-half miles to slow to a stop.

Team manager Matt Candy said the Rogers Dry Lake Bed is the place to go as it is “paved with silt and clay and has a surface so perfect that simply painting an outline on it creates runways”.