Loch Ness set to host world water speed record attempt
350mph superboat to be tested on Scottish loch ahead of world record attempt
40ft long Quicksilver superboat is powered by 10,000bhp turbofan engine
Team Quicksilver have spent 28 years designing and building the vessel
But they have been unable to test it yet and hope to do this on Loch Ness
The current record of 317.58mph was set by Ken Warby 38 years ago
By Richard Gray, Daily Mail UK
It is more famously known as the home of the Loch Ness monster, but Nessie may soon face competition for the title from an altogether different man-made beast.
The usually peaceful Scottish sea loch could soon be echoing to the roar of a 40 feet long superboat as it is put through its paces ahead of an attempt to smash the world water speed record.
Nigel Macknight, 60, is hoping to hit 350mph on the water with his Quicksilver turbofan-powered vessel in an attempt to beat the 317.58mph achieved by Australian Ken Warby 38 years ago.
The Quicksilver superboat (artist's impression pictured below) will be capable of achieving 350mph when complete, according to the team behind the vessel, which will allow it to beat the world water speed record that has stood for nearly 40 years. They hope to begin testing their boat on Loch Ness
He has now revealed he is considering using Loch Ness to test his vessel ahead of the world record attempt on Coniston Water in the Lake District.
DEADLY GAME TO BREAK RECORDS
The fight to beat the water speed record is a dangerous one that has claimed many lives.
The first person to top 300mph on land and subsequently break the water speed record four times before World War II was Malcolm Campbell.
After he died in 1949, his son Donald took over his father’s mantle, breaking the water speed record seven consecutive times with his Bluebird vessel.
Sadly, his attempt to break it an eighth time ended in tragedy in 1967 when his vessel flipped and broke apart on Coniston Water.
Within six months of his death a team of Americans broke his record of 276.3mph.
British racing driver John Cobb died on Loch Ness in 1952 when a flaw in the bow of his vessel, the Crusader, caused it to collapse and nosedive when travelling at more than 200mph.
Since Ken Warby set the new record in 1978, two attempts have been made by American drivers, in 1981 and 1989, but both ended in tragedy.
No testing is allowed on Coniston, so the Quicksilver team have been searching for somewhere to trial the technology they have been developing for the 3.5 tonne boat.
Mr Macknight is due to outline his plan at an event in Inverness next month, which will be held at the town's Eden Court theatre.
He said: 'I am confident we can break the record.
'When a record has stood for the best part of 40 years, it's more likely to be beaten. Technology has moved on a lot in that time.
'You have to have respect for the danger, but I don't think you go through what you are doing with too many nerves because getting the boat designed and built has been a huge job, consuming thousands of hours of my life.
'We are looking for people to come forward from the time of the Cobb disaster.
'It will be a big thing for people in the north of Scotland, particularly for those living around Inverness and Loch Ness.'
Mr Macknight first began designing and building the boat he hopes to use for the attempt on the world record 28 years ago.
However, by testing the boat on Loch Ness, he will be following in the footsteps of tragedy.
The water speed record is seen as one of the most dangerous and difficult records to break. Attempts have often claimed the lives of those trying to outdo the achievements of the past.
Mr Macknight has made his boat 50% bigger than the Bluebird model used by the Campbells and it has a one-tonne, 10,000bhp Rolls Royce engine positioned at the front for extra stability.
The Quicksilver team have so far only been able to conduct model testing but began construction on the full-sized vessel last year.
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