Analysis and performance of the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 land-speed record attempts

Abstract

For more than a decade the Buckeye Bullet land speed racing team at The Ohio State University has been setting absolute speed records for electric vehicles. The team holds several Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) records that are well into the 300 mph range for alternatively powered streamliners. The most recent Venturi Buckeye Bullet (VBB3) has been designed and built to exceed the speed records of its predecessors by travelling well over 400 mph. This paper investigates the VBB3's design process, components, and control structure. Simulation results of the ideal vehicle behavior are reported with some recent experimental results from the Bonneville Salt Flats.