British driver Andy Green, the first and only person to break the sound barrier in a car, is attempting to beat his own land speed record at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Twenty years ago, Green set the record for a diesel-powered car, reaching 350.092 mph (563.4 km/h). This time, he will drive the 32-foot (9.75-meter) JCB Hydromax, a hydrogen-powered car developed by British construction equipment manufacturer JCB.

Now 64 years old and a retired Royal Air Force fighter pilot, Green came out of retirement when JCB approached him with the new project. He aims not only to set a new record but also to demonstrate hydrogen’s potential as a clean-energy alternative. Green described hydrogen as the “fuel of the future” in a July interview with The Associated Press.

In practice runs last week, Green reached a top speed of 368.347 mph (592.797 km/h). To officially claim the hydrogen land speed record, he must achieve the speed in front of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the international governing body of motorsports.

Anthony Bamford, chair of JCB, emphasized the importance of hydrogen for serious emissions reduction, calling the land speed project “the perfect way to prove it.”

Green’s return to the Bonneville Salt Flats, known for its flat, lunarlike landscape, marks a significant moment in the pursuit of sustainable high-speed automotive technology.

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