The JCB Hydromax is one of the most impressive land speed record cars ever made. Whereas cars such as Thrust SSC, Thrust 2, and Bloodhound use jet engines or rocket engines, the Hydromax is a hydrogen-powered monster that picks up where the JCB Dieselmax left off.
Over 20 years ago, the Dieselmax broke the world diesel land speed record with an incredible speed of 350.092mph. Its record still stands, but JCB now wants to go after the hydrogen land speed record, with it heading to Bonneville Salt Flats for the annual SpeedWeek in August 2026.
Yet it looks like the brand may have actually peaked sooner than even it thought it would. The car is already in Bonneville and is taking part in an FIA world record attempt. Yet it has already set a class record, with world land speed record driver Andy Green OBE at the wheel.
Green is the man who broke the world land speed record driving Thrust SSC in 1997, and he was set to drive the Bloodhound LSR to 1,000mph before the project required more funding. Now, he has another record to add to his CV.
How the JCB Hydromax Set a World Record Earlier Than Expected
The JCB Hydromax was out at the Bonneville Salt Flats over the past week, and it has already set an SCTA class speed record before its official FIA land speed record attempt. Green piloted the incredible vehicle to a 368.347mph two-run average, with its two hydrogen-burning JCB engines providing the power.
The Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) record breaks one that has stood for 16 years, which was a speed of 348.342mph, set by the Spectre Treamliner in 2010. The record it now holds is the SCTA Blown Gas Streamliner (AA/BGS, 500-plus cubic inches) class record, with the record speed coming from the two-run format. Officials take the average of the peak speed reached over consecutive days on the same course.
During its first run, the car clocked a top speed of 367.141mph. On its return, it went even faster, with a top speed of 369.554mph, easily smashing the previous record. It is likely one that will stand for a very long time. Incredibly, JCB had already logged 44 runs across testing of the car before its record-breaking run. That is more running than most production-based record cars get before they head out on their record-breaking runs.
What’s Next for the JCB Hydromax?
The run gives the JCB team and Andy Green a benchmark to aim for when they head out for their main record attempt. What is impressive is that, on this particular run, it wasn’t utilizing the full power available from the hydrogen powertrain. The runs with official FIA sanctioning will see its two JCB engines turned up to their full 1,600hp to see how much faster the car can go.
Green holds the outright land speed record at 763.035mph and is the only person to break the sound barrier on land. After the record run, he said the result “has given all of us huge confidence in the car, the team and the quality of the engineering.” ” With our first record in the bag, we’re now turning up the power on the engines, aiming to go even faster next week,” he added. This latest record is also nearly 15mph faster than what the Dieselmax streamliner achieved at Bonneville in 2006.