"We're doing this for Britain and the British people," says Green. We won't go through the sound barrier until we feel it's safe to do so."Although sponsors are paying for the project (more than 80 companies have contributed services, products or cash) patriotism fuels it. The first is to retain for Britain the world land-speed record in the face of new Australian and American challenges. Woking-based McLaren is in the hunt, too, with its secretive Maverick - and a rumoured budget five times that of Thrust SCC's £5m.The second goal, scheduled for next year, is to go supersonic - about 750 mph at Black Rock altitude, though there is talk of pushing on to 1000mph "Each run we make will be a development run. Says Green: "The whole run, from standstill to standstill, will be over in a minute. We will accelerate to l00mph in 4 seconds, and to 600mph in 16.

We shouldn't need more than seven miles of the 15 available on the Black Rock desert." Green describes the surface of the alkaline mud flats as fine cement dust. "There's more drag than at the Bonneville Salt Flats but we have the power to overcome that."Thrust SSC, under construction by G-Force Engineering in Fontwell, West Sussex, is powered by two Rolls-Royce Spey jet engines (as used by Phantom fighters) with a combined output of more than 100,000 horsepower - roughly the equivalent of 140 Fl racing cars Noble and his team have two goals. Richard Noble found that Thrust 2 was like driving on ice up to 350mph. Any deviation from a straight line is exaggerated by the thrust of the engines. Transonic, it will fly like a fighter."Although Thrust SSC accelerates four times as fast as a Tornado, Green will experience no blackout forces "The main `g' in an aircraft is vertical The blood rushes from your head when you turn.

The forces in Thrust are all fore and aft." In an emergency stop, an ordinary car might generate 1g - enough to make you feel dizzy. When Green shuts Thrust's throttles at speed, he will experience 6g. "If my helmet becomes too heavy for my neck muscles to support, we'll build it into the seat."Everything will happen so quickly that there's little margin for error. To stay sharp, Green also flies a radio-controlled model helicopter - which requires dextrous hand-eye co-ordination."Thrust's handling characteristics will change as it speeds up," he says "It will slide around like a car at first. Green, you sense, is a born winner, a meritocrat who makes light of running the marathon in under three hours, or spending 20 hours in a heat chamber (it's hot at Black Rock) followed by gruelling mental and physical examination."I sharpened my reactions with a Gameboy computer game and a set of juggling balls," he recalls. "The opportunity to have a crack at it with such a professional team was too good to turn down." Noble, also the man behind Thrust SSC, is Green's hero and mentor "He's an amazing guy Noble knew nothing about jet flight. He was self-taught, pulled the Thrust 2 project together single-handedly, then drove the car himself." Twelve years on, 33-year-old Andrew Green will replace him as driver.