WIND POWERED LAND SPEED RECORD
SOUTHERN SPARS PROVIDED THE WING THAT PROPELLED THE LAND YACHT
It’s official! The WIND-POWERED LAND SPEED RECORD has been BROKEN
The news broke on Sunday 11th December that Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) had broken the world wind-powered land speed record by sailing their purpose-built land yacht ‘Horonuku’ at an incredible 222.4 km/h across the Lake Gairdner salt flats in South Australia. The record has now been officially ratified by the World Land Sailing Organisation, Federation International de Sand et Land Yachting (FISLY).
The team at Southern Spars New Zealand were heavily involved in this record-breaking mission, with Horonuku’s composite wing being manufactured at our facility in Auckland. The wing, effectively the engine of this 100% wind-powered craft, is 10 metres tall and made from prepreg carbon fibre. Emirates Team New Zealand harnessed Southern Spars’ expertise in high-performance composite manufacturing to develop the wing structure, which was cured at high pressure in one of Southern Spars’ largest advanced autoclaves. The team at SSNZ spent around 2,000 hours meticulously laying up and curing the wing, designed to push the boundaries of what’s possible.