A startrescue.co.uk story...

A team of schoolchildren from the Joseph Whitaker School in Nottingham have apparently broken the ‘rocket powered model car world speed record’ with a vehicle they have built.

One of the team's cars broke the record first time round, hitting 478.1mph (769.4km/h).

But a later attempt with the same car saw this record broken again, with an average speed of 533.1mph (857.9km/h).

The record is yet to be confirmed by Guinness which has been sent the footage for verification.

In March, Samvir Thandi from Heathland Schoo lin Middlesex broke the world speed record with a rocket-powered model car that reached 287.6mph (462.84km/h).

The Joseph Whitaker School made their attempts using a car they nicknamed Insanity.

"We have a confirmed 478.1mph average by Red Shift! Well done to all the young engineers - world record holders!!" the Young Engineers said in a tweet.

The record attempt came after a year working on the project.

The titanium wheeled car in question is extremely robust and - despite the high speeds - could be reset again and again for multiple attempts without the need for any kind of breakdown assistance!

The vehicle, which ran on a 250m steel cable (820ft), measures 45cm (17in) and was constructed from carbon fibre.

Rolls-Royce’s Hucknall runway was used for the record attempt. Test flights and other outdoor test activities have been conducted by the firm at the runway since 1935.

The Joseph Whitaker School is a state-funded secondary school with academy status.