Emirates Team NZ have escalated their build-up towards a wind-power landspeed record attempt, with weather conditions turning for the better at Lake Gairdner.
The America's Cup holders launched their bid in May, with a specially designed craft named Horonuku, and have established a preferred site at a vast salt lake 440km northwest of Adelaide in South Australia.
In recent months, their endeavours have been frustrated by rain, but the crew - spearheaded by Glenn Ashby and Ray Davies - have descended on the lake again, as temperatures rise into the 40s celsius and the record window reopens.
Targeting 202.9kph, set by Briton Richard Jenkins at California's Mojave Desert in 2009, Ashby has had his yacht travelling more than 200kph - unofficially - in recent days, acclimatising himself to the sensation of such high speeds.
"The steering was tough work," he said. "There is constantly a lot of load on the steering, so this is the main focus - to identify solutions to lighten the load, as this will help performance.
"It was exactly as I have been picturing it in my head and how I expected it to be at those speeds. There is plenty going on, but I'm 100 percent comfortable to keep hanging on and sending it, until it taps out.
"It is bloody awesome."
The official record attempt now seems just days away, rather than weeks.
