OCTOBER 7, 2005

The future of Formula 1

American entrepreneur Peter Diamandis has announced plans to replace Formula 1 racing with something a little more exciting. Diamandis has established the Rocket Racing League which he says will feature rocket aircraft travelling at 300mph on a three-dimensional race course in the sky. The aerial racetracks will be approximately 2 miles long, one mile wide and about 5,000 feet high. Each pilot will fly his "X-Racer" in their own virtual "tunnel", separated from the opposition by a few hundred feet. The planes will feature Global Positioning System technology to reduce the chance of collisions.

None of the planes have yet been built but when completed they will be powered by rocket engines which will have a simple one-off switch. The aim is to have 10 of the planes racing by 2007.

Diamandis is best known for the X Prize which he offered for the first privately-funded space flight. This was a $10m award which was won in October last year by a craft called SpaceShipOne, which climbed to an altitude of 377,591ft, which was 20,000 more than the highest altitude achieved by the military's X-15 craft in 1963.