I had some trouble reconciling this as well when I read about thrust SSC. Think about the prospect of going 1000+ mph where you need 3 separate systems to stop.

I had some trouble reconciling this as well when I read about thrust SSC. Think about the prospect of going 1000+ mph where you need 3 separate systems to stop. That is crazy fast and there is a significant amount of time when the driver has little effective control over the vehicle. He is riding a rocket and hoping for the best. It's an amazing technical achievement, conventional car or not. I certainly wouldn't want to be the driver here...