Twin-Turbine Street Luge to Crush Speed Records

One daring man attempts to break the street luge speed record with his twin turbine “jet luge”. 

design, speed, record, luge, jet, turbine, fuel, afterburnerIn an attempt to shatter the street luge speed record while also inspiring, educating and encouraging people of all ages to chase their dreams, Daz “The Cowboy” Fellows has created a twin turbine “jet luge”.

Built to break Jason Bradbury’s 2011 street luge record of 186km/h (116mph), Fellow’s luge is something out of an engineer’s fevered-dream. Running on high-octane jet A-1 fuel, the 12 wheeled jet luge is designed to reach 500km/h (310mph).

Composed of a carbon fiber body, Daz’s jet luge weighs a scant 33kg (73lbs) and rides about 8-10mm (.39in) from the ground. Along its 3 meter (9.8ft) length the board sweeps through peaks and valleys to produce a form-fitting, aerodynamic shape.

While its shape is certainly remarkable, the board’s military grade turbine engines are really what make it stand out. Capable of generating 92kg (202lbs) of thrust each, the turbines also come with an afterburner that can increase the board’s overall thrust potential to a screaming 244kg (537lbs).

To maneuver the board, Daz will use the lean-steer turning that comes standard with all street luges. Given that lean-steer turning isn’t the safest method of maneuvering at high speeds, however, I’m willing to bet Daz and his team are looking for a very flat and wide stretch of land upon which to make their run.

Aside for maneuvering, Daz will control the board’s acceleration through either a thumb-manipulated wheel or simple trigger mechanism.

While Fellows hasn’t said exactly where he’ll make his record-breaking attempt, he has pegged a timeframe between April and August of 2014 for his run. According to the daredevil, the southern hemisphere’s colder months will allow the engine to run at peak performance.

Best of luck Daz!

Check out a video of the JetLuge’s first rolling tests:


Images and Video Courtesy of Jet Luge