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November 2, 2005
Street Luger Seeks Speed Record -- With a Jet Engine
Bob Swartz doesn't back down from a challenge. After street luge got dropped from the X Games in 2001, he soldiered, or rolled on, feet first, sticking with the sport and trying to help build recognition.
As part of his plan, Swartz has rigged a five pound jet engine to the back of one of his boards; to date he's reached a top speed of 89.5 mph -- the goal is to break the 100 mile an hour speed barrier.
What started as an obsessive, gotta' try it experiment for the engineer has turned into a side business -- he's been performing exhibitions at drag racing events where he averages 75 mph on the strip.
Oh yeah, he's 46 years old. To check out an article about Swartz's "Blue Smoke" jet luge, click here. His personal site for the project is here.
Posted by Frank at November 2, 2005 5:39 AM | Filed under 5th Wheel
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