Usually, daredevils end up in wheelchairs when their stunts go wrong.
But in this case, the thrill-seeker on the scooter is exactly where he wants to be -- on top of the world, at least when it comes to wheelchair speed records.
The mean machine is the brainchild of Colin Furze, a 32-year-old British plumber who took a 125-cc engine from a motorbike and added to an ordinary powerchair -- giving it five gears, two exhausts and one world record.
This isn't your grandma's wheelchair -- it's the world's fastest powerchair. British plumber Colin Furze broke the record with a 70mph run in October, 2010.
Furze reached a record-setting speed of 70 miles per hour during a run this week at the Santa Pod raceway near Northampton, according to News.com.au, which notes the super-fast scooter took three months to build and budget of just $650. But as you might imagine, it's is not your grandmother's wheelchair -- unless, of course, your grandmother is a thrill-seeking daredevil with a need for speed.
"It is quite scary when I'm driving it fast as the frame is pretty flimsy and designed for going along at slow speeds," Furze told the Daily Mail newspaper.
"You can't take your eyes off the road when driving it as any rash steering decisions could make it flip over and the slightest dip or bump in the road makes it drift off course."
Furze has been known to do some crazy things with bikes. He once attached a flamethrower to one to discourage tailgating -- and was even arrested when he took it out on the road. Dangerous? Sure. But he did create a pretty nifty video.
He also holds the record for the world's longest bike -- a 46-foot-long monstrosity he built last year -- and is listed by Guinness World Records for creating the world's largest bonfire, a 2006 blaze that had an overall volume of nearly 50,000 cubic feet.
As always, there's a fine line between bravery and insanity, and Furze might spend a little time on both sides.
Subject: 70 MPH Wheelchair Worthy of the Racetrack 
Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:57 pm
