This Guy Is Building a 300 MPH Jet-Powered Street Luge in His Parents' Shed

Former stuntman Daz Fellows knows that if his jet luge ride doesn't go perfectly, he will die.

That hasn't stopped the Australian from selling most of his belongings, moving back in with his parents, and building the thing—which is essentially a piece of carbon fiber with two jet engines strapped to it—in his parents' shed. He hopes to break the current land speed record for a jet luge, and believes he can top more than 300 miles per hour when he rides it sometime next spring.

"Yeah, it'll kill me if it goes wrong," he told me late last week, before heading out to the shed to continue constructing it. "It's basically just one giant fuel tank."

When he makes his attempt, he'll be wearing not much more than a leather jacket and pants, a helmet, and some shoes. He won't be strapped in, relying on physics to keep him attached to the board. There are no brakes, other than his feet—presumably, once the fuel runs out, he'll coast for a very long time, then drag his feet on the ground.

"Basically, I sit on the board, power it up, and hope I can go fast enough to break the record," he said. "I work retail at the moment so I can have money for the jet luge. I've sold everything I own so I can do it, I've taken out two huge loans and moved back in with my parents. All I own at the moment is my bed, the car, and my phone."

Fellows helped popularize street luge in Australia, but apparently the sport wasn't daring enough for him, so he strapped a jet engine to the board, forming one of the more insane vehicles ever created. Fellows said he's been building the engines with the help of a couple friends who have a background in turbine engineering, and another one who has a background in working with afterburners.

So far, he's tested out rudimentary jet luges as a proof of concept, but says he's never ridden fast on one—you can check out one of the early tests here:

So far, he's poured more than $80,000 into the project, but there's no guarantee it's actually going to happen. He says that, with more money and sponsors, he could have the luge up and running "within a month," but he's essentially funding the completion of the thing with his salary.

The plan is to make his record-setting attempt next April, when the Australian winter will allow the engines to function better.

As crazy as it sounds, Fellows' attempt isn't unprecedented. Jet lugers with smaller engines have gone more than 80 miles per hour—Fellows figures to beat that by at least double, if his board works correctly.

"Rather than worry about the negative talkers, or the people who say I can't do it, I've just been keeping the project quiet, focusing on building the board," he said. "It's my dream."