British Engineer Hits World Record With His High-Speed, Jet-Powered Go-Kart

When it comes to go-karts, nothing is as fast as the one being driven by Tom Bagnall. In fact, the engineer from Cheadle, Staffordshire has officially made it to the Guinness World Records after hitting a speed of 112.29 mph.

It is, of course, worth-noting that his go-kart is different than the rest since it is jet-propelled and was “designed and constructed by fellow engineer Andy Morris,” wrote Guinness.

According to Tom, achieving the record was a real challenge.

He said:

“There’s been quite a few up and downs along the journey, mainly things setting on fire, blowing up or exploding – it’s all a big learning curve.

“Every time you step into that kart you’re always slightly nervous. It’s scary until you get into that seat and let go of the brake and plant the throttle.”

Despite the hardships, Tom and Andy kept working on the project until they finally reached their target – to get a spot on Guinness!

Tom shared:

“It’s really nice when things go well. Not only do we get the satisfaction of things actually working (which is rare for us!) also there’s a good feeling of knowing you’ve achieved something, from not very much to a big thing like being in the Guinness World Records book. It’s a very nice feeling to have.”

By his own confession, Tom has always enjoyed creating speedy rides – and he had that passion since he was a child.

“My speciality is making things go fast that should go fast – like mobility scooters and kayaks!

“When I was growing up I was always into engineering and making things – it’s always been my natural skill. I’d work in the workshop until late. I’ve been building all types of crazy contraptions from a young age; I’ve just got the bug for speed!”

Watch Tom’s go-kart in action here:

As for his advice to others, Tom gives us this:

“What I’d say to anyone is go for it, 100% in full pursuit, and do what you can to make your dreams work – if you dream big, you should do it.”