Remote-controlled car breaks speed record, explodes

Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A British man's jet-powered remote-controlled car broke a Guinness World Record for speed on its first attempt -- and exploded on its third.

James Whomsley, aka ProjectAir on YouTube, used a JetCat 220 engine to power his RC car, with an aim of breaking a Guinness World Record for fastest speed achieved by a remote-controlled jet-powered car.

Whomsley took his car to the Radio Operated Scale Speed Association event at the Llanbedr Airport runway, where he clocked a speed of 94.76 mph on his first run.

The speed was enough to beat the goal of 93.2 mph set by Guinness World Records, but Whomsley said he wanted to try for a faster speed.

His second run clocked a speed of 137 mph, but it was disqualified because the nose of the vehicle fell off during the run.

Whomsley's third try reached a top speed of 141 mph, but that attempt also proved ill-fated when strong winds took hold of the car and swept it across the runway, causing it to explode.

"This was truly the most heartbreaking crash I'd ever experienced," Whomsley told Guinness World Records.

Whomsley's first run of 94.76 mph became the official record.