Well, you read it right, meet Yves Rossy a.k.a. Jetman, an ex-Swiss Air Force pilot and the person behind the invention of a special jet pack that can help an individual fly through the sky like a jet plane. He is the first person to fly a, jet engine-powered, carbon-fibre wings, which if pushed to its limit, can be piloted to reach a top speed of over 300 km/h. And in this video the Jetman competes with the Jaguar XJR in an ultimate desert drag race in Dubai.
With the Jetman on one side, Jaguar needs someone equally bold enough, if not more, to handle this first-of-its-kind, high-speed, inter-species drag race. So, on the other side, manning the Jaguar XJR is none other than former Formula 1 racing star, Martin Brundle, who will race the Jetman on a 2 km long desert road. Talking about the machine he will drive, the Jaguar XJR comes with a new all-aluminium body that packs a 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 under its hood. The engine is capable of churning out a monstrous 542 bhp and can reach a top speed of 280 km/h.
Commenting on this ultimate race Mr. Brundle said, "This was the most unique race I have ever taken part in. I have never seen anything like the Jetman wing, full of technology and innovation, and Yves is an extremely brave man. It turns out he is also a very fierce competitor!" Sharing some similar views Mr. Rossy said, "Racing a former Formula One driver was exciting as we were very close in performance. Racing in a straight line may sound simple but it is not easy and this was the first genuine test for my equipment and my flying technique in competition."
In this ultimate race Brundle was aided by Jaguar's innovative 'All Surface Progress Control' (ASPC) for driving in the desert. The high-tech system automatically limits traction loss on the rear-wheel drive car at low speeds on slippery surfaces, maximising grip in tough conditions. On the other hand Rossy took five seconds of free-fall following his jump from the Jetman launch helicopter, before he was able to level off and power through the sky above the car.
Now, we have told you about who is competing with whom, and a little more about their machines but a race this exceptional need to been seen to be believed. So watch the video here and find out which man-machine duo won the race.
