Shopping trolley ridden at 44mph in Devon man's 'record' Published duration 10 July 2013

media caption Matt McKeown reached speeds of more than 40 miles an hour on the shopping trolley

A Devon man claims to have set a new record by "riding" a jet engine-propelled shopping trolley at 44mph (70km/h) on a race track.

Matt McKeown, 52, from Plymouth, rode the trolley on Saturday at Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire.

Mr McKeown, who runs Plymouth Karting, stabilised the trolley by using go-kart wheels. The existing record is 42mph (67km/h).

"This is a new record although it's not official," he said.

Straight line worries

The self-confessed "mad man" said he intended to modify the jet-powered trolley and in an attempt to reach a speed of 60mph (96km/h).

"Initially I went to Santa Pod for a test run to see how it handles, so although the record was broken, I'll need to get in touch with Guinness to see how we make if official," Mr Mckeown told BBC News.

"If you're going to stand on the back of a shopping trolley at that speed, you have to be mad, I suppose."

Mr McKeown said the trolley - powered by a jet normally found onboard a Chinook helicopter to power up the aircraft's main engine - had undergone much modification.

He said: "As anyone who has pushed a trolley around a supermarket knows, they never want to go in a straight line.

"Mad as I am, I wasn't going to drive it with standard wheels, so we put on something a bit more stable.

"It's a kind of go-kart-shopping-trolley-helicopter-engine all in one."

image caption The 44.34mph (71km/h) speed was recorded on the Santa Pod track

image caption Modifications on the shopping trolley include go-kart wheels to improve stability

image caption Matt McKeown said he was delighted that a test run could be a new record