The stunt
A closed runway, a timing trap, and as fast as the wheel will safely go. Two passes in opposite directions, averaged, so the wind can't help.
The work
Tuck practice. Speed-wobble drills. Learning exactly where the wheel's limit is, from the safe side of it.
The night
A runway is a long way to watch from, so the speed readout is the show: one big number, live.
Solve the Jump
Why does going twice as fast take eight times the power?
Drag force grows with the square of speed, and power is force times speed, so the power to beat the air grows with the cube. And a one-wheel has a second problem: the same motor that moves you also balances you. If it has no power left over, it can't hold you up. The record has to leave a margin.
Worked example, with a guessed drag area of 0.6 m²: about 500 watts at 25 mph and about 4,000 watts at 50. How much does a tuck have to shrink the rider to gain 5 mph?
The physicsPower to beat drag = ½ × air density × drag coefficient × frontal area × speed³
What gets measured
- Speed through a timed trap, both directions, averaged
- Motor power and how much reserve was left
- Wind speed and direction
What has to be true first
- The airport closes a runway for it
- A hard cap on speed that keeps motor power in reserve
- A clean, swept surface and a long shutdown zone