Robert Maddox, known as The Rocket Man, went viral last year with his incredible jet-engine go-kart. This year’s festive creation is just as awesome.
A lot has changed since the holiday classic The Grinch Stole Christmas debuted in 2001. Taylor Momsen, the actor who played Cindy Lou Who, is the leader of a punk band; Christine Baranski (Martha May Whovier) sang in two Mamma Mia movies; and the Grinch himself, Jim Carrey, tried out a new career as an artist.
Who knew (you see what I did there) that the Grinch himself would find himself astride a pair of skis strapped to a pulsejet engine? Robert Maddox, also known as The Rocket Man: that’s who. Equipped with an Insta360 X3 camera (a GoPro competitor) securely fastened to the rocket-powered sleigh, Maddox is dressed as the Grinch and completely encased in costume.
Maddox bills himself as the world’s top pulsejet engine designer, builder of pulsejet engines, and pulsejet-powered machines. His engines range from 14 pounds of thrust to over 1000 pounds, and he says his pulsejet bikes have sold for $25,000 or more. Right before Christmas 2022, the inventor dressed up as Santa Claus for another promotional video, ripping across his favorite testing grounds.
For this year’s video, Maddox swapped out the wheels on his vehicle for skis for his holiday video. Since his face is covered in green fake fur, viewers can’t see his signature joyful expression as he runs across the snow, but there’s no doubt he’s grinning widely under there.
The last time we spoke with Maddox was early last year. He has subsequently upgraded the engine on his triple valveless cart he calls the Beast, using a 15 percent larger powerplant with about 20 percent more thrust. Whether that means the Grinch can steal our gifts that much faster is an unknown element.
May your Christmas be filled with powerful engines, festive flames, and all the bliss of riding in (or on) your favorite vehicles.
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