For years, Ben Collins was famous worldwide as "The Stig" on the BBC's Top Gear, testing the most expensive and powerful hypercars on the planet. But in his latest track test, Collins climbed into a vehicle built in a shed that boasts a power-to-weight ratio completely rivaling a modern Formula 1 car.It didn't end well.In a wildly entertaining video uploaded to his Ben Collins Drives channel, the veteran racing driver got behind the wheel of a 250cc, two-stroke Superkart. While the machine looks like a standard go-kart with a massive rear wing, it is actually a 150 MPH death trap with zero suspension, zero seatbelts, and face-melting performance."In the Same Territory as an Actual Formula 1 Car"To understand why a Superkart is so terrifying, you have to look at the math. A standard Superkart weighs roughly 130 kilograms with the driver sitting in it, yet the motorcycle engine strapped to the back produces close to 100 horsepower."Do the sums, and that's a power-to-weight ratio in the same territory as an actual Formula 1 car," Collins explained, noting it can hit 60 MPH in under three seconds and pull nearly 3Gs in the corners.However, jumping into the driver's seat was a massive shock to the system. Bouncing around just an inch off the tarmac with zero shock absorption, Collins was instantly blown away by the kart's stopping power."Oh, the deceleration, like nothing I've ever been in," Collins yelled through his helmet as he wrestled the aggressive machine around the track.The Brutal Rear-Axle LockupJust as Collins was getting up to speed, disaster struck. Entering a corner, the 250cc engine suddenly shut off, instantly locking the rear axle and violently throwing the kart into a spin."It turned itself off, and then it tried to kill me right next to the hay bale," a frustrated Collins said after coming to a screeching halt.Initially, Collins blamed himself, assuming he had accidentally pressed a kill switch mounted on the steering wheel. However, when the paddock mechanics came out to retrieve the stranded kart, they delivered a much more terrifying reality: it wasn't a kill switch; it was a catastrophic internal engine failure."Broken. Big end bearing's gone. So it's toast," the mechanic bluntly confirmed.When a stunned Collins asked if an engine seizure locking the rear wheels was a regular occurrence in Superkart racing, the mechanic casually replied, "Yeah, it can happen, mate"."That's sketchy, isn't it? You can be doing any speed up to 150 MPH, big end goes, seizes the back axle, and fires you off," Collins realized, suddenly gaining a massive amount of respect for the daredevils who race the class full-time.
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