Award-winning teen is on the fast track in Utah

Sure, the rumble — a drag racing mainstay — is gone from "Jaws Jr.'s" eighth-mile run. All you get from Singleton's drag race is a small skid, a whispering whir — and a lot of speed.

If you miss noise, the teen has a stereo he could crank up instead, his dad said.

Eighty-five miles per hour is the ceiling in the junior dragster competitions, Brent Singleton said. He can consistently hit 84.72 mph.

"That's beating a Corvette," he said.

Young Singleton said another of his creations, the "Turbinator," has reached 458 mph on the Salt Flats.

He has had a hybrid land speed record, and holds speed a 48-volt and 144-volt speed records in his dragsters.

Now, the student, with the help of Weber State University, is working to create for the masses a fully sustainable alternative powered vehicle — a '32 Ford hot-rod-looking replica. It would tow a small trailer containing a number of fuel sources, from hydrogen to natural gas, and run emissions-free. He's aiming for 100-mile-a-day charge. He also wants to create a way to charge the engine while moving for longer trips.

"Brent isn't just setting speed records, he is advancing the development of high-performance electric vehicles and raising public awareness about alternative fuels, sustainability and the ecological importance of places like the Bonneville Salt Flats," Robert E. Roberts, Regional Administrator for EPA's Region 8 Office, said in a prepared statement. "His cutting-edge cars are wonderful examples of applied science and engineering making a difference."

---

E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com