Video: Swiss daredevil pilots rocket-powered bike to over 200mph

Swiss nutcase, sorry, daredevil François Gissy has set a new world record of 333km/h (207mph) for a rocket-powered bicycle. Aboard the appropriately-named Kamikaze V, Gissy powered through the 200mph barrier at the Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet in the south of France on Friday November 7.

We're not sure that a bike with rocket engines attached still counts as a bike, though in its favour Kamikaze V does have what appear to be mountain bike wheels, and a derailleur. Not that there's much gear shifting going on at 200mph.

How does it feel to ride at 200mph? "It's not fun, your heart pounds really hard," Gissy told corsematin.com. "The fun comes afterwards, when you see the [speed] numbers."

The bike was fuelled by 90% pure hydrogen peroxide, powering rockets designed by Neracher Arnold. While the frame is custom made, many of the components are standard bike parts, though the tyres were tested by Michelin to 300km/h for an hour, with 100kg on each. A front wheel blow-out at 300km/h really doesn't bear thinking about.

Gissy made three runs on his way to the new record. For the second he was accompanied by a Ferrari, which he left standing on the way to 260 km/h. On the third, he beat his previous record of 263km/h.

Gissy and his Exotic Thermo Engineering team are planning an even faster bike for another record attempt in 2015. The Spine Crusher rocket bike will accelerate at 10g, twice as fast as the quickest rocket-powered motorbike, reach 300km/h in around a second, and top out at over 400km/h. He's looking for sponsors.