Paul Stender AKA "Jet Car Paul" is best known for designing, building and driving some of the most extreme and fastest Jet/Turbine Engine powered land vehicles in the world.
Early life and education
Stender was born in Big Bend, Wisconsin, on November 20, 1965, attended Mukwonago High School through most of the senior year. Stender's parents were; John and Patrica His father served in the US Navy, ran a large Dairy Farm in Big Bend, and when the Milwaukee suburbs moved in closer, became a Realtor. His mother raised Paul on the farm and their new house until he became old enough to take care of himself then went on to a very successful career at Marshall Fields in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
Racing career
Beginnings
Stender grew up racing ATV's, motorcycles and snowmobiles in his teens and early twenties. He then made the jump into the big leagues and began racing Badger and USACMidgets. He continued his racing career as an Outlaw sprint car Driver at race tracks across the country. After a series of spectacular crashes that resulted in numerous broken bones and concussions, he retired from Oval Racing in the early 1990s. He continued to build his Polaris Powersports Dealership into one of the top 10 volume dealers in the world gaining him the nickname "Polaris Paul". In 1994 along with help from the staff from his dealership along with the Muskego Icetronauts Snowmobile Club, Stender broke the endurance record for snowmobiles by completing 1740 miles on a Ski-Doo MX-Z 440 Snowmobile in 24 hours on Big Muskego Lake, Muskego, Wisconsin enduring wind chill temperatures in excess of -80 degree F at 100 MPH.
Jet Motorsports Exhibition
A year later he was drag racing a snowmobile on asphalt at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin when he watched a jet funny cardragster race. He decided that Jet Car Exhibition was going to be the next step in his Motorsports career. After searching for some time, he decided to purchase one of the fastest in the country, the Jazz Jet Funny Car, capable of speeds in excess of 300 mph. In his first full year of racing, he was awarded the Pro-Jet Rookie of the Year Award. The newly built Dodge Ramjet was the next Jet Vehicle in the now named "Speed For Hire" stable of Jet's. To prove the 12,000 HP Dodge Truck was the fastest in the world, Stender ran a 397 MPH pass at an airshow in Texas on a three mile long runway, setting the record for "World's Fastest Jet Pickup". Next up were Jet ATV's, a Monster Harley Davidson Motorcycle, Monster Trucks, Jet Semi's and others but nothing compared to his next build, a Jet Outhouse. One day while at an airshow in the deep southwest he saw the wind blow a portable outhouse across the tarmac at high speed. After seeing that he came up with the idea of a jet-powered outhouse. He has performed for fans at air shows and motor sport events around the world. Vehicles Paul currently owns and races include the Dodge RamJet that reaches speeds near 400 mph, the Port-o-Jet Jet Powered Outhouse that reached per hour, the School Time Jet School Bus, the Top Gun Jet Semi, the Polaris RZR-JET, the Jet Doghouse, the AmericanThunder Jet Jeep, and the Armageddon Jet Funny Car. Stender and his vehicles have been featured in publications including FHM, Popular Science, ESPN the Magazine, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and the National Enquirer. He has also been featured on television shows that include Dangerous Curves, Monster Garage, and Horsepower TV in the United States. Paul and his jet vehicles have appeared on numerous Japanese television shows.
