There has been a lot of buzz leading up to the world record attempt for the largest loop-the-loop ever performed in a car. You probably accomplished this feat hundreds of times on your Darda car tracks when you were little. I know I created some pretty crazy setups and had my windup sports cars pulling off some cool stuff. So, when you look at this you must be thinking, piece of cake, right? Not so much… Known as the “Death Loop” by professional stuntmen this thing has been attempted many times over the years on skateboards, motorbikes and trucks with a spotty record of successes mixed with some mobility-ending injuries and a smattering of death certificates.

The problem of why you don’t just see dudes pulling these off left and right at car shows lies with the amount of G’s exerted on the driver. Anything over 30 mph in this type of configuration can put so much stress on the body that maintaining consciousness becomes a herculean task. So, who’s the guy crazy enough to attempt this? Steve Truglia, an ex-SAS soldier-turned-stuntman, is about as hard core as it gets. He’s appeared in several Bond films and currently holds the world altitude record for skydiving. He trained extensively both on the ground and in the air, with jet pilots offering techniques for handling ridiculous cetripetal forces.

So, how did he pull this off? Truglia drove a modified Toyota Aygo with the front and back shaved off towards the 40 foot loop at precisely 37 mph. As he headed up the ramp he changed gears to slow down to 16 mph as the car crossed the apex. Along the way, Truglia tensed his arms, legs and abdomen to prevent blacking out.

The loop-the-loop stunt, sponsored by Dunlop Tires and Fifth Gear, will showcase its world premiere online, exclusively on the microsite at http://looptheloop.dunlop.eu at 5pm EST tomorrow, Wednesday, May 20th. It will be shown on Channel Five’s Fifth Gear on Saturday, the 23rd (if you live in the UK.)

Check out the image gallery for the stunt setup:

Stunt video preview here:

SKATEBOARD ATTEMPTS:

Source: We Are Social | The Daily Mail