Next Saturday, stunt drivers Tanner Foust and Greg Tracy will attempt to be the first two people in history to race two cars through a vertical loop at the same time. The 60-foot-tall loop is modeled after the Double Dare Snare Hot Wheels toy, pictured above. The stunt, titled the “Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare”, will be performed at the Summer X-Games in Los Angeles.
In order to stay on the track, the drivers must maintain a speed of 52 mph in cars built to withstand 7 G’s (a force similar to what fighter pilots must endure). The first driver to make it to the other side of the loop wins. The track itself is 700 feet long and was constructed from 125 tons of steel. I want one.
The loop was built by Dave McKay of Laissez Faire. He tells Wired that it’s the largest stunt he’s participated in. Drivers Foust and Tracy are more familiar with big stunts, however. Tanner Foust broke the record for the longest successful leap in a four-wheeled vehicle, and he holds three X-Games Gold Medals as well as two Formula Drift championships. Greg Tracy is a six-time Pikes Peak Champion who does professional stunt driving in movies and TV shows. They are both cooler than you.
Here is a video of the drivers talking about their upcoming stunt:
https://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1
[H/T: Wired. Photo via Lindsey Boice, courtesy Mattel (with a cat added because that’s how we roll).]