Deadly 720 is the world's first double loop the loop stunt and will be attempted by the Top Gear Live Stunt Team during the Top Gear Festival staged in Durban, South Africa next weekend.
The two loops are each 8 metres tall and comprise of 8 tons of steelwork (16 tons in total).
The buggy is fitted with special hand controls to lock out the accelerator pedal during the stunt as, during testing, the extreme G forces involved forced the driver's foot to bury the throttle and resulted in the buggy crashing on exit of the loop.
The dash is fitted with a large shift light that goes from red to green when the buggy is at sufficient speed to complete the loop. With only a 30m run up the shift light will be changing to green a mere five metres before going vertical - not a lot of time to jump on the brakes and abort.
The buggy must enter each loop between 24 and 26mph to successfully complete the stunt, or risk falling out at the top of the loop. An increase of speed will result in an extra G of force on the driver and could cause him to black out. The buggy must exit the first loop with enough speed to enter the second loop at the prerequisite speed. Entering the loop has been likened to hitting a flat wall at speed. If the car bottoms out during either loop, its chassis will grind the steel floor and swipe of vital mph just when the driver needs it most.
