Fifth Gear attempts world's biggest loop-the-loop
Stuntman Steve Truglia attempts what is believed to be the tallest loop-the-loop by a real car
We've heard that 'Ring times have become the de facto benchmark for performance cars of late, but this is ridiculous. Not so much a ring as a loop, stuntman Steve Truglia just attempted to drive a Toyota Aygo through a 40-foot loop for the (other) British motor show, Fifth Gear. The stunt was filmed at a Suffolk airbase, and was planned by a team that included a Cambridge physicist.
While anyone with a Hot Wheels track growing up might know that the stunt can be done, a real-world reenactment with a real car and real driver is so dangerous it is referred to as the "Death Loop" by professional stuntmen. While it might seem that a driver could merely power in at a high speed to carry enough momentum to complete the loop, the truth is that the g-forces on the driver at anything above 30 mph can be catastrophic. So stuntman Steve Truglia trained with jet pilots to learn techniques that would help him deal with the centripetal forces.
The car also had to be chopped to increase its approach and departure angles. He had to enter the loop at precisely 37 mph, then immediately slowed to 16 mph as the modified Toyota went up and over. Did he succeed? You'll have to watch the special episode this Saturday, or at least find the torrent. We don't think we're giving too much away to say that Steve plans something even bigger for his next stunt, even though it doesn't involve a car. He plans to skydive, from space.
There's a video montage of Truglia's work, where he talks about the science behind the stunts, after the jump.
[Source: The Daily Mail]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt 4:11PM (5/19/2009)
Scientific kudos for using centripetal instead of centrifugal in the article.
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I am Rich 4:46PM (5/19/2009)
I agree. Someone was paying attention.
GypC 7:05PM (5/19/2009)
actually, it should be centrifugal instead of centripetal
A brief physics lesson:
Centripetal force is directed towards the centre of the "loop", keeps the car moving in a circular path. This force would therefore not affect the driver at all, because the car is already moving in a circular path
Centrifugal force is directed outwards, against the track on which the car is driving. Because of this, the driver would be compressed into his seat and feel like a jet fighter pilot.
Smegley 5:26PM (5/19/2009)
Centipedal forces are what I use to squash bugs
EskimoPie 7:20PM (5/19/2009)
GypC, go back to physics class. Ask for a refund while you're there.
Nateb123 7:21PM (5/19/2009)
@GypC
While your definitions of both forces are sound, the force which the driver experiences is that which is exerted ON him by the track (through the car). That requires the force to be directed towards the centre and thus is centripetal.
Ben 4:28PM (5/19/2009)
Use a Gumpert.
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wako 4:44PM (5/19/2009)
skydive from space... how is that impressive? NASA did that in the 50s :P
wako 4:44PM (5/19/2009)
oops didnt mean to reply to you =X
Franz 4:50PM (5/19/2009)
Skydiving from space might not be very impressive since it's already been done, but I sure would jump at the chance to do it.
Jrejre 4:47PM (5/19/2009)
Pfft. Sonic's been doing this for years.
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Starnerf 7:57PM (5/19/2009)
Well he is the fastest thing alive.
tarheel91 6:19PM (5/19/2009)
Massive centripetal forces? Ignoring gravity, the most he's going to feel is about 1.5g's.
30mph = 13.4112 m/s
(13.4112)^2 / 12.192 = 14.75232 m/s^2 or almost exactly 1.5 g's. A the bottom of the loop, he'll feel 2.5 g's, but that's the most (.5 g's at the top).
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TigerMil 7:06PM (5/19/2009)
Agreed. You only need more than one G to stay on the loop at the top!
Where's a g-meter or one of those acceleration gizmos or even an iPod with a g-meter app when you need one!!
Javanese 7:02PM (5/19/2009)
How hard could it be?
Just point the car (and it being a 1.0/1.4/whatever L engine) go as fast as you can. I can pretty much do it on the scalectrix at 3/4 throttle/squeeze.
Anyway, it sounds like they are blowing 1/4 of their budget on one stunt which tells me the rest of the season will look pretty drab.
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tarheel91 7:33PM (5/19/2009)
Well they are right in that you can only go so fast. At 50 mph, he'd experience a tad more than 5g's at the bottom of the turn. He could go in at 40 and still be fine. This assumes, too, that you're going to maintain your speed the whole way through. Friction says no, so you could probably enter the curve a little faster than that.
EC 10:51PM (5/19/2009)
They should have followed all the roller coaster designs across the entire planet and designed the loop as an inverted teardrop. This way the speed of the car can decrease through the top of the loop, as it will due to the climb up the side, and still have enough outward force to keep it on the track. He is going to experience incredible g's as he first goes into the loop and ends the loop.
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travisty 9:50AM (5/20/2009)
That was my thought as well. "Why the F did they make it a perfect circle?? Don't they ride rollercoasters?"
sitruc 1:13AM (5/21/2009)
Objects in freefall fall at 30ft/s? That's like saying pi is equal to 3.
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