They’ve become a dime-a-dozen on motorcycles and in monster trucks. But as of yet, no one on record has successfully landed an unassisted, mid-air back flip in a car – at least not on purpose. E3 Spark Plugs just learned that French stuntman Guerlain Chicherit may have changed history, if a recently released video tease is to be believed. And he’s got plans to repeat his much speculated feat next month.
On his Facebook page, Chicherit, best known as a four-time free skiing world champion and the 2009 Rally Raid World champ, claims to have completed a 360-degree back flip in a highly modified Mini Countryman on New Year’s Day.
“It was 18 months of work, lots of crashes and doubts, but at the end we’ve accomplished it,” Chicherit wrote in a January 1 status update.
His Facebook page also features a masterfully shot video teaser that shows Chicherit driving the Countryman through a freight container yard and launching into the air via a ramp with only “a gas pedal and a prayer.” The video stops short of an actual landing – something fans and critics alike will have to wait for. Chicherit will attempt the feat live February 10 in Tignes, France.
See the video below. And be sure to check the E3 Spark Plugs blog next month to see if Chicherit pulls of a live landing.