Fearless at the 500 Stunt Will Be World Record Attempt

There will be an attempt to jump a truck 302 feet before the Indianapolis 500 100th Anniversary race on Memorial Day Weekend.

The race promoters have resorted to an old-time gimmick for the iconic open wheeled race.  The track has gone so far from their racing tradition as to let the track be remodeled to resemble a kid’s bedroom  for the stunt spectacular.

A custom-built truck as well as a life-sized version of the Hot Wheels toy track set …the Pro2-style truck (driven by a masked stunt driver) will jump across a gap more than 302 feet in length, breaking the world record for largest leap by a four-wheeled vehicle.

For racing fans, especially open-wheeled racing fans, this is truly embarrassing. The 100th anniversary of “the greatest spectacle in racing” could start with a tremendous crash – perhaps even a death.

The truck that will attempt the Fearless at the 500 tractor pull type stunt weighs 3,500 pounds, needing 850 horsepower to generate the speed of 90 miles per hour. The track will have a 45 degree starting ramp that will generate 3 Gs of downforce. The truck will be thrown of a 16 foot high ramp toward the 21 foot high 220 foot landing ramp. The truck needs to fly further than 302 feet to get the record for a four wheeled vehicle

Source: Wired

Image: sarahstierch