INDY 500: HOT WHEELS BREAK WORLD RECORD – 332FT TRUCK JUMP!
Tanner Foust broke a World Record at this year’s Indy 500, jumping 332ft from a 100ft steep ramp!
“There’s a lot that goes into being part of the Hot Wheels Team, you know, there’s some decisions that you make that no other racer would normally dive into!” – Tanner Foust
We love a good World Record here at Extreme Element having set one ourselves less than a year ago, and the events of this Sunday’s ‘Indy 500’ were definitely right up our street!
To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 (America’s best attended sporting event), the organisers and Tanner Foust created history in the most emphatic of fashions – by setting a new long distance truck jumping World Record. In front of thousands of avid fans, the famous stunt driver and American TV show host leapt a magnificent 332ft and eclipsed the previous record held by Johnny Greaves by 31ft (10%).
“It never looks as high from the ground as it does up on the board, and I sat up there just thinking there is no way this is a hundred feet – it feels like eight hundred feet!”
Foust made the giant leap in his specially modified “Pro 2” Truck on turn 4 of Indy’s 2.5mile oval track, driving down a colossal ramp designed nostalgically to emulate the children’s toy manufacturer ‘Hot Wheels’ and their popular ‘V-Drop’ ramp.
“The G out coming up the ramp is pretty severe, to the point where we actually had to modify the ramp after a couple of jumps because it was actually sliding it – the forces are incredible… it’s over 30,000lb of force being pushed into the ramp!”
As his truck reached the top of the ramp, a small helicopter flew overhead capturing some magnificent footage of what was about to unfurl. With Tanner sat ready to power his 850bhp V8 truck, other promotional videos for the event’s sponsor (Hot Wheels) filled the huge screens around the circuit.
Foust would soon reach speeds of 105mph before hitting the ramp to be airborne for 4 seconds – eventually landing after initially looking like overshooting the landing. It was thanks to his great driving skill and applied braking that the finish was as cool as the jump and record, making a trophy-piece spectacle for the 300,000 crowd that were lucky enough to be in attendance.
The daring driver trained for months in total secrecy, and even the promotional videos purposely kept his identity a secret – but now he is a proud World Record Holder, and will forever remember the 29th of May for his fantastic new record.
If you’d like to emulate the fantastic driving skill and bravery of Tanner Foust, why not start small with a bit of Stunt Driving, or build up your driving ability like he did by beginning with Rally Driving – and who knows, it could be you breaking the next World Record!
