Guerlain Chicherit is a 36 year old French rally driver and accomplished freestyle skier who has had his eye on the world record for longest vehicle jump, a record that’s been held by Tanner Foust since 2011. Chicherit and Monster Energy created a course in the scenic French Alps resort town of Tignes and got to work on a jump that would be 360 feet total airtime. GoPro assisted with sponsorship, and got the opportunity to video record the event as it took place this March. What should have gone smoothly, didn’t. Chicherit’s 1000hp Mini rally car nosed over towards the end of the flight, and it went bad from that moment forward, with the Mini digging in and violently flipping end over end in the snow and ice. Chicherit only sustained minor injuries in the wreck.
What do you do, when this is what you see out of the window?
What the video shows isn’t a showoff driver who’s playing carelessly, but instead a calculating, thoughtful risk-taker going over preparation for a dangerous stunt…and the look of a man who, mid-flight, is calmly anticipating the inevitable conclusion of his decision. It’s a great introspective of what was going through Chicherit’s head, and is certainly worth a watch.
Press play below and see what goes through a driver’s mind as he prepares for a dangerous stunt.
(Thanks to Ian Tocher for the tip!)
“merde”!!!
No containment seat, no arm restraints, no “Hans” devise; do the French think they are immortal? Great planning.
You can clearly see the HANS device at 9:50 when he’s unstrapping from the car (with the firemen yelling at him not to move).
He says he’ll try again… judging by the look on his wife face, I’m not so sure about it.
Gee, who could know jumping a car 300+ feet on snow wouldn’t work out great?
I don’t get it but Hey, I don’t have to get it.
You know I get it. It is the same reason guys strap rockets to their backs. It is the same reason Land Speed records are broken. Because you can…..My only thing about this jump was the fact I couldn’t tell if he caught the edge of the ramp or when he landed his suspension came unloaded and forced the car to flip. Either way it was a hell of a ride. I didn’t get the stupid open face helmet honestly…..I thought that was more seriously stupid. Go ahead shove the steering wheel through your right eye….