MUNICH, Germany - Mini cars are hot fashion items, Dakar rally winners and now one as (temporarily) defied the laws of gravity.
Extreme French sportsman, freestyle skier and rally driver Guerlain Chicherit thought he’d give snowboarders a run for their money when he pulled up in a John Cooper Works Mini at the winter sports resort of Tignes in, France - venue for the 1992 Winter Olympics freestyle skiing competitions.
Watch the video
His aim was to show everybody how to perform the perfect backflip - in a Mini.
Chicherit pulled off this world-first stunt using a static ramp and a fresh bed of powdery snow. The ramp featured the same template as a quarterpipe on a freestyle course. With the ideal ramp breakover angle , an extremely light throttle touch and a car with suitably buoyant springs, he pulled it off successfully.
TWO PLAYGROUNDS
The attempt is not the first of its kind but Chicherit is the first driver to achieve the stunt without any assistance by moving equipment, making him the first automotively propelled artist to execute a perfect landing.
The airborne stunt is just another achievement to add to Chicherit’s already-impressive list and a means for him to combine his two passions: he's as good on the snow as he is behind the wheel of a rally car. The 34-year-old has four freestyle skiing World champion titles to go with his two French rally championships.
Extreme French sportsman, freestyle skier and rally driver Guerlain Chicherit thought he’d give snowboarders a run for their money when he pulled up in a John Cooper Works Mini at the winter sports resort of Tignes in, France - venue for the 1992 Winter Olympics freestyle skiing competitions.
Watch the video
His aim was to show everybody how to perform the perfect backflip - in a Mini.
Chicherit pulled off this world-first stunt using a static ramp and a fresh bed of powdery snow. The ramp featured the same template as a quarterpipe on a freestyle course. With the ideal ramp breakover angle , an extremely light throttle touch and a car with suitably buoyant springs, he pulled it off successfully.
TWO PLAYGROUNDS
The attempt is not the first of its kind but Chicherit is the first driver to achieve the stunt without any assistance by moving equipment, making him the first automotively propelled artist to execute a perfect landing.
The airborne stunt is just another achievement to add to Chicherit’s already-impressive list and a means for him to combine his two passions: he's as good on the snow as he is behind the wheel of a rally car. The 34-year-old has four freestyle skiing World champion titles to go with his two French rally championships.