Red Bull hasn’t always gotten their stunts right, but the energy drink company that dabbles in multiple motorsports nailed this one. After accomplishing bicycle stunts on a moving train, Red Bull has moved to a slightly faster obstacle: a Formula 1 car. Kriss Kyle took on the challenge of jumping over an F1 car that was driving right at him. The consequences of failure are fairly obvious. Spoiler alert: Kyle got it right.
It was a long road to get there, though. At Knockhill Racing circuit, the bike and car practiced the stunt offset from each other — not right on top of each other for far less severe consequences of failure — to perfect the timing. Kyle made five jumps in a row that would successfully clear the car before doing it for real. When he finally got it, everyone except Kyle himself was satisfied because he flew to the side instead of straight over the car. Increasing winds put an end to that day, but a final attempt during a short window at Goodwood Racing Circuit was a complete success.
Showing us how it’s done
Seeing the success of the final jump is cool, but what interests me even more is the work that went into making this possible. Kyle identifies three factors he needed to get right to make this stunt work. He needed to jump high enough to clear the car as it passes below him. Immediately, he could jump the three feet needed to clear the air intake, but he had to reach about 4.3 feet to clear the rear wing during his descent. A lot of practice and coaching using motion capture technology helped Kyle refine his technique to hit this mark every time.
He also needed to have perfect timing, or else he’d either hit the rear wing or the car would hit him. Kyle had a short 0.2-second launch window to ensure he cleared the car successfully. He enlisted the aid of a friend and a go-kart track to practice jumping over a much smaller moving obstacle, also practicing at an offset until he could nail it consistently.
Finally, he needed a driver he could trust to drive at him the same way every time. Enter 13-time F1 winner and fellow Scotsman David Coulthard. He possessed the skills to be at exactly the right place and the right speed every time. Kyle was in good hands. Despite all this, Kyle still chickened out on his first attempt at the real thing. I don’t blame him a bit.
