Stuntman Backflips Over a Speeding Race Car

Never has the phrase “don’t try this at home” been more applicable.

Having the ability to do a backflip – without landing on your head – is a pretty good party trick at the best of times. But being able to do a backflip over a moving single-seater race car, while not even looking the right way, is a whole different kettle of ballsyness.

But that’s exactly what British freerunner and former gymnast Damien Walters (a man who’ll never have to pay for a beer in his life ever again) did recently.

He didn’t make it easy for himself, either. Instead of choosing a nice, loud F1 car to jump over – easier to hear coming – stuntman Damien selected a silent Formula E car for his potentially deathy fliparoo.

Luckily, Damien and his team didn’t just lick their fingers and rely on Top Gear maths to make it happen. Instead, they used actual tape measures, timing beams and computers to work out the speed and timing for the jump. Plus a couple of all-important practice runs.

When the time came to press record and do the thing for real, Damien turned his back to the car while stunt driver Alistair Whitton (someone who’d never driven a Formula E car before but was somehow willing to possibly run down his mate) hit 62mph before squinting heavily as Damien looped over the top of him.