Top Gear Live sets new World Record

After four days of motoring-themed exploits, the Top Gear Live team now holds a new World Record.

At last week's Top Gear Live, held at Birmingham's NEC, the show's stunt team set a World Record by completing the first double loop-the-loop on a motorbike.

The latest World Record comes just a few months after the same daredevil team was the first to complete a double 'Deadly 720' loop-the-loop in a four wheeled buggy - a stunt performed in Durban, South Africa which has been officially recognised as the 'First Double Loop by a Car' by Guinness World Records.

The Deadly 720+ used the same pair of eight metre tall steel loops as those erected in South Africa.

But this time the courageous stunt man - Gary Hoptrough - rode a standard KTM 250 SX-F with recalibrated dampers to cope with the extreme demands.

"I can't believe we've actually cracked here at NEC in front of a live audience after so many issues in the build-up to the show," said the relieved Top Gear Live creative director Rowland French.

"Having now done the Deadly 720 on four and two wheels I have no idea what we'll dream up next - but you can trust us to come up with something even more astonishing."

Even Jeremy Clarkson was amazed. He said: "We started Top Gear in its current incarnation ten years ago as a pokey little motoring show and never dreamt of setting World Records.

"To be fair, all James, Richard and I did was to stand on stage and introduce a stunt man mad enough to want to turn him self upside twice on a bike. But it was pretty nerve wracking and spectacular!"