Video: figure-of-eight racing is the scariest motorsport in history

OK, we’ll come clean. This clip actually hit YouTube a couple of months ago, but we somehow missed it first time round. But now we’ve seen it, we couldn’t not bring it to your attention.

The above video details the opening minutes of the 2015 World Figure 8 Championship 3-Hour Endurance Race at the Indianapolis Speedrome, which was eventually won by presumed raving lunatic Ben Tunny.

Unlike, say, Suzuka – a figure-of-eight track which has a bridge at the crossover point – this particular racing series incorporates no such safety gimmicks. Instead, the field competes on a short, flat circuit where drivers are forced to negotiate fast-approaching traffic twice per lap.

It’s utterly petrifying, and that’s just from the audience’s point of view. As this on-board camera shows, sitting behind the wheel makes the effect ten times worse.

Drivers use a combination of skill, experience and desperate praying to stay out of trouble, although crashes and pile-ups are an inevitable part of the spectacle.

The Figure 8 cars are made as light as possible to increase speed, although understandably there’s no skimping on the roll-cages fitted to each vehicle.

What Figure 8 racing demonstrates, of course, is that the Top Gear test track is utterly suitable for endurance racing. Providing the drivers sign some very comprehensive disclaimers, of course.

F1 is looking for ways to improve. This isn’t one of them.