Hot Wheels Double Loop

Oh, here's something fun to give to your students to work on!

At the LA X-Games, Hot Wheels will attempt a "6-story" vertical loop!

On June 30, drivers in a Hot Wheels double loop at X Games Los Angeles 2012 will attempt to break a world record for racing two vehicles through a six-story double vertical loop. Two drivers will accelerate to 52 mph, enter a 66-foot tall loop and hit seven times normal gravity as they drive through the loop.

Of course, it would be nice to have an exact diameter of the loop beyond just "six-story" measurement. Still,  using an estimate of the car's mass and the height of the loop, calculate the minimum speed that the vehicle must have to successfully make the loop. One almost might want to consider if neglecting the rotational energy in the wheels is acceptable.



Should be fun to do such calculation and make a prediction before hand if this will be successful or not! :)

Zz.