Indycar Driver and Stunt Plane Pilot Take Each Other as Passengers

Just this year we've seen a Formula One car go against a rugby eight-man pack as well as a professional fencer test her speed against a Nissan 370Z race car, so what could be next? Is Red Bull going to continue this man versus machine theme, or will the Austrian team devise something different?

Well, yes and no. Yes because unlike previous challenges, this one features two vehicles, and no because it's purpose is still that of measuring the two sides together. Even though this time the point is to see which of the two guys find the other's vehicle scarier.

Frankly, there's no real contest here. On one side we have Indycar pilot Alexander Rossi, and on the other, there is Edge 540 pilot Kirby Chambliss. So, one of them goes really fast in a car that places his butt one inch off the ground, while the other is doing almost suicidal tricks in his stunt plane at altitudes no that much higher.

If you or I were to join them, we'd probably need at least one fresh pair of underwear for each occasion. Alex and Kirby, on the other hand, they will probably deal with the nervousness and the g-forces a lot better. Alex is well aware he's at a disadvantage here: "I think Kirby will react a lot better to getting in the car with me than I will getting in the plane with him."

Getting off the two-seater race car, Kirby was clearly excited, but it's the kind of excitement you can expect from a man who cheats death every time he takes off. It was a genuine respect for what Alex and the other pilots are doing, but you could tell he wasn't impressed. And after Rossi joins him on the plane, you can see why. The tricks these guys do are absolutely phenomenal. Diving heads-down? Are you kidding me? Sorry, folks, but it's not even close: the car loses this one.