On Sunday, February 17, French daredevil Guerlain Chicherit - the world champion of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup - successfully executed the first ever 360-degree backflip in a car.

Reporting the amazing stunt, CBS local affiliate WTVR in Richmond, Va., said that 34-year-old Chicherit - who became the first person to land a 360-degree backflip in a car - accomplished the feat in the Alps of southern France.

The heart-stopping backflip - which was witnessed by thousands of spectators who had come to the winter sports haven of Tignes to watch the event - was a promotional stunt for Monster Energy Drink, the sponsors of the event.

According to the WTVR report, rally driver Chicherit performed the Monster Energy promotional stunt in a custom-made Mini Countryman John Cooper Works SUV. For the stunt, Chicherit sped towards a 25ft high ramp Mini Countryman at a speed of precisely 37mph; hit the quarter-pipe and took off. He then soared 75ft into the air and performed a full 360 degrees backflip; to become the "first automotively-propelled driver to execute a perfect landing."

Revealing that he had been planning the landmark backflip for the last four years, Chicherit told British tabloid The Mirror: "When you attempt something nobody has ever achieved before, the stress is really high but the only way is to just try it."