IT was definitely not the time to be having second thoughts. For the driver attempting the worlds largest loop-the-loop, a moments hesitation could have been fatal. If stuntman Steve Truglia had been too timid in his acceleration, his yellow Toyota would have reached the top of the track and dropped like a stone. But if he had driven in too fast, the G-force generated could have knocked him unconscious. Either way, his route down from the high point of the 40ft loop would have been, shall we say, less than graceful? But as this extraordinary picture shows, Mr Truglias timing and speed were perfect. The breathtaking stunt - planned with the help of a Cambridge physicist - was filmed at a Suffolk airbase for Channel Fives car show Fifth Gear. It will be shown in a special episode next Saturday at 11.30am. John Nolan, of North One Television, which produces Fifth Gear, admitted that Mr Truglia was dicing with death by taking on the challenge - known to stuntmen as the 'death loop. 'This is definitely the highest loop-the-loop in a real car ever, he said. 'If he had blacked out he might not be here now. To stop this happening, Mr Truglia took part in endurance training in an aircraft to get his body used to the stresses of the G-forces involved. Fighter pilots are trained to tense the muscles in their legs, arms and abdomens to restrict the flow of blood away from their brains, which could cause a blackout. Mr Truglia also had to overcome his natural urge to bail out. But after successfully completing the stunt, he is now ready for his next adventure - skydiving from space. DM