Forty years after Evel Knievel's historic jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas would again be the scene for more motorcycle mayhem as Robbie Maddison went for a world record jump, farther than the length of a football field.
Forty years ago, motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel made his infamous Caesars Palace jump. On New Year's Eve in 1967, Knievel successfully cleared the 150-foot jump over the fountains at Caesar's palace before crashing his Harley-Davidson upon impact and rag-dolling down the ramp in one of the most unforgettable events ever aired on American television. Flash forward four decades and the who's who of motorcycling descended once again upon Sin City, but they weren't wearing polyester and sipping martini's, they were waiting to see FMX rider Robbie Maddison attempt the longest motorcycle leap in history. The
Red Bull Experiment revelers weren't alone. They were joined by the rest of the world during the live New Year, No Limits broadcast by ESPN.
Motorcycle distance jumping hasn't really received a whole lot of attention in this era of back-flips, Supermans, ill tats and helmet-cams. Long-distance leaps in Las Vegas have taken a back seat due to the non-stop action of the freestyle motocross movement. But Red Bull's Robbie Maddison was intent on changing all that.
On a chilly desert night, the Rio Casino parking lot was transformed into the site where Maddison would attempt to jump the distance of a regulation-sized football field. The take-off ramp was built around field goal posts and the landing pad, a 50-foot tall mountain consisting of 10,000 yards of dirt adorned with Red Bull logos, was positioned at the other end of a faux field of astro-turf replete with yardage lines and flanked by fan bleachers to the east, an industry party to the west and the soul of the Vegas strip to the south. A strong headwind blew ominously from the north.
The event is not the first of its kind for Maddison. The Australian daredevil has made quite a name for himself as a bloke who likes to go big. An injury last summer during an X-Fighters event at Slane Castle, Ireland held him back, but Maddo didn't let his injury sideline him for long. He went to work, rehabilitating at the Red Bull Athlete Training Center in Austria, preparing for his attempt to commemorate the late Evel Knievel's stunt with a mind-boggling leap of his own. The 26-year-old is no rookie jumper, having already snagged world records for the longest jump on a 125cc motorcycle at 221 feet and a 246-foot jump, with a trick incorporated, aboard a 250cc motorcycle.
Maddison was injured at the Slane Castle X-Fighters event last May, but worked hard rehabbing his injuries in preparation for his attempt at the world record. Travis Pastrana (above) eventually won the competition at the historic Irish castle.
On a night that was an ode to Maddo's recently deceased hero, Maddison planned to smash the existing motorcycle distance jump record of 277 feet set in '05 by Southern California native Trigger Gumm, who pulled it off in, of all places, Australia. But it wasn't about revenge for Robbie, it was about honoring the memory of the man, the event and the often underappreciated effort associated with a stunt of this magnitude.
"Knievel was doing his jumps on a Harley. I actually can't think of anything worse, which just adds to my respect for him. But bike engines and suspensions have come so far since then," explains Maddison prior to the attempt. Truly, things have changed since the Sixties though and that's why Maddo's mount would be a specially modified Service Honda CR500-a hybrid fusion of a Honda CR250 chassis (with additional frame gussets for extra strength) stuffed with a rip-snorting 500cc liquid-cooled two-stroke Single capable of reaching speeds over 100 mph and leaping a small building in a single bound.
"So many calculations have gone into my ramp measurements and the active math equations that we'll use to factor in for wind. This isn't something we just took a guess at like they used to do," explained Maddo, who is the epitome of the consummate professional that takes nothing for granted.
At Vegas, Maddison was all business. The day before New Year's Eve offered unseasonably cold temperatures, but little wind, which gave him a green light for Monday night's jump. Unfortunately, the day of the event the wind whipped up and increased the danger factor. Around mid-day, wind speeds were in the teens and gusting-conditions that could make a jump of that distance more treacherous than it needs to be. But the show must go on.
Fans filled the stands while the media and select guests started to pack the venue in anticipation of the end of another year and the start of an improbable feat. Angels and Airwaves kept the mob entertained along with an army of scantily-clad cheerleaders and a nighttime skydiving exhibition put on by the out of this world members of the Red Bull Air Force. With the clock ticking closer and closer towards his Midnight (EST) lift-off, there was only one thing left to see. It was time to make history or go down in infamy. Maddison began warming up his bike with the cameras trained on his every move as he gathered his courage from down deep within.
Like a poker player with a fistful of Aces, Maddo played the hand that was dealt him. At the stroke of midnight, Robbie roasted his tire, fanned the clutch and asked for as much as his Honda could give him as he tore out of the Rio in a cloud of dust. His CR500 shot forward through the garage and was headed for the ramp, post haste. The crowd was at its feet and at just over 90 mph, he launched into the sky and sailed above the shocked fans below. It only took seconds as he flew through the air calmly, blipping the throttle while keeping the bike at a nearly perfect angle of attack despite the head wind. When he finally came back to earth, the crowd exploded into a frenzy. Job done. He had the record, the glory and his name secured in the history books alongside his childhood idol.
Maddison soaks in the adulation of the crowd after successfully going where no man had gone before on a motorcycle - 322 feet, 7 inches.
It had happened so fast. There were no repeatedly aborted test runs, no over-hyped announcers keeping the crowd's attention hanging on by thread. The record was his with a distance of 322 feet, 7 inches. After a quick celebration with his fiance atop the massive landing ramp and an even quicker interview with ESPN's Jamie Little, he announced he was going to do it again. Like he had on the first attempt, he completely nailed it, much to the delight of the adoring yet frozen crowd. Unfortunately, due to the stiff head winds, he couldn't surpass his first world record setting mark but that back-to-back jump put a personalized stamp on this jump for Maddison. It was no fluke, he could do this with his eyes closed apparently.
"Conditions weren't perfect, but I'm happy with the result," said Robbie between his second jump and his first sip of champagne of the night. "Yesterday in practice, I went 350 feet, and I knew 360 feet was achievable. We did all we could, but the winds played a bigger factor than we planned. But this is called the Red Bull Experiment, and we didn't know what the outcome would be. I just want to thank everyone that made this jump possible, and a big thanks to all of the fans who came out to support me. This is just the beginning."
Maddison will try to break his own record on March 29, 2008 in his home country of Australia during a head-to-head event featuring fellow high fliers Seth Enslow and Ryan Capes at the upcoming Crusty Demon's Night of World Records. Looks like with Red Bull's help, Maddo really has found his wings.
Let us know what you think about this article in the MCUSA Forum. Click Here.
