Starting out the new year with a motorcycle jump record, Robbie Maddison of Australia made a leap of 322 feet, 7 1/2 inches at the Rio Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. Although I don’t follow this sort of thing, reports say it’s double what the late Evel Knievel managed in his career. Maddison plans to double even this new record and wants to build a special jump motorcycle powered by a MotoGP engine to do it.
Although this new record is one helluva long jump, jumping for distance isn’t really a competitive sport, it’s a show so unless Maddison builds up more name recognition, Knieval will be better known for a long time to come. Evel Knievel was a showman or performance artist, a motorcycle was incidental. With far more limited television viewing options available in years past and no Internet, his jumps were a big deal and many people watched even though they had no particular interest in it. He built up expectations among viewers who never thought anyone could jump very far on a motorcycle and then among viewers who were waiting for the inevitable crash that was bound to come sooner or later. Today, far longer jumps will attract a far smaller audience because there are other viewing options and more things to do, besides, jumping 300 or even 600 feet doesn’t amaze the masses anymore, they’re on to other things.
I give Maddison a lot of credit for knowing what he wants to do and following through with his plans which is a lot more than many people can say. At 26 he can still heal fast if he has a bad landing, I just hope he ends his career on a winning note.
Link: Robbie Maddison
Ry says
I wonder how far he could jump on the old Harley that Evel used.
kneeslider says
Yep, try it on a Harley, jumping wooden ramps.
tom w. says
I think part of the problem is that, since Evel clearly was a showman, it was less of a real competition and more of a show so from the viewers point of view, when they see something now, they don’t know if they’re watching WWF or the real thing.
I liked the simplicity of this last one. He wasn’t jumping the most trucks ever or the most Chevy Cobalts, or the largest pit of cobras he was going for the distance record, plain and simple. EK had a talent for making jumps that were less impressive than previous ones look more impressive.
If someone came along next month and said: “I’m going to break Robbie’s record and jump 340 feet, I think there would be a market and I think people would be interested.
But if there became any kind of real competition, and jumpers were really pushing the envelope, someone would die sooner or later.
Would that increase or decrease interest?
Ride says
If you do the math right, have a guy like this that knows how to fly a bike, build the ramps right gearing and HP become the only limiting factors for more distance.
It is impressive for sure but seems almost easy for today’s riders / tech. Heck a few years ago everyone was amazed at the backflip and thought this was bad for the sport and dangerous. It is dangerous but you can go to any county fair and see some local kid you have never heard his name do it 20 times a night without error. It’s all just a learning curve.
therock says
Kneeslider, Ry, Tom, Ride, I think you’re all missing the point of this, no offense.
Robbie did this jump as a dedication to EK.
Robbie, like heaps of young talented aussies who grew up in the dirt, works the Extreme Games circuit and does far more dangerous and complicated stunts than a pure and simple jump.
No denying the danger, but it was quite clear that Robbie did this jump as a dedication to EK. EK was huge overseas and an inspiration to a lot of daredevils around the world. No doubt if he was born in Kiama, Australia, he might be doing exactly what a lot of kids down under do on a dirt bike.
That Robbie didn’t do it on a Harley is irrelevant, that he knows technique, that he prefers better ramps… that’s all irrelevant.
He jumped as a dedication to an inspiring artist who made a lot of us get on a bike and feel alive is what matters.
Evil, rest in peace.