Skip to Content. The five greatest moto stunts from one of the greatest moto stuntmen, ever. By Eric Wright. Part of this story. Robbie Maddison A freestyle motocross rider, who's built a career … Australia. View Profile. Robbie Maddison jumping the Corinth Canal. The world may have bid the legendary Evel Knievel adieu, but his spirit lives on in the likes of Robbie Maddison , freestyle motocross champ and daredevil extraordinaire.
The ft. Red Bull Experiment In , Robbie was well-known in the world of freestyle motocross, but his name did not hold much weight outside that tight-knit circle.
And to make things a little bit more interesting for the elated onlookers, Robbie went back around and hit it again, just because he felt like it. Jumping the Arc de Triomphe The Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. Arc de Triomphe jump at the Paris casino in Las Vegas was a unique stunt. Maddison took up an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer of all things upon him leaving Kiama High School.
Dreams of achieving something "higher" than a run-of-the-mill career as an electrician gravitated him closer and closer to the world of two-wheeled stunt jumping.
His parents bought him his first dirt bike soon after. Maddison made the leap of faith and devoted himself to the sport of stunt bike jumping.
It wouldn't be long before he won gold at the X Games at the Wonderland Sydney amusement park. He also clinched the record for the longest recorded jump by a cc stunt bike at feet. This success would set him up for a date with destiny. Las Vegas has always been a place that attracts craziness like the right end of a magnet.
It's the reason why Evel Knievel made it the place he attempted some of his most insane jumps. It's also the place he had his most memorable and horrific crash. If Robbie Maddison wanted to avoid the same fate as his childhood hero, everything about his New Years' Eve record attempt would have to go off without a hitch.
His specially tuned Honda CR stunt bike would have to leave the ramp at exactly 94 miles per hour to avoid overshooting or undershooting the pre-approved landing spot. Any deviation from this precise speed on takeoff would result in a bone-shattering impact that's killed more than a few stunt bike riders before. Unlike any rider before him, Maddison would be attempting to jump longer than the length of a regulation football field, a scarcely believable feet in front of a live ESPN No Limits New Year's Eve celebration His jump would be the first in a series of RedBull sponsored experiments involving athletes attempting world record feats.
If successful, it would best the previous record by over 80 feet. In the crowd, that evening was a who's who in the X-Games and bike racing communities. With thousands of spectators cheering and a who's who of extreme sports royalty on hand, Maddison took a few speed runs back and forth across the ramp.
Visualizing the perfect launch trajectory in his head before committing to the ramp at full throttle. His two-stroke dirtbike engine roaring as he charged down the long straightaway at precisely 94 miles per hour.
Emerging on the other side not crumpled in pieces, but triumphant. Although short of the feet target, Maddison's jump of feet cemented him as the pound for pound best stunt bike jumper the world has ever seen. Just to prove it wasn't a fluke, he broke his own record three months later. Inching ever closer to his target at an unbelievable feet. It may have been a little short of the goal, but when the goal is that insane, falling a little short is no shame whatsoever.
0コメント