Today in motorcycle history, July 23, 1972

                                       

  July 23, 1972 at Lakeland International Speedway in Memphis, Tennessee, daredevil Bob Gill, also known as the man with really big balls, jumps 130 feet without a landing ramp.  Upon landing his front wheel collapses and he does a major-league digger, sliding an estimated 125 feet on the pavement.

 

  Almost a year later, on July 17, 1973, in front of 20,000 somewhat drunk fans at Seattle International Raceway, Bob sets a new World Record.  The people from Guinness witness him jump 22 cars, 171 feet without a ramp.

 

  May 10, 1973, Bob jumped the entire fleet of Ryder Rent-a-Truck vehicles.  This jump was the first jump featured in a television commercial.  The ad aired during Super Bowl VIII and over 140 million people watched in on January 13, 1974. (The Miami Dolphins beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 in case you were wondering.)  This television commercial was voted the "Number One Action Commercial of the Year" and helped propel Ryder to the #1 truck rental company. 

 

  The Great Jump - On August 18, 1974, he attempts to clear a 200' gap over the Appalachia Lake in Bruceton, West Virginia.  Sadly, he came up 3' short and crashed hard, ultimately putting an end to his jumping career.