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.
