Robbie Knievel jumps more than two-thirds the length of an NFL football field, breaking his own record of 230 feet by a single foot.
Nevada Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren, a neurosurgeon, headed the medical team on hand at the Tropicana Hotel for the Fox network's big two-hour television special "Daredevils Live: Shattering the Records". More than 70 stunts, most previously taped across the country, were included in the show.
The wind was a major concern for Knievel. Butch Laswell, a friend and fellow stuntman, was killed in March 1996 when crosswinds pushed his motorcycle off course as he tried a 65-foot leap over a suspended walkway at the Oasis resort in Mesquite, Nev., 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Wind had remained the stuntman's greatest fear by nightfall Monday as wicked winds whipped through the valley shortly before the sky opened and rain poured down. But by Tuesday afternoon, the wind had calmed to a breeze and the rain was gone. By sundown, the show was set to go on.
It was Evel Knievel who fired up the crowd, traveling by wheelchair the length of the limos to a limited edition Harley-Davidson that he rode up the landing ramp to address the masses.
"Every child watching this event should know," the crippled older daredevil began. "Neither Rob nor I believe in the words 'no fear' ... If you have no fear, you're thinking the wrong way. Have fear, and have a great life."
"Robbie's one of the finest ever on two wheels," said stuntman Bubba Blackwell*, who showed up to support Knievel. At the time Blackwell was gearing up to jump 20 cars in Boston on a Harley-Davidson XR75, the same type bike Evel Knievel jumped 19 cars with and almost twice as heavy as what Robbie Knievel rides.
"Awesome!" New Yorker Vincent Notarstefano ecstatically exclaimed as Knievel hit a perfect landing, easily clearing the 30 limos. "Even if there were more cars, he could have done it, no problem."
Few left the Tropicana as ecstatic as Tim Connick.
The longtime resident of Las Vegas and a fellow motorcycle rider, Connick has followed the Knievels from as far back as he can remember. Tim was the first spectator to reach Robbie Knievel after the jump waving his well-worn paperback edition of "The Cycle Jumpers" detailing the careers of Evel Knievel and Gary Wells. Robbie autographed it right next to his father's signature.
"I hung out with Matthew McConaughey tonight, he offered to buy me a beer. I've met Bon Jovi," Connick said. "None of it means as much to me as meeting Evel and Robbie."
Bon Jovi?
*Bubba Blackwell broke Knievel's last remaining jump record on a Harley-Davidson XR-750 by jumping 52 stacked cars on October 4, 2008. The jump took place at the Deep South Speedway located between Pensacola, Florida and Mobile, Alabama.
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk
*Bubba Blackwell broke Knievel's last remaining jump record on a Harley-Davidson XR-750 by jumping 52 stacked cars on October 4, 2008. The jump took place at the Deep South Speedway located between Pensacola, Florida and Mobile, Alabama.
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk
