Evel Pastrana!
EVEL PASTRANA!
IF YOU'RE GOING TO JUMP THE Grand Canyon, you might as well do a few tricks while you’re at it, right? Unlike Robbie Knievel’s 231-foot hurdling act from several years ago, which ended with the daredevil over-jumping his landing ramp and cartwheeling through the weeds, factory Suzuki motocrosser and freestyle champ T ravis Pastrana wasn’t trying to clear the Little River Gorge near Cameron, Arizona. But he did make one heckuva statement with his on-bike leap into the canyon.
Late last summer, after months of secret preparation for his blockbuster stunt, the plan finally came together. During filming for his latest video, Global Addiction, Pastrana launched his Suzuki RM250 off a custommade ramp, pulled a few tricks and free-fell through much of the 1500-foot-deep canyon before pulling the rip cord on his parachute and landing safely at the bottom of the canyon. The RM was obliterated.
“It scared the living hell out of me,” confessed photographer Joe Bonnello, who shot the accompanying images. In preparation, Pastrana trained with Dave Barlia, one of the world’s top base-jumpers, and ; logged 50 airplane ■ái jumps. Prior to the ac’ tua* actleapt out of a helicopter to get a better feel for the gorge environment.
“It’s something that I had wanted to do for a long time, but you’re not allowed to learn how to skydive until you’re 18 years old,” Pastrana explained. “I wasn’t real-
ly nervous until I left the ramp. Normally, when you leave a ramp, you spot the landing. But there was nothing at all! The feeling was beyond anything I've ever imagined."
Pastrana, his parents and video producer Greg Godfrey had scheduled five jumps, but the second flight turned out to he the last. l~verytliing was runn flu late liom the start, and repacking the parachute took at least an hour. For his third at tempt, Pastrana planned either a double backflip or a barrel rolljust to give you an idea of what this kid thinks is possible on a motorcycle.
Want to see for yourself just how wild Travis Pastrana really is? Godfrey Films (www.godfreyfilms.com) will release Global Addiction this spring.
-Jimmy Lewis
