Colby Raha goes full Evel Knievel to set new motorcycle jump record
Rockstar Energy Drink athlete and motocross daredevil, Colby Raha, has broken a 15-year-old motorcycle jump record.
Rockstar Energy Drink athlete Colby Raha went full Evel Knievel as part of a record-breaking motorcycle jump at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, in South Carolina.
Thousands of fans were present to witness Raha’s attempt on August 2, as he performed the jump off a ramp just shy of 80mph.
The record Raha broke was for the longest jump on a V‑twin motorcycle, which was previously held by Seth Enslow, who achieved a distance of 183.7 feet (around 60 metres) on a modified Harley-Davidson XR1200 Sportster.
Enslow’s previous record was one of many impressive performances since Knievel’s iconic 133-foot (40 metres) jump on a Harley-Davidson XR-750 in 1975. On that famous day in Ohio, Knievel successfully jumped 14 buses.
Back to the present day, Raha's first jump attempt landed just shy of the record set by Enslow in 2010, in Australia. However, runs two and three were enough to break the record before the fourth attempt saw him eclipse 200-feet (60.9 metres).
The official record set by Raha was 205-feet (62.4 metres), making him the only rider to break past the 200-foot barrier.
Wearing a Knievel tribute suit for his record attempt, the American said this post-jump: “My team said, ‘We want to walk out of here safe,’ and I said, ‘We didn’t come here to not break a record’. What would Evel have done? I think he’d have done the same.”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
