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Robbie Maddison jumps off the Arc de Triomphe in Las Vegas
Robbie Maddison pays tribute to the legendary Evel Knievel with a stunt that even stands out as crazy in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve.
You can imagine that New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas must be something crazy to behold at the best of times, but Australian Robbie Maddison, the modern-day incarnation of motorcycle daredevil supreme Evel Knievel, saw out both 2007 and 2008 in a grand manner that even had the denizens of Sin City gasping in disbelief.
On the last day of the year in 2007, the man who's known as Maddo for a reason, took part in the Red Bull New Year No Limits project at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, attempting to mark the 40th anniversary of Knievel’s famous leap over the fountains at Vegas’s Caesars Palace by recording the longest-ever jump on a motorcycle.
Knievel himself reckoned 300ft (91m) was impossible but Maddison, hitting the ramp at 94mph (151kph) on his Honda CR 500, soared 60ft (18.3m) into the air and landed the machine 322ft 7.5in (98.34m) distant – a world record by more than 45ft (13.7m).
Getting up there was the 'easy' part
© Jörg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Maddo on top of Vegas's Arc de Triomphe
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
View from the top
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
So how do you follow that? Well, the following New Year’s Eve, ‘Maddo’ had an ever madder idea. Teaming up with Red Bull again, he executed a soaring jump on to the top of the 96ft-high (29.3m) Arc de Triomphe replica that stands proudly in the Paris casino.
Ah, but that was the simple part. In front of a global TV audience, the man who played Daniel Craig’s 007 stunt double in Skyfall then proceeded to ride off the top and effectively free-fall 60ft (18.3m) before almost overshooting his landing area.
He made light of tearing the flesh between his thumb and forefinger on his thumping impact with the ground. "I’ve broken my neck, knocked my teeth out, broke my collar bone, punctured my lung, broke my left wrist twice… this is like a paper cut,” joked Maddo.
Still, he knew he had got a little lucky, conceding later: “I don't care if you offered me $10 million – I wouldn't do it again.”