Page 153 - (DK) Danger! Open with Extreme Caution!

Are you Eek! It
realLy going must be
to leap that, threE-quarters
Evel? of a mile
acrosS!
YUP!

The motorcycle
daredevil who
tried to jump Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel
the Snake regularly played with death jumping He decided to jump the Snake River Canyon
over cars, trucks, and buses. He lost
River Canyon count of how many bones he had in Idaho, a feat that would be imposSible
broken in his body. on an ordinary motorcycle…

They say the Hope you
He’s some it cost more guy’s make it,
crazy dude. than $150,000 fearlesS! Evel.
to build.
I like
doing
things by
the seat of
my pants.

…so he built a rocket-powered Skycycle to get him The Skycycle was launched up a steEp ramp. Previous test
acrosS. It would be his most daring stunt ever. models had failed to clear the canyon.

I could
YeE-HAW! have told
He’s going
There he to crash. him wings
goes!
are betTer.
oOOH! He’lL
drown.
aAaAH!

The parachute had unfurled toO early. Pushed
Evel presSed the butTon and the Skycycle roared by the wind, the Skycycle drifted back into the canyon
up the ramp at 350 mph (563 km/H). It soared high down toward the swirling waters of the river
into the air. 655 ft (200 m) below.

Back to
the buses.
What
next,
Evel?

Evel earned $6 milLion from the stunt. A few months
The Skycycle came to rest on the rocks just short later, he broke his pelvis after jumping 13 buses in
of the river. Miraculously, Evel walked away with only London’s Wembley Stadium and went on to complete
minor cuts and bruises. many more stunts and break many more bones.

STUNT STARS 153
(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.