When people think of daredevils, they usually conjure up images of Evel Knievel or Travis Pastrana. Despite the incredible exploits that those two men have accomplished throughout the course of their lives, neither of them holds the record for the longest recorded motorcycle jump in history. Robbie Maddison, a native of New South Wales, Australia, is the recipient of this honor. Other stunt motorcyclists have died while attempting jumps half the size of those attempted by Maddison on the last night of the year in 2007. He bested his own world record three months later as if to prove to himself that it wasn’t a fluke.
There was little sign that Robert William ‘Robbie’ Maddison would rise above icons like Evel Knievel in the world of bike jumping. In the Kiama district of New South Wales, he had a normal Australian boyhood. Maddison, on the other hand, was no ordinary Aussie youngster; he’d grown up idolizing Even Knievel. In Maddison’s thinking, his huge demonstrations of physics-defying bike jumps were like a call to action. Beginning an obsession that will lead to his own life’s calling. Maddison took a chance and decided to pursue stunt bike jumping as a career. He wouldn’t have to wait long to win gold at the 2004 X Games in Sydney’s Wonderland amusement park. He also set a new record of 221 feet for the longest leap by a 125cc stunt bike. This achievement would set him up for a meeting with fate.
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