After 11 years, Travis Pastrana successfully back flips between 2 barges at the River Thames
Travis Pastrana, 34, is an American professional motorsports competitor who is also well-known for his daring stunts. On October 5, he successfully back flipped between two barges floating on the River Thames that was 23m (75ft) apart while mounted on a motorcycle. It was 11 years ago when the last person who tried to do this stunt was seriously injured.
Pastrana’s somersault was set against the backdrop of London’s O2 arena with a fitted street ramp for his take-off and a more gently inclined one for his landing; he only had 45m to accelerate to take off speed before jumping with only 11m to come to a stop before he would have fallen into the London River.
However, that was not the first time such a stunt was attempted. Motocross rider Mike Metzger, 42, fractured a vertebrae while attempting to perform the very same stunt in 2006, only it was in Los Angeles and for a television show. No one has tried the stunt since, until now.
Pastrana has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events like supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross and rally racing. He has reportedly broken more than 90 bones in his body and suffered 25 concussions in the span of his whole career.
In the months of November and December, Pastrana will be touring with his live stunt show “Nitro Circus”.