Finally a CR500 put to good use.
Red Bull Gave Him Wings
320-Foot Dirtbike Jump Wows New Years Crowd
Robbie Maddison went huge in Vegas on New Year's Eve jumping 322 feet 7.5 inches [is the extra 7-inch measurement really necessary? -Ed] setting a new record while clearing a freakin' football field. Aired live on ESPN, the death-defying rider hucked his Honda CR500 off the specially built takeoff ramp at the Rio Casino in front of thousands of anxious spectators.
Red Bull organized and sponsored the event billed as the Red Bull Experiment. We've already seen Travis Pastrana jump from a plane with no 'chute-instead holding only a can of Red Bull, and now Maddison's insane jump. We can only imagine what kind of wild events Red Bull has bubbling for the future.
DVD Of The Month
Servin' It Up 5
Darius Khashabi has released the long-awaited fifth installment of the Servin' It Up series. Khashabi must have been saving the video footage from every wreck captured since 2001 because SIU 5 features hundreds of crashes. Revisit all the famous Bay Area landmarks with none other than World Champion Christian Pfeiffer in a once-in-a-lifetime street session caught on video. Watch Khashabi outrun everything from a CBR1000RR to a Lamborghini with his twin-turbo Dodge Viper. Forget garage circles, the ante has been upped to driveway doughnuts in a Corvette Z-O6. While the main feature is just over 30 minutes, extras in the bonus section easily make up the difference. SIU 5 is the most action packed of the series and the best video released in quite some time. www.servinitup.com
Cinematography: 3 Out Of 4 Stars
Music: 4 Out Of 4 Stars
Lifestyle: 5 Out Of 4 Stars
rider or enthusiast: both
Paris-Dakar Rally:
A Real Blast?
Al-Qaeda Thwarts 2008 EventBased on the recommendations from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the organizers of the Dakar Rally cancelled the 2008 event. Reasons for the cancellation include recent international political tension from the murder of four French tourists in December that was linked to a branch of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb. The terrorist group also made direct threats against the race. Apparently, Al-Qaeda would allow competitors to race ostriches, but anything with an actual motor would become a target.Organizers refuse to let the cancellation of the 2008 race affect the future of the Dakar and plans are still scheduled for a 2009 rally. For more information visit www.dakar.com.
Department of Corrections:
In the "Bling Up the Rear" article in the December 2007 issue, Arata rearsets were listed having no brake-light option available. It turns out Arata does include hardware to mount the OEM brake-light switch, which is the reason why it doesn't include the switch. For more information visit www.aratausa.com.