When Red Bull hosts an event you can bet the house it will be big. Last year, Robbie Maddison made history by jumping over 322 feet on his dirtbike to bring in the New Year.
With 2009 ticking over Maddison lined up a 96 foot vertical jump to the top of the replica Arc de Triomphe in front of Paris, Las Vegas, to top his ridiculous leap of faith from a year earlier.
As the New Year rang in on the East Coast, Maddison hit the ramp, pushing his bike over 100 feet to the top. The landing was near flawless and looked, dare we say... easy. It wasn't until he had to step back down that the danger of the height became readily apparent. After leaving the top slightly too fast, Maddison hit the downside of the ramp with such force that his hand split open and was bleeding during post-performance interviews.
"I just cheated death again," said Maddison. "I'm ready to live another day and am extremely excited to see what 2009 holds for me. The risk level of my jumps was extremely high, and although I was confident in my abilities and preparation, I knew there could have been major consequences, but that is what pushing the limits is all about."
No hollywood special effects...
No hollywood special effects here, just some major cajones
Not to be outdone, rhys millen...
Not to be outdone, rhys millen attempted to backflip his trophy truck