Daredevil to try 22-car jump at The Rock

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http://www.eagletribune.com/latestnews/x712214383/Daredevil-to-try-22-car-jump-at-The-Rock
May 20, 2010
Daredevil to try 22-car jump at The Rock By Jarret Bencks jbencks@eagletribune.com

SALEM — The last time Bubba Blackwell tried to jump over 22 cars on his Harley-Davidson, he nearly died. That isn't stopping him from trying again.

It's been nine years since the motorcycle daredevil last tried to break his own record by jumping 22 cars on an XR-750 Harley-Davidson in Del Mar, Calif.

Blackwell came up just short, the front tire of his bike hit the lip of the landing and catapulted him from the bike. He flipped through the air before he came to rest like a rag doll on the track. He had to be put on life support and was hospitalized for three months.

"It was not a good day to be in the line of work I am in," Blackwell said in a phone interview Tuesday.

The daredevil plans to try the stunt again, this time at Rockingham Park in Salem on June 12.

Even though his 2001 crash put him in a coma, he said he never doubted he would try again.

"I try to be a very positive person," Blackwell said. "Whenever I'm about to do something like this, I realize my enthusiasm has once again gotten me in a very dangerous position."

Blackwell's first major stunt was performed in Everett, Mass., in 1998, when he broke Evel Knievel's 1971 record by jumping 20 cars.

Laconia Motorcycle Week kicks off June 12, which made the Laconia Supershow at Rockingham Park the perfect time and place for the stunt, Blackwell said.

The world record holder for most buses jumped at 15, and most stacked cars jumped at 52, Blackwell spends most of his time doing stunt shows he considers entirely safe. But every now and then, he said, he needs to do something a little crazy to prove he still can.

"Sometimes you need that promotional hit to show you've still got what it takes," Blackwell said. "We want people to know. I've still got it."

Now 43, Blackwell has been a professional daredevil since 1998, when he left a corporate job with Coca-Cola to pursue his passion for riding motorcycles.

"I've always been motorcycle crazy," Blackwell said. "I've broken 42 bones messing with these darn things, so you'd think I'd learn my lesson, but I'm a Bubba from Alabama with limited options."

C.K. Spurlock, a former stunt car owner and Kenny Rogers promoter who represents Blackwell, said Blackwell is an entertainer in rare company.

"Bubba entertains the people — he talks to them, he spends time with them, he's exactly what he is," Spurlock said. "Dolly Parton is like that, I think Bubba is like that."

Blackwell has suffered his share of bumps and bruises, but his legs, critical for motorcycle stunts, are still in good condition, he said.

"I've shattered my pelvis and broken a lot of bones," he said, "but my knees and ankles are in good shape."

Blackwell, who stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds, will have to hit the 7-foot ramp about 90 mph to clear the 22 Ford Focuses. He considers it the biggest jump of his career, he said.

"I'll be scared to death, I ain't gonna lie," he said with a pause. "I guess it's more terror than being scared because if it was scared I wouldn't try it."

He's on a stunt bike tour, and he'll have three days leading up to the show in Salem to get ready.

Blackwell will perform stunts before he tries the 22-car jump. The show also will feature performances by Ernie and the Automatics and Southern rock band Stilburnin. But Blackwell's jump will be the main event, said Roldo Cesaroni, event promoter. Some of the world's biggest daredevils are expected to be on hand to watch, including Robbie Knievel, Doug Danger and Louis the Rocket.

"It's a history-making thing," Cesaroni said.

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Want to watch?

What: Laconia Supershow motorcycle stunt show

Where: Rockingham Park racetrack, Rockingham Park Boulevard, Salem

When: June 12, 7 p.m.

More information: For tickets, visit LaconiaSupershow.com