and then 16 cars at 135 ft and finally on Sunday, 19 cars at 165 ft. July 8, 1972: On this three day weekend, Bob jumped 15 cars at 125 ft. 10,000 people showed up to watch him jump his Suzuki 400. Gill broke 12 ribs, fractured both clavicles, fractured his pelvis and had many other internal injuries.Īpril 16, 1972: Bob jumped the Cajun Canyon near New Orleans. The photographer stood up while Bob was flying over. Bob was to jump five cars and the photographer was to lay on the roofs. 4th, 1970: Bob was performing a promotional jump for a photographer. that was the last time he ever performed.ĭec. Unfortunately his career came to an end when he attempted to clear a 200 ft gap over the Appalachia Lake. This television commercial was voted the "Number One Action Commercial of the Year". The ad aired during Super Bowl VIII and over 140 million people watched in on January 13, 1974. This jump was the first jump featured in a commercial. On Bob jumped the entire fleet of Ryder Rent-a-Truck vehicles. This jump took place in Seattle, Washington in front of 20,000 fans! He also held the world record for the longest motorcycle jump of 171 ft over 22 cars. He jumped across the Cajun Canyon back in 1972. Gill was also the first motorcycle jumper to actually jump a canyon on a real motorcycle. Bob Pleso and Robin Winter-Smith are two names that come to mind, both died trying. There were only a few other jumpers in the 1970s that did not use a landing ramp. He was the first to jump without a landing ramp. He finally got over that fear.īob's career has many highlights. His friend figured out the ramp angles and speed that he needed to get the job done.ĭuring the early days of his career, the hardest part for Gill was not jumping cars, but speaking in front of large crowds. Gill got help from a friend in Florida who knew physics. Bob quickly realized that his probably wasn't the best way to figure out how far a person could fly a motorcycle. He first started off by jumping five cars at a time. Bob made 65 jumps his first year earning over $80,000. so in 1970, Bob began jumping bikes full time. Soon he realized you can't make much money racing motorcycles. Championship in Portland Oregon on a factory Honda. He won the Sebring, Florida 125 mile International Road Race in 1963 and in 1964 the Pacific Northwest T.T. 15 Cars Thompson Drag Raceway - 1971 or 72īob Gill "The Florida Flyer"- United Statesīob Gill's motorcycle career began in 1962 with dirt track and road racing.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |