Travis Pastrana Successfully Completes 3 Jumps in Las Vegas in One Day

On Sunday, July 8 in Las Vegas, extreme sports athlete and motorcycle stunt man extraordinaire Travis Pastrana successfully duplicated and exceeded the lengths of three of the most famous jumps done by legendary motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel. These included the car jump, bus jump, and the Caesars Palace fountain jump where Knievel almost lost his life.

Pastrana, 34, performed the stunts on an Indian Scout FTR750 instead of the much lighter motocross dirt bikes that he usually rides during X Games sporting events. He says it was so he can stay close to the kind of bikes used by Knievel, such as the 750cc Laverda American Eagle and the Harley-Davidson XR-750, in his stunts.

"The bikes that we're jumping now, they're half the weight... they're built to fly. Where, I'm jumping basically a street bike. A V-twin, 750cc tank," Pastrana said before attempting the jumps. "It was extremely important to use a motorcycle similar to the ones Evel jumped. The Indian Scout FTR 750 is just that, a modern-day evolution of the flat track motorcycles of the past."

“(The Indian Scout FTR 750) has the power I need and handles well, but I'm only going to have a few days to get comfortable on it, not to mention I've never jumped a V-twin before. I've got my work cut out, but we're used to going big at Nitro Circus, so we'll make it happen," added Pastrana.

Pastrana kick started the evening by flying over 52 crushed and stack cars (155 feet long). He then took on 16 buses next (238 feet long), and for the finale, Pastrana jumped over the Caesars Palace fountain (+/- 141 feet long, 15 feet high), the one that put Knievel in a coma for 29 days.

Pastrana also faced half the stopping area than Knievel did when he made his attempt over the fountain due to changes made to design and construction in the area over the years, which made his jump more difficult, and also more dangerous.

"It's not the longest jump but it's definitely the hardest," Pastrana said of the fountain jump. "It's just such an honor to live a day in Evel's footsteps, and literally his boots," Pastrana said after successfully completing all three attempts. "To be here in Las Vegas, so much of my history has been here. I proposed to my wife here, I had (the) first Nitro Circus show here. This was definitely the coolest thing I've ever done."

Like Knievel, Pastrana is also a legend on his own, having won multiple gold medals at the X Games, with his most notable feat being the world-record double backflip he performed on a motorcycle back in 2006.

"This is all about Evel, and the coolest thing about this whole thing, all of Evel's family is out here," said Pastrana, who wore an outfit that mimicked Knievel's famous suit. "This is the home of the most iconic jump, one of the most iconic events that has ever gone down. And to end at Caesars Palace, to have a chance to jump the fountain."

The stunts aired live Sunday, July 8 on the History Channel as part of "Evel Live."

Watch all three stunts of Pastrana on video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhm_2_MECw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2HOnUAPlYM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeVZsjAManA