Thirty-five years ago, Evel Knievel’s career came to an end after failing to clear 13 London buses in Wembley. After wrecking his Harley-Davidson XR-750 before 90,000 people, the daredevil Evel broke his pelvis.
His son Robbie Knievel recently announced he wants to complete the same jump in 2010, but instead of 13 buses, he’ll do 16. But don’t think Robbie will be driving a newer machine; nope, he’ll be driving an older model XR 750, the same make of bike his dad wrecked back in 1975.
“Daredevils are a dying breed,” Robbie told the UK press. “I’m proud to have been raised by one and to be one myself. I’m looking forward to this and, although my dad’s jump ended with broken bones and a lot of pain, I’m confident he'll be smiling down on this one.”
Robbie said his team is considering performing the stunt at the Battersea Power Station in South London, with a tentative date of May 22, 2010. But they are willing to change the date if it’s possible to perform the stunt at Wembley stadium.
If all goes well, Robbie also plans to also jump the Snake River Canyon. The 1600-feet gap in Idaho was attempted by Evel on a rocket-powered “Sky Cycle” in 1974, but the parachute accidentally opened when Evel launched, and strong headwinds blew Evel 600 feet down into the canyon. Miraculously, Evel walked away with minor injuries.
