Mike wrote:
Then the celebrity hillbilly walks away (presumably) from a one point landing. Props
I worked with a celebrity hillbilly while in high school. (Chevy dealership lot attendant).
The kids' name was Bill Helzer.....nicknamed "Hellraiser". This kid would do ANYTHING that ANYONE would dare him to do. On one of our weekend snowmobile trips we "dared" him to jump a county road (ditch to ditch). I guess a county road is around 60' or so wide including the shoulder???? With the floor of the ditches having an elevation at least 4' lower than the road bed itself.
Now, if you were to "dare" me to do that today, I might have a serious think about it depending on what I was riding. Modern suspensions can soak up a pretty big "hit" when jumping. I've been going to snowcross races the last couple of years and the landings some of these kids make from 20 feet up is amazing.
Bill, on the other hand, was riding a 1978 Arctic Cat El Tigre'. A pretty quick little sled, but with about 2" of front/rear travel.
He didn't even hesitate. He taped the throttle to the handlebar and hit the road approach at AT LEAST 60MPH. He cleared the road by at least 60 feet and landed in the ditch on the other side almost like someone had dropped him and the sled out of a stationary helicopter.
It landed so hard, that the track "spit out" and it broke the tunnel (rear portion of sled) nearly in half. We ran up to him and he was rolling around in the snow with the wind knocked out of him.... We didn't see any blood coming out of his eyes or anything, so the whole group of guys erupted in laughter!!!!!!!!!!!
Believe it or not, Bill was fine..... Most mortal men would have been paralyzed and driving a wheelchair with their tongue for the rest of their lives...
I have a few more "hold my beer and watch this" moments staring Bill, but that was one of the best. (notice how it wasn't "the best"??)
Guess what he does for a living nowdays?
He's a COP.