Explore the New Semi-Truck Jumping Record if You’re an Automotive School Student
On July 25th, 2015, a semi-truck was launched 166 feet into the air during the Evel Knievel Festival in Butte, Montana. While that might sound like an impossible feat, crowds of witnesses, tweets, and Youtube videos prove that it actually happened. Even without Guinness World Record officials present, the record for a semi-truck jump was pushed by more than a few extra feet.
If you are planning to pursue an automotive career, read on to learn more about the previous semi-truck jumping record and the daring person who broke it.
The Previous Semi-Truck Jump Record
Until recently, a stunt driver names Mike Ryan held the record for semi-truck jump. In an advertising stunt for EMC Enterprise, a cloud computing and data-management company, Ryan drove his sponsored semi-truck over a ramp that launched it 87 feet and 7 inches into the air. During this stunt, Ryan was able to beat the previous semi-truck jump record of 50 feet and 6 inches, which was set by Gregg Godfrey.
Check out this impressive video of Ryan’s record-breaking jump:
The Record-Breaking Semi-Truck Jump
For both professionals with automotive truck training and adrenaline-loving car enthusiasts alike, this year’s Evel Kneivel Festival promised a lot of excitement—and it did not disappoint. In fact, four world records were broken, including the massive semi-truck jump that dethroned Ryan.
Gregg Godfrey, who held the earlier 50-foot record, tried to perform a second record-breaking semi-truck jump during the festival. While his plan had been to jump only 140 feet, Godfrey instead jumped an impressive 160 feet!
The landing was quite rough as one of the truck’s front tires blew out, nearly causing it to crash into a nearby building. However, thanks to Godfrey’s driving skills, the truck was stopped before it had the chance to cause a disaster.
It’s difficult to compare both Ryan and Godfrey’s record-breaking jumps, since Ryan’s semi-truck had a trailer attached to it, while Godfrey’s did not. However, Godfrey’s jump definitely demonstrated that he was not going to sit back and let Ryan hold on to the record for very long.
See Godfrey’s amazing 160 ft. jump here:
The Evel Knievel Days Festival
In honour of Evel Knievel, the iconic American daredevil, the namesake festival is the only one of its kind in the United States. For Canadian automative and trucking enthusiasts, then ten-hour drive from Surrey, BC, might be worth it for a glimpse of the action.
This year, three records were broken at the festival. In addition to Godfrey’s truck jump, his nephew (who was paralyzed from the waist down during a horrific accident in 2007) also broke a world record by jumping a UTV 202 feet in the air.
Additionally, Bryan Spangler broke the record for a backwards car jump, which now rests at 123 feet. And finally, Levi Troutman, aka The KaMaKaZie Kid ran through 10 flaming walls to smash his previous record of three.
Are you interested in enrolling in a truck dispatch course? Visit CATI for more information or to speak with an advisor.
