Thunder Roads Magazine of Oklahoma/Arkansas September 2015 | Page 33

Story and photo provided by the Buffalo Chip®

FEATURES

DOUG DANGER NARROWLY MISSES DISASTER,
BREAKS KNIEVEL’S® RECORD WITH 22 CAR
JUMP AT STURGIS BUFFALO CHIP®

A RECORD-BREAKING RALLY CROWD CHEERED AS DANGER SOARED OVER 22 CARS AND TOUCHED
THE LANDING RAMP WITH JUST INCHES TO SPARE ON KNIEVEL’S 1972 XR-750.

In a terrifying display of
courage, motorcycle daredevil
Doug Danger today pulled off a
jump that even the most famous
of all daredevils, Evel Knievel®,
couldn’t quite accomplish. Riding
Knievel’s own 1972 XR-750,
Danger roared down a dirt path
between packed campers, under
a steel bridge, up an engineered
ramp and over 22 cars set along
the main street through the
center of the Sturgis Buffalo
Chip® amphitheater. The back
tire of the 40-year-old Harley bit
the edge of the landing ramp
and stuck after a quick bounce.
Danger just barely missed the
edge of the decking surrounding

the Chip’s famed Top Shelf bar
where onlookers gasped at the
daring feat from just 20 feet
away.
Evel Knievel, the undisputed
king of stunt showmanship,
attempted this jump on Sept. 1,
1972 in Monroe, WA. His crew
warned that the bike would not
attain the speed needed to clear
the distance, but because Knievel
insisted on doing the jump, they
built a safety ramp over the last
three cars. Knievel bouncelanded on the safety ramp and
left defeated. More than 40 years
later, Doug Danger was able to
successfully clear the same jump
on Knievel’s own bike.

“This is the best day of my
life,” exclaimed Danger just
minutes after completing the
jump. “That bike landed like a ton
of bricks, and I wasn’t sure I was
going to be able to keep it from
bouncing down the ramp, but I
did it! I broke Evel’s record and
cleared those 22 cars!”
“These people saw one of
the greatest jumps in the history
of motorcycling today,” said
Buffalo Chip President Rod
Woodruff. “Thousands of people
were holding their breath and the
tension was unbelievably high
when Doug flew off the end of
that ramp, but he was successful
and it was an incredible moment.”
Thunder Roads Magazine of OK/AR

33