Watch record-breaking motorcycle jump: Motocross daredevil Colby Raha soars into history

USA Today

5 days ago

Colby Raha broke the world record, previously held by Seth Enslow, for longest motorcycle jump as thousands looked on at the Sturgis Rally.
STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA — Sturgis Motocross daredevil Colby Raha made history on Aug. 2 when he broke the Harley-Davidson distance jump world record, landing a 205-foot jump as thousands of fans cheered on.
Raha, 30, shattered the world record on the second day of the 85th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at the Thunderdome as he zoomed about 80 miles per hour toward a jump ramp. The motorcycle rally is held in the western South Dakota town, and takes place over 10 days.
"You don't see anyone else lining up to do this," said Raha, before attempting to break the 15-year record previously held by motorcyclist and stunt performer Seth Enslow.
Enslow had owned the record since 2010, when he rode a modified Harley-Davidson XR1200 Sportster and made a world record jump of 183.7 feet in Australia. The jump was first benchmarked by Evel Knievel, a stunt performer and entertainer, in 1975.
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After four attempts, Raha successfully soared 205 feet on a 550 pound V-Twin Harley-Davidson Sportster.
"This jump at the Thunderdome in Sturgis channeled the spirit of Evel Knievel, an absolute legend of the sport. And I'm beyond stoked to have landed it as part of my Record Breakers event,' Raha said. 'It was a dream to push the limits at the Thunderdome, and I felt really dialed in the whole time. I'm grateful for the support from Rockstar Energy and all the partners who helped make this world record attempt possible.'
Raha is known for his debut in 2017, when he won gold at the X Games in Minneapolis for the QuarterPipe High Air. He's earned 11 more medals since competing in the X Games.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY