San Diego Bay Jump
Levi LaVallee and Robbie Maddison cut through the night to ring in the New Year with a stunning and very successful world record tandem jump.
But the stars of 2012 Red Bull New Year No Limits event were both on eggshells as the 2012 jump time approached. Dense fog rolled in and filled the San Diego Bay threatening to cancel the motorcycle and snowmobile high flying act.
The ramps filled with moisture while the ESPN and Red Bull staff quickly combed the massive landing ramp with hot air blowers. Although no announcement was made, chatter in the hot pits started to spread that Robbie might be having second thoughts.
Levi seemed more sure and determined to complete the snowmobile jump after falling to massive injuries while practicing just days before last year’s planned Red Bull jump.
At about 30 minute before the hour, you could hear the raspy snowmobile making it’s way down the mile plus long approach ramp. Traction was not an issue for the purpose built track on Levi’s sled. But still there were no signs of the madman Robbie Maddison.
As god had once parted the waters, the fog miraculously begin to lift. The plastic tarps were peeled from the approach ramp. Maddo and his modified Yamaha YZ-450F motorcycle would not miss this payday, especially with wife and newborn baby waiting with anticipation across San Diego Bay water.
After working out the details of their individual approaches, the pair sailed through the air, in synchronistic fashion, jumping over 300 feet of water from the North to the South at the Embarcadero Marina Park. Robbie Maddison was leading at about 110 mph with Levi LaVallee gaining, as if in the draft, at maybe 120 mph.
LaVallee, the 28-year-old native of Longville, Minn., and his snowmobile broke his own record of 361 feet with this amazing 412 feet 6 inches record snowmobile jump.
Maddison, the 30-year-old Aussie now living in Temecula, Calif., flew his Yamaha motorcycle breaking his existing certified world record of 351 feet 3 inches by more than 30 feet, landing 378 feet 9 inches from his take-off ramp
After the jump Maddo was clearly relived saying "my knees were shaking" before the jump and that he was glad it was over. Levi was pleased and extremely pumped to have come back from last’s year accident and injuries to break his own world record.
Let’s see what Red Bull and ESPN have in store for the next New Year’s Eve party… whatever it is it will surely outperform the Times Square "ball dropping" in New York City.
