An Evil Knievel-inspired, daredevilish spectacle will take over Mesa’s Revel Surf Park this weekend with promises of multiple record-breaking extreme sport stunts.
The big picture: Record Breakers, a new action sports event producer that launched last year, looks to push athletes to new heights (sometimes literally) with festivals that showcase never-before-achieved motorbike, BMX and trophy truck jumps and tricks in front of thousands of fans.
- Saturday’s event in Mesa will be its biggest flex yet, with three record-breaking attempts.
Zoom in: The headlining act will feature X Games gold medalist and Record Breakers co-organizer Colby Raha attempting to break the world record for the highest motorbike quarter pipe.
- He plans to land a 300-foot jump across Revel’s surf pool — where people will be surfing — and immediately launch into the quarter pipe, using a 28-foot ramp to hit 100 vertical feet.
- The ramp, which Raha and his team have spent the past two weeks building, is almost two times higher than those at the X Games.
What they’re saying: “I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t confident,” Raha told Axios last week.
- The 31-year-old said he’s spent most of his life preparing for a moment like this — building practice ramps in the desert, learning lessons from each broken bone (there’s metal in his legs, arms, back and pelvis) and honing every detail of his bike.
- As for the live element of the show, he said he tries to tune out the crowd; ego can be a distraction that decides life or death.
Yes, but: “The inner childhood showoff in me can’t wait for people to see it,” he said.
What’s next: Raha said his team plans to host three to four Record Breakers events per year around the country…