Bob Gill is the world-record holdin

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

. He was one of the few jumpers to eschew the use of a landing ramp. His career was cut short in 1974 when he landed short on a world-record attempt to jump the wide Appalachia Lake in

Bruceton Mills, West Virginia Bruceton Mills is a town in northern Preston County, West Virginia, United States, along Big Sandy Creek. The population was 64 at the 2020 census, making it the second-least populous town in West Virginia, after Thurmond. History An early s ...

Racer to jumper

Bob began as a motorcycle racer in 1962. Unsatisfied with the money he was making as a racer, he switched to jumping full-time in 1970. After several long jumps, including one jump 152 feet over the Cajun Canyon in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, he jumped over a set of

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trucks on May 10, 1973. The jump was filmed for a television commercial that was aired during

Super Bowl VIII Super Bowl VIII was an American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular Ameri ...

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World record

On July 17, 1973, Bob set a world record jump of when he jumped over 22 cars with no landing ramp at

Seattle International Raceway Pacific Raceways is a mixed-use road racing and drag racing facility near Kent, Washington. The race track was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. The track was originally named Kent Pacific Raceways, then became known as Seattle Internationa ...

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in

Kent, WA Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census, making it the 4th most populous municipality in greater Seattle an ...

Appalachia Lake

On August 18, 1974, Bob was scheduled to attempt a world record jump over the -wide Appalachia Lake in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. Heavy rains in the area forced the postponement of the jump to August 25. The jump was performed without the aid of a landing ramp. He landed three feet short on the embankment of the far side of the lake. Thrown from the bike, he suffered severe spinal cord injuries that left him permanently paralyzed.

Other Info

Bob Gill appeared on the TV show

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

in the 1970s. He founded "Bob Gill Awareness Foundation" and resides in

Tampa Bay, Florida Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

Sources

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Monongahela River in North Central West Virginia and is the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2 ...

'' Dominion-Post'', August 19, 1974

External links

Bob Gill's page at cyclejumpers.com

Bob Gill Daredevil Site

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Bob American motorcycle racers American stunt performers Living people 1945 births