Lotus truck jump
If you know the name Mike
Ryan, it's likely because of his work building and racing
diesel-powered semis at unlikely places, like Pikes Peak, and videos of a
five-ton, 2,400-hp truck dancing around the Long Beach docks like Ken Block.
Now Ryan has crossed the ocean on assignment for a British firm,
setting a world record for a semi jump — with a Lotus Formula 1 car
there to capture the moment from the ground.
The stunt arranged by
Massachusetts-based EMC, a data-storage firm and key sponsor of Lotus'
F1 cars, was a first for Ryan, who drives for Hollywood productions when
not at the wheel of his own machine. "It is one of my dream stunts,
because it is one thing I have not done in a big rig. I've flipped them,
crashed them every which way you can, but I have not jumped a truck and
trailer, and I've never seen it done before."
Every car jump is a matter of
physics — speed, ramp angle — but it's the dynamics of a vehicle in the
air that makes them dangerous, especially a trailer that moves
semi-independently from the truck. The semi was heavily modified, and
nothing flammable was left inside the cab in case the jump went south.
It's one Guinness world record that's not likely to be matched soon,
although Ryan may be the only one who would be up for trying. Watch the
results below, and for more, go behind the scenes on EMC's site.
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