As if it wasn’t insane enough that he pulled it off, Bryce Menzies bested the truck jump world distance record by leaping a New Mexico ghost town. That’s right. A ghost town.
In a stunt engineered to propel Menzies to the next level in his racing career, he managed August 26 to pilot his Pro2 truck 379 feet, exceeding the previous record of 332, set by Tanner Faust in 2011. And that one as well employed a gimmick to amplify the jump; Faust tricked out his rig like a Hot wheels truck, roaring down a big orange track that could have been clamped to the kitchen table when we were kids.
So the question is, does jumping a ghost town make a truck fly farther? Apparently the answer is yes.
It’s maybe more important to report that Menzies crashed his truck during training runs for an additional record, banging up the truck and fracturing his shoulder. That incident drove home the very real danger of attempting such a jump.
A complete hour-long film documenting the engineering of the stunt and a behind-the-scenes look at Menzies and his family aired on NBC on Sunday Aug 28.
Think of it. A town that once bustled with cattlemen, saloon girls and pioneers became the location for a motorsport feat that likely will not be topped for years.
The location of the ghost town remained secret, more than likely to keep would-be Menzies from rolling out there in lifted TRDs and attempting to duplicate a stunt that nearly ended a career.
Yes. do not try this at home. Or at a ghost town in New Mexico either. For a point-of-view look from Menzies’ perspective click here.
Photo credit: Redbull
