World renowned extreme sports superstar and celebrity daredevil Travis Pastrana has recently announced plans for his latest - and most daring - feat of insanity. Pastrana will ring in 2013 by attempting to jump the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France behind the wheel of a custom-built MINI John Cooper Works.
The iconic Eiffel Tower stands a staggering 1,063 feet tall making this the tallest vertical jump ever attempted by a human in a motorized vehicle. Pastrana’s previous record-breaking New Years leap (in 2010) found the driver propelled 269 feet over an enormous gap behind the wheel of a rally car. Needless to say, Pastrana has upped the ante with the Eiffel Tower.
To help ensure a successful run, Boeing has partnered with MINI to develop a rocket-powered JCW vehicle capable of producing around 2,000 horsepower. The car also boasts a pretty mean set of shocks, though details were withheld by MINI engineers To clear the tower, it is believed that Pastrana will need to reach speeds approaching the sound barrier. Unlike previous jumps where ramps were constructed with a modest incline, the Eiffel Tower jump ramps will feature a 75 degree pitch; almost completely vertical.
If you’re thinking this is suicidal, you’re not alone. The Huffington Post had a chance to interview Myron Schlaubach, Professor of Physics at Harvard University and asked him what he thought Pastrana’s chances were of completely the jump successfully. “Less than 0,” responded Schlaubach. “Provided Pastrana doesn’t pass out from the G-force of his vehicle, it will be almost impossible for him to maintain the momentum required to clear the tower once his vehicles is met with the friction of the atmosphere. If, by the grace of God he does clear the building, the impact upon landing will break every bone in his body. He’ll die. Pastrana’s a dead man.
R.I.P. Travis Pastrana. October 8th 1983 - December 31st 2012 11:59 p.m.
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