On this Day in 2008: Robbie Knievel Jumps 24 Coke Trucks

[IndyGuy4KI]

Today in history (May 24th, 2021) marks the 13th Anniversary of Robbie Knievel jumping over 24 Coke Zero trucks in the Kings Island parking lot.

 

KICentral was there, and here are the pictures we took of the event. Also, check out the other photos leading up to Robbie's jump by searching Robbie on our phots galleries page! https://kicentral.com/photos/

 

[harveyhaddixfan]

That’s probably the last time the parking lot was smooth and didn’t have any potholes.

[BoddaH1994]

Still my favorite day in KI history. 

[beastfan11]

Great memories. Had the pleasure of being there. Certainly doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

That looked like a really fun event! Honestly, I think the park should hold some sort of festival in the parking lot like they did here in the future! Like for example. if Timberwolf were to be demolished, they could still hold SpiritSong like this. 

[WHODEY2007]

I worked this event and that was so cool seeing Robbie jumping those trucks! The next amazing thing was seeing the absolute flood of guests back into the park afterwards. With all those guests, we were still able to keep the park safe, with minimal issues. Such a great day!

[CoastersRZ]

I just remember being at the top of the Eiffel Tower, in the same spot for nearly an hour + to get the photos from the tower that you see in that gallery.

[BoddaH1994]

2 hours ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

That looked like a really fun event! Honestly, I think the park should hold some sort of festival in the parking lot like they did here in the future! Like for example. if Timberwolf were to be demolished, they could still hold SpiritSong like this. 

It was the first time that the whole park was “themed.” So think Grand Carnivale decorations (obviously not to that scale) but 70’s themed to commemorate his father’s jump near four decades before. They played 70s music and had all of the entertainment folks dressed in 70s clothes and they would do a 70s dance every few minutes. I can’t remember what the dance was, so if anyone does please remind me. The jump was nerve wracking but was incredible to see! I’m so glad I was there for it! Also, Don and the rest of marketing were kind enough to let me have unadulterated access to Mr Knievel and his staff for the sake of KIC. I got to know him pretty well that week. He had amazing stories and was a… quirky individual. I’m very happy to report that some who are close to him are reporting that he has defeated many of the demons he was battling at the time.  

[BoddaH1994]

17 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

It was the first time that the whole park was “themed.” So think Grand Carnivale decorations (obviously not to that scale) but 70’s themed to commemorate his father’s jump near four decades before. They played 70s music and had all of the entertainment folks dressed in 70s clothes and they would do a 70s dance every few minutes. I can’t remember what the dance was, so if anyone does please remind me. The jump was nerve wracking but was incredible to see! I’m so glad I was there for it! Also, Don and the rest of marketing were kind enough to let me have unadulterated access to Mr Knievel and his staff for the sake of KIC. I got to know him pretty well that week. He had amazing stories and was a… quirky individual. I’m very happy to report that some who are close to him are reporting that he has defeated many of the demons he was battling at the time.  

Update: the dance was The Hustle!

[disco2000]

I found it interesting, but not surprising when you think of it, that clearly someone had to have made and tested that jump a few times.  Look at all the tire marks on the landing ramp!  And yet he came up just short when it mattered, not that most realized that though!

 

[IBEW_Sparky]

58 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

I found it interesting, but not surprising when you think of it, that clearly someone had to have made and tested that jump a few times.  Look at all the tire marks on the landing ramp!  And yet he came up just short when it mattered, not that most realized that though!

 

Believe me I noticed it on film the next day.  My wife and I made the attempt at the day and I dont know what made me so stupid as to think most of the crowd would just come to see the jump, completely my mistake and miscalculation, the park looked like the biggest outdoor Wal Mart on Black Friday Id ever seen in my life, promise you there were 45-50k people there.  We made one lap of the park and left, then I watched the next day and saw that it was actually a 21 truck jump and the landing ramp saved him.  Would I do it?  Hell no.  Do I respect the talent he has to do this?  ABSOLUTELY.  However his dad was, is, and always will be King of the cycle jumpers, and if anyone wants to question that, remember he jumped a Triumph T120 and later a Harley Davidson XR-750, and not a 250lb Honda CR500 motocross bike with $20k just in suspension work alone.

[DonHelbig]

2 hours ago, disco2000 said:

I found it interesting, but not surprising when you think of it, that clearly someone had to have made and tested that jump a few times.  Look at all the tire marks on the landing ramp!  And yet he came up just short when it mattered, not that most realized that though!

 

Nobody made and tested that jump before Robbie attempted it. He used the same ramps used for the jump to make practice runs between 35 and 50 feet the week leading up to the big event. Robbie could ride a bike! People that worked with his father, Evel Knievel, told me Robbie was more skilled. During the practice sessions he'd make jumps with hands in the air, do 360-degree turns in the air, go up and off the ramp doing a wheelie... it was quite the show he'd put on. 

Robbie's landing was very similar to his father's jump at Kings Island. Evel hit the last Greyhound bus when he landed, breaking his bike. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

34 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

Evel hit the last Greyhound bus when he landed, breaking his bike. 

Cool information, I was not aware of that. 

[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, DonHelbig said:

Nobody made and tested that jump before Robbie attempted it. He used the same ramps used for the jump to make practice runs between 35 and 50 feet the week leading up to the big event. Robbie could ride a bike! People that worked with his father, Evel Knievel, told me Robbie was more skilled. During the practice sessions he'd make jumps with hands in the air, do 360-degree turns in the air, go up and off the ramp doing a wheelie... it was quite the show he'd put on. 

Robbie's landing was very similar to his father's jump at Kings Island. Evel hit the last Greyhound bus when he landed, breaking his bike. 

You might remember this:

I asked Robbie how many full scale practice runs he was going to make for his Kings Island jump.  He responded something like, “None. They don’t pay me to practice.”

[disco2000]

4 hours ago, IBEW_Sparky said:

Believe me I noticed it on film the next day.  My wife and I made the attempt at the day and I dont know what made me so stupid as to think most of the crowd would just come to see the jump, completely my mistake and miscalculation, the park looked like the biggest outdoor Wal Mart on Black Friday Id ever seen in my life, promise you there were 45-50k people there.  We made one lap of the park and left, then I watched the next day and saw that it was actually a 21 truck jump and the landing ramp saved him.  Would I do it?  Hell no.  Do I respect the talent he has to do this?  ABSOLUTELY.  However his dad was, is, and always will be King of the cycle jumpers, and if anyone wants to question that, remember he jumped a Triumph T120 and later a Harley Davidson XR-750, and not a 250lb Honda CR500 motocross bike with $20k just in suspension work alone.

Personally I would rather attempt the jump than ride up and down the starting ramp he used to get up to speed LOL.  That looked more scary to me!

If you didn't pay attention to that part, watch some videos again of him going up that steep ramp at enough speed to get up it yet not shoot off of it at the top or go off the side.  The jump is all about getting the right speed LOL.  Going UP the downward ramp was more impressive!  Who am I kidding, it was all impressive!

I remember he said he learned about the landing ramp idea from his dad and I know he felt that early landing by landing on the flat part and it was impressive not losing the landing coming in.  Those shocks absorbed a lot, but that wasn't much different than landing on the ground at that point so his back took some of the hit as well.