Stuntman Eddie Braun did what his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel, could not do, clearing the Snake River Canyon in Idaho on Friday.
Advertisement
The “Evel Spirit” launched at 3:52 p.m. Braun’s ship reached an estimated 400 miles per hour and flew for about 4 seconds before Braun deployed three parachutes, colored red, white and blue and floated through the air to a landing on a farm field well away from the south canyon wall. Unlike Knievel, who landed at the bottom of the canyon in his failed attempt on September 8, 1974, Braun touched down safely on the other side, some 1,400 feet away.
As he explained on Good Morning America in an interview prior to the attempt, “I met Evel Knievel as a small child and he inspired me so much when I met him”.
Eddie Braun spent 3 years and around 1.6 million dollars of his own money, funding this project. And I’m doing something, and the way that I’m doing it will stand the test of time, and my children will be happy and proud. The most famous was his failed attempt in 1974 to jump Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Continuing with “I’m simply finishing out his dream”.
Mr Braun is believed to be the first person to attempt the stunt since Knievel failed more than 40 years ago.
Knievel’s attempt drew plenty of spectators, and the resultant partying, fighting and mischief upset locals.
Other daredevils have proposed similar jumps across the canyon in recent decades – including Knievel’s son Robbie.
In a Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 photo, stuntman Eddie Braun gives feedback after getting into the cockpit of The Evel Spirit, a steam powered rocket, at the team’s shop in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Advertisement
Braun says he attempted the jump not to prove he can, but to fulfill the dream of his hero.
