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Daredevil crashes out during bid to set world record

Trigger Gumm hits the ground as he crashes his motorcycle while attempting a world record jump at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma, on Sunday. Gumm, who was taken to a Miami hospital, already holds the Guinness world record for a 83.25m jump on May 14 at the Queensland Raceway in Australia. PHOTO: AP

Motorcycle daredevil Trigger Gumm crashed while attempting a world-record motorcycle jump at a northeast Oklahoma casino.

The 38-year-old Gumm fell far short of his attempted goal of 94.5m on Sunday.

Riding a 450cc Service Honda outfitted with a custom-built engine and specially designed shocks, Gumm hit a ramp that launched him about 21m in the air before he landed on the top of a dirt ramp, lost control and crashed over the handlebars.

Gumm leaped 84.7m on a practice jump prior to the world-record attempt.

The distance of his failed jump was not measured, but it appeared shorter than the practice jump.

Gumm waved to the crowd while being treated by medical personnel.

He then got up and walked to a waiting ambulance, which took him to a local hospital.

Gumm, a California native, already holds the Guinness world record for a 83.25m jump on May 14 last year at the Queensland Raceway in Australia.

The crash on Sunday stunned the estimated 5,000 people who had gathered at the Buffalo Run Casino, operated by the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The crowd quickly dispersed after the crash.

"He's hurt. He's hurt. That's the first thing I thought and the first thing I said," said Paul Smithson, of St Louis.

Gumm had planned to be traveling at about 145kph during the world-record attempt. Promoter Tony Holden said he believed Gumm's bike may have had a carburetor problem that kept it from reaching full speed. Gumm's bike was not equipped with a speedometer.

"He didn't get full power on that jump," he said.

Gumm was jumping into a slight north wind, but Holden said that wasn't a factor.
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