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One world record and 287 feet wasn't enough for Ryan Capes. Capes broke the world record for the longest ramp-to-ramp jump on a motorcycle twice on Saturday night at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.
After breaking the record with a jump of 287 feet, Capes decided to go for it again, and on his second attempt he cleared 316 feet, surpassing his stated goal of 300 feet.
"I promised my fans not only was I going to break the ramp-to-ramp world record, I promised my fans that I'd be the first guy to jump ramp-to-ramp 300 feet," Capes said.
Capes appeared relaxed as he strolled through the event area in shorts and flip flops about 30 minutes before the scheduled jump. He paused to do a television interview and record a radio spot, before heading to his trailer to change into his riding suit.
A large crowd filled the Grand Sierra's west parking lot and Capes seemed to feed off the energy.
He raced past the ramp three times before attempting his first jump, giving the fans a thumbs up on his third pass. He waited to hear the official measurement before grabbing a microphone and announcing to the crowd that he intended to make another jump.
He didn't even wait for a measurement before celebrating his second jump.
"I knew exactly when I came over that landing that I had it and I broke the record," he said. "I put my hands up in the air and I was just super pumped."
Capes had to wait before his second jump while his crew made some mechanical adjustments to his bike and the takeoff ramp was moved back, and the sun was already beginning to set as he prepared for the second jump.
"I was running into some difficult stuff like it was starting to get dark out and I wasn't getting the right speed with my bike," Capes said. "I just put my instincts and trust into my bike, held it wide open and I got what I wanted and made my fans happy and jumped 316 feet ramp-to-ramp."
The event was part of the grand opening celebration for the Xtreme Sports Bar + Lounge inside the Grand Sierra.
Grand Sierra Resort and Casino P.R. and advertising manager Melissa Haughey said the crowd was estimated at more than 20,000.
"This is the biggest event we've ever had here," she said.
