Valencia, California - Skateboarders as a species tend to be a little, well, off the wall, but this one sets an entirely new benchmark. Television stunt star and former professional skateboarder Rod Dyrdek has just set a Guinness World Record for the longest ramp jump in a car - going backwards.
Dyrdek and his sub-compact Chevy Sonic flew 27.21 metres from take-off to landing, as verified by the chaps in the ale-brown dustcoats, at the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park, and the whole thing was immortalised on tape by MTV for the season finale of “Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory,” to be shown on 13 March - but you don't have to wait that long; just scroll down.
DRIVE IT AWAY
To qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records, Dyrdek not only had to successfully land the Sonic on the catch ramp, he also had to be able to drive it away - and that, as countless episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard and at least one of Top Gear USA have shown, is the difficult bit.
To make it possible for the little Chevy to survive the landing (and any comments about the ultimate Sonic boom will get you a week's detention, Cyril) stunt-master Elia Popov of Jem FX added a sturdy roll cage, racing seats and harnesses, and uprated suspension struts dampers and springs.
He also replaced the standard fuel tank with a burstproof 19-litre racing fuel cell, removed the battery and exhaust system and - crucially - rearranged the remaining components for a 40:60 front/rear weight distribution.
NOW WATCH WHAT HAPPENED