Travis Pastrana
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Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983, in Annapolis, Maryland) is a motorsports competitor who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. On top of his numerous career achievements, Pastrana also has a reputation for being one of the most friendly, approachable athletes in the pro ranks, due to his natural charisma and bright personality.
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[edit] Freestyle MX
Pastrana is best known for his exploits in freestyle motocross. He invented many of the young sport's tricks and became the sport's world champion at age 14. He landed a double backflip in his film Nitro Circus 3. On August 4th, 2006 at X Games 12 in Los Angeles, he became the first rider to land a double backflip in competition. The move won him the Moto X Best Trick Gold Medal. It is believed that only one judge did not rate the run 100/100, making the final score a 98.60. Pastrana claimed after the competition that he has no plans to attempt the trick again. Travis ended the X games with a knee injury walking to see his friends in the stands, so he couldn't perform a glory run for his Moto X Freestyle Gold Medal.
[edit] Motocross/Supercross
Pastrana has earned two motorcycle racing championships: the 2000 AMA 125cc National championship, and the 2001 125cc East Coast Supercross Championship. His hard-charging, go-for-broke attitude makes him a podium threat in any race he enters. Pastrana's stand-up style, ability to spot jump combinations and great speed through the whoops make him easy to spot on the track.
Pastrana has always raced and competed on Suzuki motorcycles, and remains fiercely loyal to the brand. His motorcycles and rally cars carry the number 199.
[edit] Rallying
In 2003, Pastrana opened a rallying career in the Race of Champions, and began driving for the Subaru-backed Vermont SportsCar rally team in 2004. Starting in 2006, Travis was signed by Subaru to lead their new Subaru Rally Team USA, being paired once again with veteran co-driver Christian Edstrom. On August 5, 2006 Travis won the gold medal in the first Rally Car competition at the X Games, edging out rally legend Colin McRae by 0.53 seconds after McRae rolled his car through the last jump.
Pastrana and Edstrom clinced the 2006 Rally America National Series Overall and Open Class Championship on October 20, 2006 during day one of the Lake Superior Performance Rally. The team finished out the 2006 series with another first place victory at the Wild West Rally in Olympia, Washington on December 3rd, 2006.
[edit] 2006 Rally America Championship Results
| Event | Location | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Sno*Drift | Atlanta, MI | 2nd In-class, 2nd Overall |
| 100 Acre Wood | Salem, MO | DNF |
| Oregon Trail | Portland, OR | 2nd In-class, 2nd Overall |
| Susquehannock Trail | Wellsboro, PA | 2nd In-class, 2nd Overall |
| Maine Forest | Rumford, ME | 2nd In-class, 2nd Overall |
| Ojibwe Forests | Bemidji, MN | 1st In-class, 1st Overall |
| Colorado Cog | Steamboat Springs, CO | 1st In-class, 1st Overall |
| Lake Superior Performance Rally | Houghton, MI | 3rd In-class, 3rd Overall |
| Wild West Rally | Olympia, WA | 1st In-class, 1st Overall |
[edit] Injuries
Injuries have often taken Pastrana off the circuit for weeks or months. His medical record includes multiple concussions, a broken back, and severe knee problems due to cartilage degeneration.
[edit] Other
Pastrana is featured in many motocross stunt videos, most notably in Gregg Godfrey's four "Travis and the Nitro Circus" DVDs.
[edit] External links
Videos
