at at an exotic locale spectators gather to watch daredevil athletes fly through the air on powerful motorcycles Seemingly impossible stunts like a double backflip are just another sight to behold at the latest stop on the Red Bull X-Fighters motocross tour Elsewhere around the world drivers in everything from go-karts to speedboats push their motors to their most extreme abilities Extreme motorsports are fast and dangerous and they are not for the faint of heart To be con sidered an extreme motorsport competitors are put into dangerous situations that go beyond the risks of most sports Races may not be held on enclosed tracks and stunts are not only encouraged but can mean the difference between winning and a second-place finish In some extreme motorsports racers strap rockets to their cars to see how 4
INTRODUCTION 5 Televised events like the X Games bring extreme motorsports like motocross flying into homes around the world
6 fast they can possibly go The physical limits are constantly pushed and sometimes they can even be pushed too far In June 2013 the world-famous Le Mans event began with competitors ready for the high-speed endurance race This twenty-four-hour car race is a test of mechanical engineering driving ability and stamina But just ten minutes into the 2013 race tragedy struck In a spot on the race track where cars are speeding around at over 100 miles per hour 161 kilometers per hour Danish driver Allan Simonse lost control of his car His car began spinning and crashed into a barrier He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead Professional racer James Jakes was quoted as saying It’s tough but it’s the world we live in Setting world records for being the fastest or for doing the most stunts is not without risks But for those who love extreme motorsports it is a risk worth taking EXTREME MOTORSPORTS
one chapter EXTREME CAR RACING when when the automotive industry began in the late 1890s with the invention of the horseless carriage it would have been difficult to predict what drivers would be doing behind the wheel over a hundred years later As automobile technology advanced over the years cars could be pushed to new limits Slowly cruising down a roadway is no longer enough for some drivers Even the idea of keeping all four of the car’s wheels firmly on the ground is in the rearview mirror for extreme drivers THE BEGINNING OF CAR RACING Car racing had a long history in Europe before it came to America The first trophy for an American automobile race was the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup which took place on Long Island New York Stock car racing began as a competition between cars that had not been altered But once tweaks to make the cars faster were discovered they had unusual boosters just a few years later among bootleggers when Prohibition made having a fast car a necessity 7
