VIDEO: the story behind Larocco's Leap in 1991!
In the fall of 1991, Mike LaRocco started looking for someone to build him a practice track on his Indiana estate. The man he came up with was Tim Ritchie, son of legendary Redbud founder Gene Ritchie. Together they put together a practice course for Mike that included a massive 45-foot jump that was later named “Kong.”
After watching Larocco perform this mega jump several times without any problems, Tim was drawn to the idea of adding a similar jump to his father's circuit in Redbud. In 1992, Tim brought his own version of Kong to Redbud and enlisted Mike to help him figure out the best angle and distance. At the AMA National that summer, Mike introduced it not only by doing the huge jump, but also by doing it on a Kawasaki KX125. In 1992, this was no small feat and the spectacular jump was soon given a new name, LaRocco's Leap. Today, the Leap remains the most famous jump in American motocross despite its shape and length varying from year to year.
In the first video you see Mike performing the jump on a KX125. In the second video you see a recent event in Redbud where participants - at least those who dare - jump Larocco's Leap. You will also see an analysis of the daring jump with a speed measurement at the beginning.
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