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A motorcyclist stunt rider was killed in Washington state while training in an attempt to jump a world record.
Alex Harvell hit a dirt wall during a warm-up jump at the Lake Moses Air Show on Thursday. The 28-year-old was thrown off the bike and taken to hospital, where he died.
In a statement, Grant County Mayor Tom Jones said an autopsy will be performed on Friday.
“Our deepest sympathies are with Alex’s family, friends and loved ones,” Jones said.
A video of the incident posted on YouTube on Friday was deleted, although the images remained on the websites of several local news stations. The website for the weekend airshow at Grant County International Airport was still announcing details of the record attempt.
Harvell, who was married with two young sons, was already the Guinness world record holder for the dirtiest category, jumping 90.69 meters (297.6 ft) in 2013.
At the Washington event, he was riding a Suzuki 450 while trying to rival the 2008 world record set by Robbie Madison in the downhill class for distances of 106.98 meters (351 feet).
Harvell was born in California and lived in Ephrata, Washington, next to Moses Lake, with his wife Jessica, sons Willis, aged five, and their newborn, Watson.
A GoFundMe call on the rider’s website said Harvill was the sole provider of the family, with motorcycle stunts and agricultural work. The site had raised more than $42,000 by Friday morning.
In an interview at the Columbia Basin Herald last month, Harvill said he grew up watching motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, and shared his idol’s legacy of “crossing boundaries.”
One of Harvill’s recent Instagram posts three days before his death featured a photo of his green and yellow motorcycle in front of the ramp with the words: “I’m excited to send this thing.”
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