Mike Foster on Cycle Jumpers

Mike Foster — United States

Graduating from jumping bicycles at the age of 10, to clearing cars on a motorcycle at the age of 18, Mike Foster has come a long way to where he is now. His first public performance took place on a small farm 40 minutes north of Philadelphia, PA in July of 1989. To compensate for lack of engine power on his 4 stroke XR600, Mike set his take off ramp at a monstrous 11 ft. high. He launched the 600 CC motorcycle over 6 cars and a van length wise to the X on his landing ramp.

Left: Getting ready to jump the Manatawny River. Middle: Mike and his bikes. Right: Celebrating with his crew chief Frank Scheidel after Foster's first public jump.

From there Mike put on many shows clearing distances of 13, then 15 cars on his new and more appropriate for jumping Honda CR500. In May of 1992 over 2,000 spectators turned out to see Mike's spectacular jump over 17 cars.

Mike's big break came however a year later when well over 6,000 in attendance and hundreds of thousands more watching Philadelphia's topped ranked news show saw him cash in on a boyhood dream. On that day he bested the longest distance ever completed by his idol, the legendary Evel Knievel. The jump was one of the most difficult and most dangerous ever attempted as the ramps where set "Caesars Palace" style on either side of the Market's access road and like the legendary "Caesars Palace" jumps the road's high curbs allowed for none of the traditional speed gauging, confidence building speeding past the ramp. Instead it was "bite the bullet hard" and just go for it! And go for it he did, soaring cleanly through the air in a near technically perfect jump landing 22 car lengths away on the other side.

Above: Jumping the access road (Caesars Palace style).

Above: Mike breaking Evel's distance record. Upon landing he locked his brakes up and had a nasty spill.

After that Foster was on tour jumping almost anything such as, helicopters, monster trucks, fire and the Manatawny River in Pennsylvania. His record at this time was 25 cars at the Long Island Dragway. Then in 1997 during "The Mike Foster's Night of Thrills Stunt Show Tour" his luck came to an end. Over shooting 16 cars and his landing ramp smashing to the ground in a bone crushing accident; Foster was rushed to the hospital while doctors operated on his left leg, screwing it back together in three places. Foster received a severe back injury as well as a broken spirit. Foster continued stunt work crashing cars and coordinating shows. Mike Foster has been seen on the TLC television series "Daredevils" and has been performed in his "Night of Thrills" and his "International Tournament of Thrills" stunt show.