Alex Harvill dies while attempting world-record motorcycle jump

MOSES LAKE, Wash. — A daredevil attempting to break the world record for the longest motorcycle jump died while crashing during a practice run Thursday, authorities said.

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According to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Alex Harvill, 28, of Ephrata, Washington, died during the Moses Lake Air Show, KIMA-TV reported.

Harvill was attempting to break the world record jump from a ramp -- 351 feet, set on March 29, 2008, by Australia’s Robbie Maddison, according to Guinness World Records.

Harvill was making his first practice jump when his Suzuki motorcycle landed short and he was thrown from the bike, KIMA reported. Harvill was taken to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the television station reported.

The Grant County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy will be performed Friday, KXLY reported.

Harvill, who began riding dirt bikes when he was 4 years old, already owned a world record in the dirt to dirt motorcycle ramp jump, according to Guinness. On July 6, 2013, he jumped 297 feet, 6.6 inches at the Horn Rapids Motorsports Complex in West Richland, Washington.

According to his website, Harvill was born in Corona, California, in 1992.

Harvill had previously suffered injuries while riding, most recently in 2017 when he overestimated the length of a jump and landed hard, causing his tire to explode, the Columbia Basin Herald reported. Harvill flew over his handlebars and shattered one of his heels.

“I hit the ramp and it felt amazing. I just launched right off, and I was like, ‘Wow, just awesome,’” Harvill told the newspaper last month. “And then all a sudden I just saw I was going too far. And at that point, there’s nothing you can do.”

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