![]() ![]() Later that year, however, Knievel performed what he called his first “sober jump,” when he traveled over 30 stacked golf carts in Palm Springs, California. A planned jump at that year’s annual summer festival honoring his family, Knievel Days, was canceled due to Knievel’s legal issues. Under the deal, Knievel paid a $685 fine and received a two-year suspended sentence.įollowing the agreement, Knievel announced that he had stopped drinking and became sober. Knievel reached an agreement with prosecutors, pleading guilty to a reduced, misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence. It was believed to have been his fourth such offense. On April 21, 2015, Knievel was arrested in Butte, Montana, and charged with felony DUI after he ran a red light and was involved in a four-car crash. Numerous injuries incurred over his long career have severely hampered Knievel’s ability to jump, limiting his performances later in life. Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Sturgis, South Dakota, in 2007. He also planned to jump an artificial volcano at Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel in 2008, but that stunt had to be tweaked to a ramp-to-ramp jump in front of the volcano. Knievel continued performing into his 40s with a series of stunts that included jumping over a moving locomotive in Texas in 2000 and military planes decked on the USS Intrepid in 2004. Throughout the 1990s, Knievel continued to break his own world records, including a 1998 jump in Las Vegas’ Tropicana Hotel and a televised jump of 228 feet over a portion of the Grand Canyon (a stunt his father had wanted to try but was denied permission to do by the National Park Service). Knievel lost by just 6 feet, but his desire for a rematch was scuttled when Kidd was forced to retire due to injuries. In 1993, Knievel challenged fellow daredevil Eddie Kidd to a three-jump contest the winner would be determined by who had a farther cumulative distance. ![]() Unlike his father, who primarily used a Harley-Davidson XR-750 racing motorcycle, Robbie performed most of his jumps using a much lighter and more agile Honda CR500 motocross bicycle. Knievel completed over 350 jumps and set 20 world records. Robbie Knievel’s 150-foot jump, however, was a success. The accident left him in a coma for nearly a month and resulted in serious injuries. In 1967, Evel Knievel crashed while attempting to jump over the Caesars Palace fountains in Las Vegas. In April 1989, 26-year-old Knievel payed homage to one of his father’s most well-known-and unsuccessful-stunts. Knievel and his father later reconciled and remained close until Evel Knievel’s death in November 2007. Eager to escape his father’s shadow, he spent the next decade slowly building his career, performing as a lower-billed performer at lesser-known events. After his father tried to prevent him from attempting more difficult stunts, Knievel left home at the age of 16. Relations between father and son were difficult, with Evel Knievel growing increasingly jealous of his son’s talents. ![]() Joe), 13-year-old Robbie saw his likeness captured in his own action figure, dubbed “Robbie, The Teen-Age Stuntman.” Capitalizing on the popularity of an Evel Knievel action figure (which reportedly, at times, outsold G.I. ![]() As the elder Knievel’s fame grew, the family themselves entered the spotlight. Robbie began jumping motorcycles as a young boy, receiving early training from his father and appearing alongside him at shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden and other venues. Early Years and Relationship with Evel Knievelīorn in Butte, Montana, on May 7, 1962, Robbie Knievel was the third of four children born to legendary daredevil Evel Knievel and his first wife, Linda. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007, though injuries from his stunts prevented Knievel from performing toward the end of his life. He broke 20 world records and made more than 350 jumps, many in homage to his famous father. Robbie began jumping motorcycles at a young age and began his successful career while still a teenager. Robert Edward “Robbie” Knievel III was the son of legendary daredevil Robert “Evel” Knievel. ![]()
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