By Jim Witters

Motorcycling is powered by excitement and, for many, excitement is inspired by the sport’s greats.

In the early 2000s, Annapolis, Md., native Travis Pastrana emerged as a star, motivating a generation to ride. And he did it his way. Pastrana was a professional motocross racer turned action sports daredevil. He leveraged his exceptional courage, extraordinary athleticism and captivating persona into two decades of stunts, tricks and showmanship that sparked the passion for motorcycling for tens of thousands of new riders.

He broke new ground in freestyle motocross, landing a double backflip in competition, and expanded into four wheels, jumping cars and becoming a championship rally racer. Through cable television and the Internet—primarily as the lead personality behind the Nitro Circus brand, which encompasses a reality TV show, movie, live performance and competitions—Pastrana expanded his fanbase far beyond core motocross fans. He became a mainstream star.

As 2018 dawned, the 35-year-old was well into the next stage of his career, still a performer, but one who contributed more as mentor, visionary and boss to the next crop of rising freestyle and action sports stars.

But Pastrana again found a way to do things his way.

In July, Pastrana nailed three iconic motorcycle stunts in a Las Vegas tribute to AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Evel Knievel. While the magnitude of the jumps themselves was “typical” by modern standards, the live broadcast was a masterclass in pomp and presentation.

Pastrana channeled the heart of Knievel, even performing the feats on a modified Indian V-twin echoing the Harley-Davidson XR-750 that Knievel rode, drawing worldwide attention to motorcycling and winning even more fans, young and old.

Later in the year, Pastrana joined fellow riders Ryan Sipes and Kevin Windham in a fundraising effort to rebuild and upgrade the motocross tracks in Puerto Rico that were damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

The initial effort turned into an appearance in the 2018 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, a significant merchandise sale and, in December, a mission to Puerto Rico to help rebuild houses, as well as motocross facilities.

The AMA Motorcyclist of the Year is the individual who has had the most profound impact on the world of motorcycling during the year.

For his success in promoting the motorcycle lifestyle to a mainstream audience, and for his willingness to use his professional fan base to benefit those less fortunate, the AMA Board of Directors recognizes Travis Pastrana as the 2018 AMA Motorcyclist of the Year.

We spoke with Pastrana about his 2018 achievements, as well as his love of the sport.

The Jumps

In July at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Pastrana completed three jumps inspired by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and consummate stuntman Evel Knievel.

The first was Knievel’s 1973 50-stacked-car jump. Pastrana, outfitted in full Evel regalia, bested the legend with a 52-car jump.

On Pastrana’s second jump, he cleared 16 Greyhound buses, again outperforming Knievel, who attempted but failed to clear 13 buses in 1975.

Then Pastrana thrilled the Vegas crowd by jumping the Caesar’s fountains, doing a few burnouts, and then diving into the fountains. Knievel attempted the fountain jump in 1967, but crashed, suffering numerous injuries.

AM: What inspired you to tackle the Evel Knievel jumps?

TP: Nitro Circus is in constant talks with networks on many different levels. We were approached last fall by the History Channel about doing a big live stunt.

We were sitting around a table, throwing ideas back and forth when [Nitro Circus Global Head of Events] Dave Mateus said, “This is really a no brainer, guys. Who is the motorcycle stuntman who started it all? The amazing salesman turned showman with the most history? The true godfather of action sport?”

The more we thought about it, the better this idea sounded. What an amazing opportunity to give my dad’s generation something to enjoy with their kids and grandkids.

Nitro Circus could show the next generation where it all began and show the generation before me that stuntmen aren’t gone—they just evolved into action sport athletes.

We made a call to the Knievel family and then to Caesar’s Palace and then to Greyhound [the busing and coach company that sponsored the event]. Everyone was on board, so we went back to the History Channel, and they gave us the green light!

AM: The Las Vegas event drew the attention of many non-motorcyclists and resulted in positive coverage of motorcycling in the mainstream media. Was that a goal of yours?

TP: That has been our goal in everything we’ve done at Nitro Circus since Day 1. It’s awesome to finally be in a position to make an impact on this level.

The live coverage was primarily a North American event, but we were able to shorten the three-hour live coverage and condense it to a one-hour show and a two-hour show, depending on the region.

Within a few months, the stunts aired on a variety of networks and in a variety of different region-built packages all over the world.

AM: Did the public reaction meet your expectations?

TP: For me, it exceeded all of my expectations. It was awesome to have the Knievel family’s support.

My only complaint was that everyone seemed to focus on “breaking records,” instead of giving tribute to Evel.

The Mission

In 2017, Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico. The hurricane is considered the worst natural disaster to hit the country in the modern era. It destroyed the power grid, leveled countless structures and wiped out millions of coffee trees and other vegetation.

Sporting facilities weren’t spared, motocross tracks among them. However, with most official efforts rightfully focusing on saving lives and rebuilding infrastructure, little attention was being paid to extracurricular activities and the escape they provide.

Pastrana and some friends saw a chance to make a difference by rebuilding tracks; but that effort soon grew into much more.

AM: Can you explain what you hoped to accomplish in Puerto Rico?

TP: Our goal, at first, was to rebuild the motocross tracks and upgrade their facilities, because attendance drastically dropped since the hurricane, and they haven’t had the money to rebuild.

After the amazing support of the industry, the enthusiasm of the fans—which exceeded all of our sales predictions for merchandise—the help of the Road2Recovery Foundation, a lot of our construction friends volunteering to pay their own way down while donating their time, plus the help of sponsors, we are bringing down a crew of 20 to rebuild homes for families in an area where they are still living in homes with tarps for roofs.

We are also building a school playground and donating books to one of the biggest schools in an area where they have yet to receive proper aid.

AM: How did the idea for this mission come about?

TP: Honestly, it started from [an idea from] Ronnie Mac. [“Ronnie Mac” is the fictional persona of former pro motocross racer Jimmy Albertson. Albertson plays the colorful Ronnie Mac at promotional events to draw attention to client brands or, in this case, a cause.—Editor]

Mac wanted to be a part of what was to be the biggest event in America’s motocross history, [the 2018 Motocross of Nations at RedbudMX Park in Buchanan, Mich.] and saw an opportunity to help the moto industry and bring some outside eyeballs to the event, while being a part of it.

I talked to Gabby [Gabriel Cátala, spokesman for the Motorcycle Federation of Puerto Rico], who I have known for many years. And then, I talked to motocross legend Ricky Johnson. And they both saw the big picture of what we could accomplish.

I had planned to do a documentary on Ronnie Mac, starting with him as a kid watching his hero, team captain of the 1986 MXON American Dream Team, Ricky Johnson and following him through this year, where it would come full circle.

Ricky was now going to be his mentor and his team captain. [The other riders would be Pastrana and U.S. off-road racer Ryan Sipes.] Mac would have a chance to fulfill his childhood dream of being a part of the greatest event in motocross, and we could help rebuild the Puerto Rican riding community in the process.

The announcement caused a much bigger ripple in the industry than we could have ever fathomed. In the first three days, we sold $15,000 in merchandise for this improbable team and sent a check directly to the Puerto Rican MX federation, which they used to send two riders to the Latin MXON.

Our intention was to support the U.S. team and be a positive influence on the motocross community, not to make it seem like a joke or to take anything away from this amazing event with our fun side project.

So, Mac, along with Gabby and Nitro Circus, decided to pull the plug.

[Despite the good intentions, alleged actions at an event by a rider in character as Ronnie Mac went too far. Controversy erupted over his involvement, and there was pressure for Albertson to step aside.—Editor]

Unfortunately, at this point it looked like a publicity stunt, which was going to have a huge backlash on everyone involved—not to mention the money we had already put into production costs, gear, bikes and $50,000 in merch that we couldn’t sell.

I wanted to crawl into a hole, but I realized that no matter what it cost, we had to find a way to come through with our word and see this project through.

I called Ricky Carmichael, Mike Brown, Ryan Villopoto and even James Stewart [about riding for the team]. But for a million reasons, they all declined. And I didn’t blame them one bit.

Sipes was still in and ready to rock, and I started getting calls from a lot of other amazing riders. But for me, this project would only work if we had the right one—a legend to anchor the team.

So, I called my friend Kevin Windham, expecting him to laugh in my face. He was well down the path of retirement, 30 pounds heavier than he was in his prime and with a beard that matched him perfectly. … He truly was a caveman off the grid.

To my astonishment, Kevin agreed to ride on the team. He knew how much this meant to me, and he liked the idea of helping the moto community.

The thought of only having one month to train for the biggest race in motocross history was daunting but worth it!

Once Kevin was on board, the AMA, Gabby and Nitro Circus all signed off on the project.

It would be much different than the original concept, especially from the documentary side, but the goal remained the same: Let’s have some fun and help some people in the process.

Other Charity Work

Although the Motocross of Nations Team Puerto Rico effort was higher profile, Pastrana was involved in other charity work in 2018. One of those was the Live Like Roner Foundation, named for Erik Roner, a skier, base jumper and founding member of Nitro Circus.

AM: Talk about other charity work you were involved in during 2018.

TP: Everyone assumes that riders who get hurt have millions to cover all their expenses or that families of those who pass away must have life insurance.

The unfortunate truth is that it’s almost impossible for most of us to get life insurance that covers skydiving or racing motor vehicles.

Most riders and their families put every last dime into their racing, and very few make it into a successful financial career.

When I was 15, one year before I turned pro, my family had just taken our third mortgage out on our home, and my uncles were all chipping in money for us to cover gas to get to the races.

Then I broke my back and shattered my pelvis. If it wasn’t for everyone in my family chipping in to help pay medical bills and Jeff Cernic [co-owner of Cernic’s Inc., a motorcycle dealership in Johnstown, Pa.] for getting us to Loretta Lynn’s that year, my racing career would have been over before it ever began.

Many kids, adults and families don’t have the kind of support that I did, and the medical mobile unit, Road2Recovery, and other foundations relieve a little of that burden so these riders can have another chance at riding or sometimes just simply a way to start a life after moto.

AM: After all these years as a competitor and stunt rider, what keeps you motivated as a motorcyclist?

TP: Fun. Family. Freedom. Challenge.

I started riding because it was fun. That hasn’t changed.

But riding is how I stayed close with my mom and dad over the years, and the riding community feels like my family, as well.

I ride because it’s hard to find anyone on a dirt bike without a smile.

Sure, you may get hurt, and you may get beat. But that’s part of the excitement.

I love that there are no speed limits or restrictions. In motocross, not everyone is a winner. I like that.

You are rewarded for going faster and being in better shape than anyone else. You are rewarded for being creative and picking smarter lines. Cross the finish line first, and it doesn’t matter where you came from, what you look like or how popular you are. They may not like you, but everyone in that race has a little more respect for you than they did before.

In FMX, it’s not easy to be the first to land a trick. But it’s an amazing feeling to accomplish something that no one in the world has ever done.

There is nothing easy about making a living on a motorcycle. But nothing I’ve ever experienced that was worth my time has ever been easy.

AM: Do you consider yourself an ambassador for motorcycling?

TP: I love every aspect of riding my motorcycle.

My goal, which has spread through the ranks of Nitro Circus, is to bring fun and excitement to everything we do. Hopefully, we have been able to reach out past the core motorcycle audience with the global live events and television shows.

But, most importantly, I hope we have reminded those who do ride just what motorcycles are all about!

For me, it’s having fun and pushing my limits. It’s different for everyone, but most of us started for the same reason, a reason that gets lost in the competitiveness of our sport from time to time.

Now I’m 35 years old, and I still wake up with a smile on my face, traveling the world with my wife, two daughters and all of my best friends, while I’m getting to ride my dirt bike and mountain bike and skydive and race cars.

Maybe I could have won a Supercross championship if I stuck with it longer. Maybe not. But more than anything, I just love to ride.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me on this journey. Ride on.