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WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA – The expression of amazement on the face of four-year-old Cooper Cullen of Enfield, CT as he watched a video of Doug Danger‘s record motorcycle jump over 22 cars at the Sturgis rally back in August confirmed that daredevils never go out of style.
Joined by his father Shawn Cullen at the Springfield Motorcycle Show on Saturday, Cooper watched the video intently. It showed Doug “Doug Danger” Senecal riding the 1972 Harley-Davidson XR-750 once owned by Evel Knievel and setting a Guinness World Record. Afterward, Cooper got his picture taken with his new hero, who was attired in red, white and blue leathers.
After father and son slipped away to further inspect the show, Senecal recounted how his feat came to pass on that sunny day at the Buffalo Chip Campground. “When I got ready to go, I thought I was going to die,” he said, recalling that he only got the XR-750 up to 74 miles per hour on a warm-up run from the starting point to where he would need to take off – with 80 mph needed for him to clear the cars.
The length of the run-up was increased. “The bike is old and worn,” Senecal said. A new shock and rebuilt forks may help slightly on the landing, but they don’t provide power. The engine does that, and Senecal said he topped 80 mph as he sped to the ramp, only to have a rough patch bring his speed back down to 79 mph. He hit the throttle and hoped for the best.
“I just barely got to speed. It’s like a boulder hitting down,” he said of the landing. Senecal cleared the cars with room to spare. “I could have cleared another car or two,” he said. His secret to succeeding? “A lot of years of riding and being able to control the angle of the bike in the air.”
Senecal’s skill kept his bones intact, and enabled him to please a young boy immensely on a rainy morning some five months later. Here’s how he did it:
