Into The Void...

Action sports deity and 9-times X-Games Gold Medallist Travis Pastrana made history this year in Long Beach, California, with some trademark record-breaking insanity.

The four-time Rally America Champion smashed the record-books and burned his name into history with an amazing feat of skill and calculated risk. Launching his Subaru Impreza STI off the Pine Avenue Pier in Long Beach at 146 km/h, Pastrana soared 82m over Rainbow Harbour, making a pinpoint landing on a floating barge. The jump put him almost 30m beyond the previous record, which stood at 52m. 

"I was really nervous all day long, but when I got in the car I felt really calm," said Pastrana. "It was definitely a lot more fun than any of my practice runs, and when I landed, man did that retaining wall come up fast!  I'm just happy the car and I didn't end up in the drink. What a way to head into 2010!" Rumours that the vehicle required re-upholstering following the event are false.
 
Pastrana is a pioneer in his sport - he completed the first ever double back flip on a motorcycle, has jumped out of an airplane without a parachute, and now officially holds the world record for the longest jump in a rally car.  After successfully completing the record jump, Pastrana celebrated with a back flip off the landing ramp into Rainbow Harbour.

Pastrana's successful feat follows in the footsteps of fellow motorsports athletes Australia's own Robbie Maddison and Rhys Millen, who rang in the last two New Year's Eve celebrations by pushing their physical, mental and technical limits to break boundaries and records, in front of thousands of fans in Las Vegas.