Gary Davis - the Daredevil's Stuntman (1975)

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Transcript:
Gary Davis:
We didn’t speak again until he called me on the phone and said, “Gary, you gotta get come to England to take my place.”
Who is this really? It’s in the morning. I’m asleep. I just figured someone did this as a joke.
--
Frank Gifford: "...and he will go! Evel's hurt, Oh my God." (drops microphone).
---
Joe P: And he called you up?
Gary Davis:
"Yeah, hey this is Evel.”
“Yeah right. Who is this really?”
It took a while to convince me it was him.
He said I need you to come here and work with my kids, get them into the deal and take over my show for me.
I’ll come out and wave. I was like ooo-kay.
----
Yeah , I don’t know what it was supposed to be.
Didn’t work out.
He sent me this letter, loosely outlining our deal.
He says I know you’re a stunt guy now and I know you’re going to have to walk away from work so I will guarantee you $30,000
We finally agreed, although I told him a I wanted a round-trip ticket and, you know, you need to pay me when I get there
Because, no offense, but I’m not sure I trust you.
When I flew to England - first of all, I didn’t have a passport or anything
When I flew there, I carried on the front wheel of that orange bike that sits out there that I set the world record on
That front wheel and that speedometer went with me to England. I never checked it, they never left my hands.
I got there and I put it on. It’s on in that bike right there you can see my speedometer on his bike.
That’s my Honda front wheel.
I haven’t seen a speedometer on his bikes.
No, you haven’t. And I couldn’t get Robbie to do it. I couldn’t get anybody to do it, honestly.
You did not jump at Wembley because that one’s done.
Right.
We didn’t do any shows.
We practiced and practiced.
I got the boys to start wheelie-ing, which Robbie did much better than Kelly.
Kelly didn’t even want to be in the show. His dad was ordering him to.
I taught them to do wheelies and do shows. to be ready to go and do the jumps.
One by one, the shows kept getting cancelled because he wasn’t going to jump.
He said, “But I’m going to be there, and I’ll be able to ride wheelies pretty soon.”
He tried to work it, but it never happened.
I can see why that would happen.
Yeah, I’m not Evel. Not gonna happen.
We ended up bringing all the stuff back and I stayed in Montana for a few months.
After England, when we moved back to Montana and my deal was to get him in shape because he wanted to try one more big jump, which we eventually did at King’s Island.
I tried to teach him - I mean there’s a million motorcycle riders better than me, especially now.
But I’m not ignorant. I do have a degree in physics.
My bikes are set up right. I know what speeds to go.
I’d take him trail riding and watch him ride. He just sat a motorcycle so poorly.
It was mostly because he’d been pretty messed up by then.
Evel jumped in a lower gear than I. I always jumped in the highest gear possible, so my engine wasn’t working hard because it wasn’t wound way up.
As soon as I leave the ramp, I roll the throttle off, push the bars away, and it levels the bike out.
If you’re going a long ways, it starts to do this, so if you tap the brake it will suck the wheel back up.
The motorcycle is revolving around its crank shaft.
What all happens back here, mechanically it is still rolling around it.
Evel, because he’d be wound out when he jumped, he would chop the throttle,
and usually chop it too soon. That’s like snapping the brakes on.
It would do this in the air. Often he would be spinning until then so he’s already going like this
He almost always jumped front wheel low and crossed up.
As part of his rehabilitation after the Wembley jump, I was trying to teach him those things.
I said when that happens, turn the throttle on, bring the wheel back up before you land
so you land with the front end up, at least, and on power.
Even if you’re not pointed perfect - and it probably will because it wants to straighten itself out -- it will pull you out of trouble.
Believe me, he’s the gutsiest guy I know
Because he will open the throttle up
And hope and pray that he makes it.