Seth Enslow

Seth Enslow, athlete
Born Seth Enslow
1975
California, United States
Other names Sethro
Years active 1995-present
Weight 200 pounds

Seth Enslow (born 1975) is an American motorcyclist, and stunt performer most notorious for his big jumps and equally big crashes.

Career

Rise to motorcycle fame

When he was sixteen, he bought his first dirtbike and started to race as an amateur in New York and Florida. In 1993 after graduating from Wellsboro H.S. in Pennsylvania, he moved to California. It was there that he met up with Dana Nicholson who had just founded Fleshwound Films with fellow filmmakers Jon and Cami Freeman. In 1994, they released their first film Crusty Demons of Dirt showcasing the underground motocross movement out in the deserts and badlands in the US. The film gave Seth notoriety for over jumping a sand dune and crashing hard. The distance he traveled was never measured but it is speculated to be around 200 to 250 feet. The movie quickly spawned a sequel and, once again, Seth made an impact by coming up short on a jump and landing on supercross racer Jeremy McGrath's practice bike. This notoriety made Seth one of the first bike riders to receive sponsors without having a racing career.

Seth, who by this time was making a living riding bikes, decided to break the world record of 251 feet set by Doug Danger. He started practicing by jumping ramp jumps over kegs of beer, cars, motorcycle and other big objects at different events. In 1999, he broke Robbie Knievel's (son of Evel Knievel) 226 feet record for most motorcycle jumps. However, Seth's triple clamps broke, which disconnected his front end from the frame, resulting in Seth diving head first into the asphalt. But, Seth was soon on his feet and even signing autographs before leaving the venue.

First record attempt

In 1999, Seth made his first attempt to break the overall record at fellow motocross rider Mike Cinqmars' property with a ramp designed by Johnny Airtime of Air Time Association. Seth was riding a customized Service Honda, which is basically a Honda 250 dirt bike with a 500cc two stroke engine. Seth started jumping 120 feet jumps and gradually pulled the ramp back finishing with a 240 feet jump before calling it a day due to increasing winds. The next day, the wind was still blowing but it was a tailwind and would not risk pushing Seth sideways. So, jumping continued with the first jump to be around 220–230 feet. However, the tail wind was stronger than anticipated and pushed Seth beyond his landing ramp where he traveled 245 feet. The flat landing caused Seth to hit his head on the handlebars which crushed his skull above his right eye. Seth fell off his bike and paramedics rushed to his aid. An emergency helicopter lifted him to a nearby hospital where the doctors cut him ear to ear, pulled his forehead down and inserted two titanium plates to replace his crushed part of his cranium. Seth was recommended by his doctors to not ride his bike for at least six months. However, Seth ignored this and four weeks later, he broke the overall indoor world record with a 170 feet jump at the Los Angeles Coliseum. This was all featured in his first own film release 'Seth - The Hard way' released in 2000.

Second record attempt

Seth healed up and continued to shoot several films for Fleshwound Films and other companies and going for big jumps as well as being a featured rider on the Crusty Demons World Tour. In 2004, he released his second film named simply 'Seth II' which showcased Seth riding with his friends on several different locations and also his second record attempt. The attempt was held at what riders usually called Manny's Yard, a location with several big jumps. The biggest measuring in at 200 feet. The venue was long from ideal and had a complicated run up to the ramp. This meant that as the ramp was pulled back further and further, Seth struggled to get the speed he needed in order to clear the gap. This led to Seth coming up short of the landing ramp and sending him flying through the air resulting in a broken leg and a concussion.

Night of Records 2006

In 2006, Fleshwound Films organized 'The Night of Records Down Under' in Australia; an event which led to six new records being set in different categories in front of an audience of 22,000 people. Seth was originally supposed to attempt to break the 250cc but had to back out after injuring himself at a practice session. Seth then gave up his spot to his old friend Larry Linkogle who broke the record with a 255 feet jump (which was also the overall record for a few hours before broke by Trigger Gumm with a 277.5 feet).

In 2007, Seth appeared in the Discovery series Stunt Junkies where he jumped a Convair 880 passenger jet, a total distance close to 200 feet. After successfully jumping the plane, Seth jumped it again, later being quoted to saying, "When would I get another chance to jump an airplane that big?"

Night of Records 2008

Fleshwound Films once again held a record event in 2008 where several records were broken. This year, Seth was able to participate and set a new personal best with a jump of 301 feet. However, this was far from close to breaking the record since it had been bettered by both Robbie Maddison and Ryan Capes. However, Seth commented his jump with, "I am stoked. I may not have claimed the World Record but I am really happy with my result. That is the best I have jumped." Seth also says he no longer has any plans to try to break the overall record since the stakes are just too high with the current record being set at 346 feet 4 inches set by Robbie Maddison.

World record Harley Davidson jump 2010

On 2 March 2010, Seth managed a leap between ramps of 183.7 feet (55.99 metres) - easily beating Bubba Blackwell's previous world record of 157 feet (47.85 metres) set in Las Vegas in 1999. The stunt took place at Barangaroo, on Sydney harbour and is measured in feet because the previous records have been set in the US. The death-defying stunt was seen by some as recreating an unforgettable Harley-Davidson benchmark set by Evel Knievel in 1975.[1] However, the bike that Enslow rode was highly modified, and far-exceeded the capabilities of any bike ever ridden by Knievel.

Other activities

As Seth got older, he looked for other business to branch into to be able to make a living with less risks involved. A few years back, he opened Headquarters Tattoo Parlor and hired many of his friends who were tattoo artists as well as learning to tattoo himself. Beside offering tattoos and piercings, they also sell DVDs featuring Seth's riding, his signature series of shoes and other products. He has also purchased several properties and is planning to get into the real estate business. Seth also owns a custom built motorcycle built by Matt Hotch from Hot Match Custom Cycles.

Movie appearances

TV shows

References

  1. ↑ Seth Enslow smashes world record for longest jump on Harley-Davidson in Sydney

External links