Josh Sheehan Flips For Action Sports History

There are a lot of reasons for people to step away from dangerous stunts, but one of the biggest has to be physics. Since the average man can’t exactly be counted on to defy them — the laws of gravity most of all — the best way to avoid getting up close and personal with the ground is to avoid doing anything crazy. Then again, Josh Sheehan isn’t the average man — and that’s exactly why he’s managed to complete the world’s first triple backflip on a motorcycle.

Skill and science alike helped the rider complete the stunt. According to reports, he made the triple backflip thanks to a massive ramp — measuring more than thirty feet tall and angled at almost ninety degrees — and a head start that let him reach sixty miles per hour. Not only did he make the jump at top speed, but he also went eighty feet in the air, and had to perform a stunt once thought impossible. And rightly so; when sports legends like skateboarder Tony Hawk say that Sheehan put his life at risk, they mean it.

Still, Sheehan managed to land safely. It’s worth noting that the last extreme stunt was merely a double backflip, landed in 2006 by Sheehan’s teammate Travis Pastrana — and incidentally, Pastrana helped him with preparations and setup for this stunt. Their efforts paid off, and there’s likely no shortage of joy from the both of them. Now the world can wait with bated breath for the daredevil who tries to go for a quadruple backflip.