Daredevil stunt rider takes the high road

MORMON FEW STUNT CREW

UP AND OVER: Jonathon "Carver" Bennett at the top of one of the concrete arches on Hamilton's Fairfield Bridge.

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A Hamilton motorcyclist has pulled off a daring stunt Evel Knievel would be proud of: riding over Fairfield Bridge's iconic concrete arches.

In a video which was posted on YouTube - but has subsequently been removed due to media interest - Jonathon "Carver" Bennett, the 24-year-old leader of the Mormon Few Stunt Crew and a Motortimes columnist, rides over the bridge's arches on his 250cc 100kg Beta Techno trials bike.

The arches are just 70cm wide, and at their highest point are 7.9 metres above the road.

He positioned a plank to ride up on to the arches (often referred to as humps) on the River Rd side, then completed the daring ride over all three arches in about 60 seconds.

He had help from a support crew, including camera operators and a first-aid person in case he fell.

"We ensured there was one person below me while I did the stunt, and there was no-one on the footpath," he said.

"We knew that would be a safe plan  if anything happened, I wasn't going to go into traffic at all."

"I wouldn't let myself fall off, it's that simple."

He said the height of the arches was the most difficult aspect to overcome, but he backed his skills and riding experience to see him through.

An experienced trials motorcyclist, Mr Bennett has been riding since he was 12, and had contemplated the stunt for five years.

He trained for the stunt for three nights a week for a month, using planks elevated about a metre off the ground and "about as wide as a shoe".

"I knew it could be done, and I wanted to prove I could do it. I knew the risks, but I wasn't prepared to try something that would end my life or put me in hospital."

He explored obtaining permission to do the stunt legally, and having the bridge blocked for a period of time, but the logistics were too difficult and costly, he said.

"I knew it would've been out of my reach to do it legally. I couldn't have afforded it."

But he could still be prosecuted for his brazen ride.

Waikato road policing manager, Inspector Leo Tooman, took a dim view of the stunt, and considered it dangerous and foolish, and a risk to the safety of other road users.

Mr Tooman was aware of the YouTube video. If prosecuted, Mr Bennett could face charges of reckless use of a motor vehicle, careless use of the motor vehicle, or endangering transport.

Mr Tooman said the "old timers" among his traffic staff said Mr Bennett was not the first to pull off the daring ride over the humps.

"I don't think he's the first to conquer Everest."

- © Fairfax NZ News