Stunt driver flies 163 feet at Coliseum

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Stunt driver Ray Kohn of Warren, Ohio, made his first trip to Canada memorable Friday as he jumped a replica of the famous General Lee car 163 feet (49 metres) in front of the Moncton Coliseum.

“We did 163 feet and my record is 151 (46 metres), so we set a new record with our first-ever jump in Canada,” Kohn said after the stunt. “I got the wind knocked outta me but all good.”

Shortly after noon Friday, Kohn stepped on the gas of the bright orange car, accelerating to 65 miles per hour (104 km/h) as he hit a six-foot-tall (two metre) ramp. The car flew high into the air as 12 special effects cannisters fired multi-coloured smoke. The car landed with a thump, causing a fair amount of damage, as Kohn got it stopped. A crowd of approximately 2,000 people cheered as crews from the Moncton Fire Department were prepared for any emergency. The weather was sunny with no wind, creating excellent conditions for the short flight.

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The stunt was staged in front of the main steps to the Coliseum to kick off the 50th anniversary of the Radical Speed Sport car show, which has been held in the building since 1974. Hundreds of cars, trucks and motorcycles will be on display Saturday and Sunday. Show owner Joe Savoie said he has been working for several years to have Kohn and his crew from the Northeast Ohio Dukes to Moncton to stage the stunt.

After the jump, Kohn climbed out of the car and immediately walked along the safety fence, where fans greeted him with cheers. Many were wearing orange shirts celebrating the General Lee, a car made famous by the Dukes of Hazzard television show on CBS from 1979 to 1985. The show regularly featured the car jumping over creeks and other obstacles while trying to outrun the Hazzard County Sherrif.

Kohn said he was a longtime fan of the show who took his appreciation a giant leap beyond. In 2005, he attended an event where a replica of the car was jumped.

“That’s when I got bit by the car jumping bug,” he said. His first jump was in 2007. “I thought I was going to do it once and one time only, but 28 jumps later we’re in Canada! This is an historic event to do it for the first time in Canada. We’ve never jumped outside of the United States before.”

The original General Lee was based on a 1969 Dodge Charger, and there are many stories of the producers buying every one they could find because they regularly wrecked them during production.

Kohn said this car was actually a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis, which was rebuilt with replica body panels from Auto Metal Direct to make it look like a ’69 Charger. Despite being specially built for the stunt, the car was heavily damaged when its flight ended.

“I wear a special vest that is so tight that I can barely breathe,” he said. “They also hang me from bungee cords so I don’t break my back. So I’m hanging there but I’ve got my foot on the gas.”

He didn’t have a lot of space to get up to 65 miles per hour, but it was enough to set a new personal record.

“With the inertia going up the ramp, I knew I was high in the air, and I could only see the sky, not the pavement below, so I knew I was coming down flat. I had the wind knocked out of me but everybody did a phenomenal job keeping things safe and organized.”

The show also featured a replica of the Hazzard County police car. Kohn’s wife and daughter were among the crew who travelled to Moncton.

Nathan Ritcey and his wife Jessica of Halifax were among the fans in the crowd Friday, wearing orange shirts. Jessica said she is expecting her first child soon and asked Kohn for a favour.

“We had a special onesie made for our child, and they hung it from the roll cage of the General Lee, so we can tell our kid that his outfit flew before he was even here,” Ritcey said.

The Radical Speed Sport show will be at the Coliseum Friday until 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $17.

• With files from Kate Barrio