Social media is filled with crazy automotive stunts, but a recent video from Russian stuntman Evgeny Chebotarev tested the absolute limits of German engineering. In a viral Instagram clip, Chebotarev managed to launch a ghost-ridden BMW S1000RR superbike off a ramp at highway speeds, sending the machine flying an astonishing 90 meters (roughly 295 feet) through the air.
While the record-breaking flight is spectacular, it is the aftermath of the crash that had viewers truly shocked.
The setup for the stunt was as sketchy as it was impressive. The footage shows Chebotarev pacing the BMW S1000RR while hanging out of the door of a moving Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon with a tow strap wrapped around him. The superbike accelerates down a strip of tarmac towards a massive ramp.
According to the stuntman’s Instagram caption, the vehicles reached a speed of 140 km/h (approximately 87 mph). Just before reaching the ramp, Chebotarev pulls himself completely into the G-Wagon, allowing the unmanned BMW to hit the ramp perfectly straight.
A 295-Foot Flight and a Big Landing
Freed from the rider, the S1000RR soars into the sky like a missile. It travels a claimed 90 meters before crashing violently into a massive pile of scrap tires and overgrown brush.
When the camera crew finally reaches the landing, the BMW is buried deep within the tire barrier and thicket. The damage is extensive. The front fairings are entirely obliterated, the instrument cluster is gone, and the front end is left mangled. Visually, the superbike is completely totaled. But..
The Engine Refuses to Quit
After a team of men forcibly extract the destroyed motorcycle from the wreckage, the video delivers a massive surprise. Despite the catastrophic impact, Chebotarev reaches over to the exposed handlebars and hits the starter switch.
Miraculously, the S1000RR’s inline-four engine actually fires up. With thick white smoke billowing from the heavily damaged front end, the engine successfully turns over and an aggressive rev proves it’s in good working order – temporarily at least. While the chassis and bodywork are effectively destroyed, the fact that the engine survived a 90-meter flight and a crash landing into a tire wall is a testament to the bike’s build quality.
Chebotarev cheekily ended the video by editing in BMW’s classic “Sheer Driving Pleasure” logo, a fitting end for a bike that refused to die.
