Gone viral online, the complete nine-and-a-half-minute, “[HOONIGAN] Gymkhana 2020: Travis Pastrana Takeover—Ultimate Hometown Shred in an 862hp Subaru STI” video put the 47-foot Miss GEICO team catamaran in a starring role literally below an airborne rally car driven by extreme motorsports magician Travis Pastrana. The elaborate stunt to promote the lifestyle [HOONIGAN] brand, which promoted and produced the Gymkhana motorsports series, was shot in Pastrana’s hometown of Annapolis, Md. It required perfect timing as neither Miss GEICO throttleman Steve Curtis nor Brit Lilly could see the car approaching—and Pastrana, who will share raceboat driving duties with his longtime friend Lilly again next year, had more to focus on than the boat that would be below him for a less than a second.
Miss GEICO teammates Steve Curtis, Brit Lilly and Travis Pastrana shared a moment of air time. Photo courtesy/copyright Larry Chen.
But there was even more to it than that, as Miss GEICO representative Cole McGowan explained.
“A series of tests were conducted in South Florida ahead of the stunt to rehearse and model the required distance and speed the boat would need to achieve to time the pass with the car—without the roostertail touching Travis’ tires and compromising traction for his landing,” he said. “Miss GEICO crew chief Gary Stray scaled the height of the roostertail from a sequence of images to ensure it wasn’t higher than the ramps, or the car’s position in the air.”
“We made three passes with the car,” said Lilly, describing the day of the actual stunt. “On the first pass, we watched car fly in front of us. On the second pass, we were too early and could Travis on the take off-ramp. On the last one, we didn’t see anything and thought we missed it completely—and it was the money shot.”
According to the brand’s Facebook page, a Hoonigan is “A person who operates a motor vehicle in an aggressive and unorthodox manner, consisting of, but not limited to, drifting, burnouts, donuts as well as acts of automotive aeronautics.”
For a more-thrilling definition, just watch the video.
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