Back
Back

Re Print: Jim Bauer - 5000 Miles - 3 Days - 1 Photo

"How much better it could have been if I had full leathers and an Echo helmet."

23 Apr 2015

jim bauer BMX portrait RA

Words by Jim Bauer Photos by Ricky Adam Originally printed in DIG 74 'DICKS - The Photo Issue' January 2010

When I first laid eyes on my adolescent bedroom wall supermodel, I was quickly returned to the exact image of my room and the poster. It was a 3/4 shot of a white over white over white (white body/interior/wheels) Lamborghini Countach. No wing, with vented side skirts. The background was all black and it said Countach in a thin white serif font. This one was the same model, in red/tan/silver. I have always thought jumping over one would be fun. It's low and long (and kinda shaped like a ramp). I thought about it when I saw this one in person, but dared not mention it because I knew how NLA (the acronym for No Longer Available) this thing was.

When Ricky Adam first laid eyes on it, he had the same idea, but didn't hold back. "You should jump over that thing." Next thing you know we are at the beach finding the perfect background. I mean, it's an 80's supermodel, you don't take her down to the closest car park. Perfect background - sketchy take off. If it was a Volkswagen Beetle we would have fired it out right away. To give you an example of NLA, if you cracked the windshield on your car, you call up the glass place and have you sorted in an hour, in your garage for the price of a super fancy dinner. You crack a Lamborghini Diablo windshield you can have a windshield for about 3-4 months rent. You crack a Countach windshield and you are trying to find a glass artisan to get one custom made, because Lamborghini broke the mold for the windshield years ago. My anxiety is raised. We decide we need a ramp, and it's raining anyway. We will come back tomorrow.

Next day, we try this ramp, and it sucks. I would almost rather try the sketchy take off. It starts to rain, and doesn't stop. Another day gone, another day for my anxiety to build.

Day three, this is ridiculous. I have jumped over cars, many people have jumped more cars, and way bigger ones too. But I'm guessing one not this collectable. If you aren't a car guy, you don't care. If you are, you can't imagine damaging something like this. What also doesn't help is the crowd that forms around a car like this. Now prop a ramp up next to the car, on the boardwalk, at the beach, on a weekend. You can imagine, but this is silly, it's been 3 days, I have to do this, it's going to rain. GO. As soon as Ricky is ready, I pedal full speed at this ramp, and blast over my supermodel. All my anxiety is instantly lifted as I realize we have found the combo that lets us have fun, and not at someone else's expense. Now it's a Lambo jumping session. I go at it as many times as my legs will let me pedal full speed into the wind. It's not the craziest thing anyone has done, not even close to the craziest trick, but for me it's one of my favorites. When you accomplish something you daydreamed about, and honestly never thought would happen, it feels good. That's what it's all about. If you can hang it on your wall too, all the better. How much better it could have been if I had full leathers and an Echo helmet. Next time...

jim bauer BMX car jump RA

Jim Bauer re-living some 80's style Californian BMX dreams on the South Coast of the UK in 2009.