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199 Lives: The Travis Pastrana Story

`199 Lives' is the incredible story of one of the greatest action sport heros of all time. Beginning with rare footage of Pastrana in his early dare devil years, and introducing the family who made him the thrill seeker he has become, 199 Lives' is a thrilling, intense and intimate account of a living legend. At the age of 22, Travis is a champion multi-talent: a motocross racer, FMX rider, action sports hero, film maker, and rally car driver. He is adored by his fans and feared by his competitors. No matter who you are, when Travis gets on his bike, straps himself into a car or steps up to attempt the biggest stunt you never thought imaginable, you will undoubtedly lose yourself in the thrill.

199 Lives: The Travis Pastrana Story opens with a catalogue of motocross rider Travis Pastrana's championships and injuries--and, without question, it's the injuries that truly demonstrate Pastrana's staggering drive. This is a guy who dislocated his spine when he was 15 years old, then went on to compete against the best motocross cyclists in the world, then won multiple freestyle events, then nearly died (and nearly killed his passenger) in a car crash, then went on to do rally car racing, which involves a passenger... rarely has anyone exorcised their worst fears in such a literal way. What makes Pastrana even more intriguing is his odd combination of dorkiness (he approaches his waking life with an almost aggressive naivete) and the unsettling underside implied by the night terrors that haunt his sleep. 199 Lives also explores Pastrana's family, particularly his supportive (yet deeply stressed-out) mother and his super-competitive father, through a combination of interviews and charming home movie footage. But of course, it's not the psychological portrait that ultimately sells this movie--it's the astonishing footage of successful jumps and the even more astonishing footage of unsuccessful jumps, capturing stomach-churning accidents that no human being should be able to walk away from. Yet Pastrana does, and usually smiles as he does it. Fans will find 199 Lives essential; non-fans may find 199 Lives will turn them into fans. --Bret Fetzer

Travis Pastrana at the inaugural Rallycross event, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville NJ.

Travis Pastrana by his car signing stuff and taking pictures with people

Travis Pastrana, the most celebrated freestyle motocross rider in the world, knows no bounds. In 1999 he celebrated his first X Games gold by launching his bike into San Francisco Bay. Three years later, he rode straight into the Grand Canyon. On purpose.
In The Big Jump: The Tao of Travis Pastrana, he makes his biggest leap yet, revealing for the first time the methods (and madness) that fuel his amazing feats. At 14 Pastrana was the youngest World Freestyle Motocross champion. At 17 he was the youngest racer ever to represent Team USA in the Motocross des Nations. Each of The Big Jump’s chapters builds toward another breathtaking accomplishment, ending with the "impossible" double backflip during X Games 12 that brought Pastrana not just gold but certified legend status.
With a foreword by Mat Hoffman, the godfather of BMX, The Big Jump is a fuel-injected ride into the mind and heart of Travis Pastrana.