Just weeks out from a world record attempt to land the longest jump on an electric bike, Luke Smith has hit a major speed bump.
The freestyle motocross star has had both his custom-made bikes stolen from his south Auckland home, jeopardising his childhood dream.
Bikes are Smith's passion, his life. But it hasn't been without its challenges. So after spending months recovering from a heel injury, Smith was given the all-clear to attempt a world-record jump on an electric bike.
"I'm going to break 30 metres so I'm going to break the 100-foot mark, and I want to do a jump that sends me 30 to 40 feet in the air, so that a motocross rider looks at it, a mountain biker, anybody in action sports looks at it, and says, 'Wow that's a big jump.'"
It's eight metres further than the current record, but you can't jump without a bike and a week ago thieves stole his two custom-built stealth bikes -- one specifically modified for the jump and the only 8000-watt electric bike in the country.
"It's really frustrating to be this close to a world record, and a childhood dream of being in the Guinness Book of Records and get a medal or whatever, and now to have some scumbag come to my property and take it away from me."
But the 33-year-old is no stranger to adversity, having survived a life-threatening crash six years ago that had him hospitalised for five months.
"I learned a lot about myself in that time and I had to dig deep to get back to where I was. So many people said I wouldn't ride a bike again, and I wanted to prove them wrong."
Four years later he did, and now Smith has one thing to say: "Hand it over because you can't use it, and let me go and do this world record."
Let his dream become a reality.
Newshub.
