Gymkhana 12 raises the danger level with the emergence of Travis Pastrana.
In "Gymkhana 2022," rally driver Travis Pastrana attempts a stunt unprecedented in the Gymkhana series.
Subaru of America's YouTube program "Launch Control" offers a three-part behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the latest Gymkhana movie, "Road to Gymkhana." This third episode (all three were filmed before Gymkhana creator Ken Block passed away) shows just how nail-biting things were during filming.
"Travis has a new element of higher risk," Lance Smith, president of Vermont Sports Car, which builds Pastrana's Subaru rally and gymkhana cars, says in the video. Gymkhana 2022 is Pastrana's second gymkhana video and includes the debut of the Subaru GL Family Huckster Wagon as well as some of the most ambitious stunts in the series.
Pastrana films a base jump from a building in Fort Lauderdale before getting into the car. As discussed in previous episodes, Pastrana was injured on the hard landing and missed six months.
One of the challenges was the rail slide, a move usually done on a skateboard rather than an 865 hp station wagon. The rails had to be perfectly centered and the pastrana had to hit perfectly. This last part was made more difficult by the fact that when the pastrana jumped the car onto the rail, he could not actually see the rail.
This shot and several others, including the sidebar where Pastrana switched to a stock Subaru WRX, went smoothly. The only thing remaining was the bridge jump.
Pastrana's injury delay allowed him to negotiate with the government in Marathon, Florida to use the bridge. After a charitable donation that was used to upgrade a local skate park, the Hoonigan crew obtained permission to film Pastrana jumping the 100-foot bridge gap on top of a hovering helicopter. The crew took the ramp from "Gymkhana 2020," adjusted the shims for the proper trajectory, and tested it on dry land.
"This wagon flies like a wagon," Pastrana said, and by getting it up to 120 mph, they were able to get enough range to clear the gap. Check out Gymkhana 2022 for the results.
