Stunning truck stunt

AS TRUCK STUNTS GO, THIS one is pretty much right out there! Ukrainian freerunner Alexander Titarenko has successfully pulled off a spectacular five-metre jump…between two moving trucks.

Just for the hell of it ( perhaps, to make it more “interesting”) he completed a so-called tunnel flip as he flew between the two car transporters….

Which were driving at 25km/ h, four metres apart, as they crossed a bridge in Kiev, Ukraine.

In case there was any doubt about the element of risk involved, the 26-year-old had already proven its danger: He injured himself attempting the same stunt exactly a year earlier – and had spent the 12 months leading up to his successful jump recovering.

Titarenko confesses that the whole thing was his idea: “I had a friend in Mariupol, my hometown, who likes to do different things – like juggling with basketballs.

He tries breaking different records, like throwing the ball into the basket from the centre of the court. It motivated me. I thought, ‘I have to get a record for myself.’ ”

First he figured on simply jumping the five metres from one static platform to another. Then he modified that to jumping between two moving buses….and finally settled on jumping from one moving car transporter to another.

In his 2019 attempt he literally and figuratively fell short of his target – smacking into the cab of the following truck and injuring a knee.

To add insult to the injury, the laser used by the Book of Records of Ukraine didn’t even capture what was a four-metre leap.

Believe it or not, he actually had been contemplating a much riskier stunt.....

Says Titarenko: “After last year’s injury, I had to recover for a long time – but that motivated me even more for the new record.”

Titarenko leapt to fame in 2017 when – as an unknown – he beat the world’s best freerunners in a surprise victory in the prestigious Red Bull Art of Motion.

Believe it or not, he actually had been contemplating a much riskier stunt involving moving machines – namely jumping from one plane to another!

For now at least, that idea is on hold, Titarenko explaining: “The project was a hard one. I realised that it was dangerous, so I’d like to slow down a bit with such tricks. After all, I’m a freerunner, so we need to come up with something in this direction.” T&D

Above & below: Flying above and between trucks is Ukrainian freerunner Alexander Titarenko

Above, from left: En route to the bridge, Titarenko has time to think about the challenge ahead....the two car transporters start across the bridge....the freerunner sizes up the jump Right: Time for last-minute focus Below, from left: The Ukrainan makes the leap.....pulls off a tunnel twist....whew! He’s well past the point where, a year ago, he crashed into the cab of the second truck. A split-second later he landed safely. Job done. All photos: Wheel Bree – Red Bull Content Pool