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Bob Correll

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American motorcycle racer (1942–2022)
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Daredevil Bob Correll
BornRobert W. Correll
(1942-01-07)January 7, 1942
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Died2022 (aged 80)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesCrazy
OccupationStunt performer

Bob "Crazy" Correll (January 7, 1942 – 2022) was an American daredevil and stuntman from Long Beach, California. According to his official biography from Balls, Unlimited, Inc., Correll enjoyed a varied career racing motorcycles, drag cars, stock cars, and go-carts. He also flew hang gliders, sail planes, powered planes, and hot-air balloons. From the 1970s to the late 1990s, Correll was associated with the following ventures:

  • The Kitecycle - Designed in the early 1970s and patented 1975, by Doug Malewicki of Aerovisions, Inc., the Kitecycle is a motorcycle/hangglider combination that has been featured on the television programs "That's Incredible," "The New and Spectacular Guinness Book of World Records," "CHiPs," and "I Dare You: The Ultimate Challenge," amongst others. Correll's distance record with the Kitecycle is 423 feet (129 m). This is recognized as a world record for wing-assisted jumps.
  • The Original Jet-Powered Dragster Motorcycle (The "Jetbike") - Correll's jet-powered motorcycle was not chain-driven, but operated using pure thrust. Craig Arfons converted the General Electric T-58 military helicopter engine for the project. The motorcycle itself and the jet engine's afterburner were designed primarily by Doug Malewicki, and created and operated by Balls Unlimited, Inc. Officially clocked at more than 200 mph (320 km/h) in the quarter-mile distance, the bike featured more than 1,350 horsepower (1,010 kW) and was capable of speeds approaching 300 mph (480 km/h).
  • Robosaurus - Built by Monster Robots, Inc. of Sun Valley, CA. Bob Correll was the backseat operator ("co-pilot") from 1990 to 1993.
  • The F/18 Jetbike, a dragster motorcycle that featured an T-58 engine from a chinook helicopter. The bike received national exposure on the FX television program "The X Show" but was never licensed for exhibition racing. According to Malewicki's personal website, Tim Arfons did the engine conversion and Chip Bassett did the machining and fabrication.


Correll retired from the spotlight in 2000. He later lived in Southern California, and died in 2022, at the age of 80.

References

  1. Official biography of Bob Correll, available directly from Aerovisions, Inc. or Balls, Unlimited, Inc.
  2. U.S. Patent Office
  3. http://www.nhra.com/blog/dragster-insider/2008/7/4/30375/ Archived 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine Burgess, Phil. Inside National DRAGSTER. Friday, July 04, 2008
  4. "Winged".
  5. Article title Malewicki's personal website.
  6. "How Robo is Controlled". Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2008-08-20. Monster Robots, Inc. official website
  7. "Inside Robosaurus-THE ROBOSAURUS TEAM". Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-08-20. Monster Robots, Inc. official website
  8. Article title Malewicki's personal website.
  9. "I lost a dear friend. His name was Bob Correll. This is his tribute video". iROBODUDE on YouTube. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2024.

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