Spike TV's 'I Am Evel Knievel' Premieres 9/10 - Motorcycle & Powersports News

Honoring the 40th anniversary of Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon jump, Spike TV presents a revealing look at America’s most infamous daredevil, Evel Knievel, in the original Spike TV documentary “I Am Evel Knievel.” The 90-minute special will premiere on Spike TV Wednesday, September 10 at 11:00pm ET/PT.

“I Am Evel Knievel” combines original exclusive interviews with archival footage of this larger-than-life character to tell Knievel’s incredible story. Featured interviews include Matthew McConaughey, Kid Rock, Michelle Rodriguez, Guy Fieri, Robbie Maddison, and family members including sons Kelly and Robbie, and former wives Linda Knievel and Krystal Kennedy-Knievel. Lathan McKay, owner of the world’s largest collection of Evel Knievel memorabilia, is also featured.

The enduring legacy of Evel Knievel is the unforgettable death-defying jumps. The documentary features footage of Evel’s greatest jumps, including the seminal Snake River Canyon and Caesars Palace jumps. The film also showcases Knievel’s rise from a small town rebel in Butte, Montana, to a cultural icon whose rise to superstardom was built on nerves of steel and the ability to get up and do it again no matter the severity of the fall. He lived like every day was his last, which led to a tumultuous life encompassing meteoric success, wild hubris, egomaniacal mistakes and ultimately redemption.

“My dad proceeded through life as if limitations of his own imagination, courage and abilities did not exist – it was really something to grow up with,” stated Kelly Knievel.

“When Evel hit the ground hard, he hit the bull’s eye in an America that was hungry for heroes, hungry for men who scoffed at danger and walked away from death,” said Director/Producer Derik Murray. “Evel Knievel was the first, the original, the craziest daredevil that ever lived. He did it on heavier bikes, and he did it without the technology and experience that comes with today’s action sports heroes.”

The documentary is the latest in Spike TV’s original “I Am” series. The network debuted the critically acclaimed “I Am Steve McQueen” earlier this year and “I Am Bruce Lee” in 2012, also produced by Murray.

Trailer at: http://www.spike.com/video-clips/rkxv3d/spike-specials-i-am-evel-knievel-airs-september-10-on-spike

The boards of the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), and the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA) voted unanimously to appoint Scott Schloegel as acting president and CEO of the associations. Diana Sanchez was appointed acting chief operating officer.

Schloegel and Sanchez, whose appointments are effective immediately, will also continue to serve in their current roles as senior vice president of government relations and vice president of operations respectively. The interim leadership was selected to ensure a seamless transition as the associations’ search committee continues to conduct a comprehensive review of the position of president and CEO, and a subsequent search to replace outgoing President and CEO Erik Pritchard.