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First off, Travis Pastrana is someone who is well deserving of recognition as an icon in the action sports industry. The man won the World Freestyle Motocross Championship at the young age of 14, who does that?! Well he does, along with jumping out of planes without a parachute, racing rally cars, flipping motorcycles, and tempting his Nitro Circus crew to do the same. Friends, family, sponsors and fans came to Hollywood to pay tribute to the daredevil on July 28th, 2009.
We arrived at the venue early, my friend Lex & I walked around looking at the Hollywood Walk of Fame stars embedded into the sidewalk. I found a "James Stewart" star on Hollywood & Vine! Not the same James we know, but it was still pretty cool to see a star with his name engraved. Walking back towards the Avalon there had already gathered a crowd of attendees and on-lookers. Many stars showed up to give respect for the 25-year-old Nitro Circus star.
Travis was unaware that his friends and family (even his grandma came) would all be alongside to celebrate his life and the memories they have shared, which he found out upon his arrival in the double decker Red Bull bus. All the X-Games Champ knew were the details spread out inside Red Bull's Toasted press release, which was nothing really except a date, time, & location.
Flight of the Concords star, Arj Barker, hosted the night by also taking a few bittersweet stabs at the presenters and honoree. Action Sports athletes, celebrities, & comedians such as Ryan Scheckler, Tony Hawk, Carey Hart, Sal Masakela, Brian Vickers, Greg Giraldo, and Dan Levy roasted and toasted Mr. Pastrana. MTV's Nitro Circus cast members including Andy Bell, Jeremy Rawle, Gregg Godfrey, and Jolene Van Vugt held their glasses high for their thrill-seeking friend.


Of course, it was no surprise some craziness would conspire at this event. There was Travis' shoe which was being thrown back and forth between the audience and presenters. Then there was Andy Bell trying to get Travis to fall in his thrown off the stage, where Andy had no luck in succeeding in his prank. Wigged mini-me, Verne Troyer made an appearance on stage as WMA rider Sherri Cruse, Travis Pastrana's sweetheart. While James Stewart dropped in via video to inquire about the location of his invite. Kid Rock shared his New Years bonding experience with Travis & the crew while they scared the #*$& of out him when Travis (base) jumped out of his hotel suite at the Palms in Las Vegas.

The show must go on and as this one came to an end, Travis stood at the podium and made his "what's next" announcement. He revealed that the show will go on as he is taking part in the 2009 Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. chaos in Los Angeles, CA. No clear details yet, but he will be part of the New Years insanity.
Photos by Jesse Ziegler, Lindsey Lovell
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