Over the next couple of years the wheel stand shows got better and the length of the jumps grew from 110 ft to over 165 ft. The only thing that was missing was the national publicity that has eluded so many talented stuntmen. During a jump in Atlanta, he miscalculated his speed and over shot the cars by so much that the jump measured an amazing 212 ft! Confident of his abilities, he decided to recreate the jump for an official World Record. He would jump a greater distance, over more cars than any one else! The jump was to take place at a dragstrip in Phenix City, Alabama. To compliment his jump, he brought in Tuck Henderson, a gutsy little 12 yr old who would jump his bicycle over 4 cars.

The scene was set for a jump that, no matter how it went, the crowd would never forget. After completing his wheel stand show, he made 3 speed runs past the ramp, then road his bike to the top of the ramp and stared across the seemingly endless line of cars. This not only served to get himself psyched up for the jump, but also to ready the crowd. You could hear a pin drop as he backed the bike down the ramp and took his place at the end of the track. When the American flags on the take-off ramp settled showing him that the winds were calm, he began his approach. He hit the ramp at speeds approaching 100 mph. Everything looked perfect until half way over the cars. A strong head wind suddenly hit him causing the bike to stand up nearly vertical. In an effort to keep the front end down, he was standing up on the pegs with the handle bars against his chest. This slowed him down enough that he did not have enough speed to clear the line of cars. He went through the windshield of the 27 th car and cart wheeled through the air over 150 ft past the cars before hitting the track surface. Conscious and alert, he was rushed to a nearby hospital.

In the past he had only had 3 crashes and had walked away from all 3 with only bruises. This time he was not so lucky. Bob Pleso passed away in the operating room 2 hours later. One of the people at the hospital anxiously waiting to hear how he was doing, was Bob Duffey, another accomplished stuntman. It seemed only fitting that Bobby was laid to rest in his jump leathers. Bob Pleso died as he lived, giving the crowd one hell of a show.