Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983) is an American professional athlete known for his success across multiple disciplines, including freestyle motocross, rally racing, NASCAR, and stunt performance. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s, becoming a multi-time X Games gold medalist and achieving numerous milestones in freestyle motocross, including being the first to land a double backflip in competition in 2006. Prior to his freestyle career, Pastrana was also a successful motorcycle racer, winning titles in the AMA Motocross and Supercross 125cc divisions in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
Outside of motorcycles, Pastrana is a four-time Rally America champion and has competed in Global RallyCross. Pastrana has also made appearances in NASCAR, including stints in the Nationwide Series and the Truck Series. In 2022, he became a world champion in Class 1 World Powerboat Championship alongside British offshore powerboat racer Steve Curtis.
In 2003, Pastrana co-founded Nitro Circus, an entertainment brand that produces live shows, television series, and films featuring extreme stunts and action sports performances. Separate from Nitro Circus, Pastrana has participated in several high-profile stunts, including successful recreations of stunts made famous by Evel Knievel.
Pastrana debuted in the AMA Motocross Championship in late 1999. He won the 125cc national title in 2000, making him the youngest to do so at 16 years old. While Pastrana competed in the AMA Supercross Championship 125cc East Coast class in 2000, he fell short in his pursuit of the title. After this, Pastrana moved in with Kevin Windham to train for the upcoming racing season. In their downtime, the two would often teach each other freestyle tricks. The training strategy proved successful for Pastrana, who would secure the 125cc East Coast title in 2001. Pastrana competed in the AMA Supercross Championship's 250cc class from 2001 to 2005, with his best season in 2002, where he ranked 16th. He also won the 125cc Rose Creek Invitational and raced at the 2000 Motocross des Nations.
In 2023, Pastrana was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Robert Pastrana, Travis' father, is of Puerto Rican descent, which made Travis directly eligible to represent Puerto Rico in international competition. The Puerto Rico Motorcycle Association provided him with a license to represent the Territory, which was accepted by the Unión Latinoamericana de Motociclismo, the relevant sanctioning body in Latin America. His debut with the team took place on March 15, 2008. He qualified for the finals by winning the first heat, defeating Erick Vallejo of Mexico. In the finals, he finished third, behind local Costa Rican racer Roberto Castro and Vallejo.
In 2018, Pastrana returned to the Motocross of Nations as part of Team Puerto Rico with teammates Kevin Windham and Ryan Sipes in an effort to raise money and awareness following Hurricane Maria in 2017. All three team members eventually made it to the main event, qualifying via the B-final.
At thirteen years old, Pastrana was already performing stunts during motocross racing. At the age of fourteen, Pastrana competed in and won the World Freestyle Motocross Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning a winning streak that lasted to 2003. After his gold medal performance at the 1999 X Games, Pastrana clinched the gold at the inaugural Gravity Games in Rhode Island. Pastrana would ultimately go on to win five gold medals at the Gravity Games during its run from 1999 to 2006.
1999 – Pastrana won the first-ever MotoX Freestyle event at the X Games, scoring the highest-ever Freestyle run score of 99.00 points.
2000 – Pastrana won the MotoX Freestyle gold medal for the second time, and attempted his first-ever backflip on a motorcycle but broke his foot.
2001 – Pastrana won his third gold in MotoX Freestyle.
2002 – Pastrana was out with an injury. Mike Metzger became the first rider other than Pastrana to win Freestyle.
2003 – Pastrana claimed his fourth gold and became the second rider ever to complete a 360 in competition.
2004 – Pastrana crashed while trying a 50 ft (15m) 360, sustaining a concussion, but was able to compete the next day and won a silver medal. Nate Adams took the gold becoming the first rider to beat Pastrana. Before this event, he had won a bronze medal in Best Trick, performing a One-Handed 360, a Superman Seat Grab, and an Indian Air Back flip.
2005 – Pastrana won his fifth gold medal in Freestyle and also attempted the first-ever Backflip Barspin on a motorcycle, however the bike failed and he resorted to a regular bike and performed a Backflip Saran Wrap to take a silver medal in Best Trick.
2006 – Pastrana became the third athlete to win three gold medals at a single X Games event. He won golds in MotoX Best Trick, MotoX Freestyle, and Rally Car Racing. Pastrana also performed the first double backflip in competition, scoring a 98.60, the highest score in the Best Trick competition at X Games.
2007 – Pastrana took bronze in Rally after sliding into the other driver's area while inside the Home Depot Center. He was disqualified but retained his medal. He also competed in the first MotoX Racing event at X Games, but did not achieve a medal after two false starts in the heat race and last-chance qualifier.
2008 – Pastrana took gold in Rally and competed in the Speed & Style event, but did not place.