World Base Race

To clarify, the World Base Race isn’t Newt Gingrich’s plan to set up a lunar base colonize the moon before any other country in the world. It should more clearly be referred to as the World B.A.S.E Race. Then you would know that the event is a showdown between two wingsuiters flying head-to-head to both win a race and stun a crowd.

The two stand on a platform overhanging a cliff and at the signal leap off. From there it’s a sprint to the finish line, 750 meters from the start point where the winner of will move on to the next race while the loser gets knocked out entirely. There’s something paradoxical about flying a race where all you do is stretch your arms out, leaving all the real work to your wingsuit and gravity. There are two WBR’s, both held in Norway. Whoever wins the entire World B.A.S.E Race will be crowned with the title of “Fastest Flying Human Being in the World”. Humbling. On a side note, “Free Bird” was the absolute perfect song to go with the 2011 WBR’s promotional video. I’m jealous I didn’t think of using it first.