Motorcycle news

Evel Knievel pursues compensation claim

Legendary motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel is making a compensation claim against US rapper Kanye West for trademark infringement.

The controversial artist is being sued over a music video that features him dressed as ‘Evel Kanyevel' and attempting to leap a canyon in a rocket-propelled vehicle.

68-year-old Knievel, who rose to fame performing death-defying stunts – and experienced numerous motorbike accidents in the process – alleges the rapper did not seek permission before filming and that the video for Touch the Sky has tarnished his image.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Tampa, Florida, claims that the video, which features Kanye arguing with women and cavorting with former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, is "directly counter to Evel Knievel's long-established public persona, utterly inconsistent with his toy products and appeal to children, and harms the reputation of the Evel Knievel trademark and the Evel Knievel costume."

The former daredevil registered his name as a trademark in 2001 and it is thought that merchandise bearing his name and image has grossed more than £150 million.

Speaking to a journalist, Knievel told of his thoughts about Kanye West, saying, "He's just a disgrace to me."

It is believed that the stuntman is hoping for a swift conclusion to the compensation claim as various ailments, not helped by the serious personal injuries he sustained in his numerous motorbike accidents, have resulted in doctors predicting that he has less than three years to live.