Born in Montreal and raised in a workingclass neighbourhood Ken Carter pursued a daredevil career after leaving school earning the moniker The Mad Canadian for his audacious car stunts across North America His most ambitious feat was an attempt to leap over the Saint Lawrence River in a rocketpowered Lincoln Continental in 1976 chronicled in the documentary The Devil at Your Heels Despite setbacks and a failed attempt in 1979 he persisted Ken Carters daring life story has captured imaginations weaving a tale involving the mafia and a formidable Evel Knievel His extraordinary albeit risky life has spurred numerous films novels and even an album rooted in a conceptual stringbass theme which in turn inspired a musical Tragically Carters last jump was the night of September 5 1983 when he overshot the landing on the far side of a murky pond at Westgate Speedway in Peterborough Ontario in a 1982 Pontiac equipped with what was described as a homemade rocket He died on impact at only 45 His determination and risktaking spirit remain integral to his daredevil legacy
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