Batman Meets Evel Knievel Devil Dayre

Batman #264, June 1975: Dunno how this escaped my attention 'til I stumbled across it on eBay last week, but I bought it right away. Click images to embiggen them...

Al "Devil" Dayre was scheduled to jump Torres Canyon, much like the Snake River Canyon that Evel attempted to jump in September 1974. But, for some unknown reason, Batman did the jump instead. The rocket landed in the water, but Batman couldn't be found; only his costume was recovered...

Then a bunch of other stuff happened.

Then we learn that Dayre faked his own kidnapping 'cause he was scared to do the jump, and that the ransom money would've paid him handsomely anyhow. Later, after Batman did the jump, he escaped in scuba gear before any rescuers could find him. At the end, Batman chased down Dayre for a final confrontation...

Then Dayre apparently died after crashing his motorcycle through a window.
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