Daredevil Alex Harvill dies while training for a world record motorcycle jump held by an Australian

Daredevil Alex Harvill died on Thursday while practising for a world record motorcycle ramp jump, officials in Washington state said. He was 28 years old.

Mr Harvill was attempting to jump more than 106m on his motorbike, roughly the length as a soccer pitch, when the stunt went horribly wrong during a practice jump.

He failed to make the distance and landed just short of the down ramp. He was rushed to hospital but died from his injuries.

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"Our deepest sympathies go out to Alex's family, friends and loved ones," Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison said in a written statement on Thursday.

Mr Harvill, who lived in Ephrata, Washington, was hoping to break the record of a 351-foot jump, according to the Moses Lake Airshow, where his attempt was scheduled on Thursday.

Video of the practice jump at the Grant County International Airport posted to social media showed Harvill's motorcycle running directly into the top edge of the large dirt berm being used as his landing ramp, with Mr Harvill thrown from the bike.

The stunt is believed to have happened in front of a group of spectators who had paid to view the event.

The previous record he that Mr Harvill was chasing currently belongs to Australian stuntman Robbie Madison, who cleared the distance safely 13 years ago in 2008, according to Guinness World Records.

Mr Madison has since issued his condolences saying he is "shattered and "his heart is broken for the family".

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They too have released a statement saying that Mr Harvill died doing what he loved.

Mr Harvill already owned a Guinness World Record of his own, with a 297-foot dirt-to-dirt jump in 2013.

"Coroner Morrison's staff will conduct an autopsy on Friday to confirm the cause and manner of death, which is normal procedure," the Grant County Sheriff's Office said.

He is survived by his wife and his two young sons.