Daredevil Pastrana to wow SA
High-risk, adrenalin show at Mabhida stadium in October
JUMPING out of a plane without a parachute and landing after doing a double backflip on a motorcycle are all in a day’s work for US freestyle motocross rider and stunt performer, Travis Pastrana, who will perform in three shows with Nitro Circus Live in SA in October.
Pastrana, who has millions of followers on social media, tracking his every high-risk move, will be taking it to the edge with his Durban show, scheduled to be held at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on October 25.
Speaking to The Independent on Saturday this week, Pastrana says Durban was the first place where he tried surfing.
“I raced in South Africa when I was 11 and 12 years old. A sponsor sent me over to race against one if the top mini racers in the world, SA rider Grant Langton. I tried surfing for the first time while I was over there. I can’t recall exactly but I know we stayed in Durban and didn’t drive far. I have some great memories from then,” he says
Pastrana was 4 when he was given his first motorcycle and started his stunt career when he was 13. He was the first Moto X Freestyle event winner for the X Games at 15.
“I’ve been doing tricks on BMX and dirt bikes since I can remember. I won my first amateur national motocross championship at 10 years old. A lot of riders on tour have a similar background. It’s a lifelong process and it’s what we love to do,” said Pastrana.
But it’s the adrenalin-filled action that gets the 33-year-old risk junkie up in the morning and he was the first person to land a double backflip on a motorcycle during the Best Trick Event at the 2006 X Games.
“To be the first person to do a stunt or a jump is truly amazing. Not just that you were the first, but that so many people along the way tell you it can’t be done and you have to find a way to think differently.”
He founded Nitro Circus, which is now regarded as one of the world’s biggest action sports entertainment brands and which Pastrana describes as a “fun, scary way to make a living”.
One of his latest stunts was to jump out of a plane without a parachute.
“My first thought was ‘this feels pretty awesome’. I vividly remember that feeling and then immediately questioning why I wasn’t more nervous,” he says with a laugh.
While he has been dubbed as fearless, with his philosophy being “I’d rather try and fail, than fail to try”, fear is something Pastrana has learned to deal with, as well as the pain of broken bones.
He has survived 25 concussions and broken over 60 bones, including a jump that severed his spine from his pelvis, which left him in a wheelchair for three months.
“Fear is what keeps you alive and the day you don’t have fear is the day you should quit. I’ve had a few really bad injuries, but I rate an injury based on how long it takes to get back on my bike. My knee injury had the longest recovery time of eight months, so I consider that the worst. Injuries are just part of the game,” he says.
With his extreme stunts garnering a massive following on YouTube, Pastrana says social media has changed the face of action sports.
“We can find new talent more easily and it allows us to show the world something new. The downside is that everyone has already seen the big stuff from the month, week or day before and they expect bigger and better.”
Now married to professional skateboarder Lyn-Z Adams, the couple have two young daughters, Addy and Bristol, who also love a bit of action.
“Our girls love riding dirt bikes, four wheelers, BMX bikes and skateboards, but I would be equally happy if they took up golf or tennis.”
For the whirlwind Nitro Circus SA shows, Cape Town on Saturday, October 21, Durban on Wednesday, October 25,and Johannesburg on Saturday, October 28, Pastrana promises there will be some breathtaking action.
“In every show there is something that has never been seen before. With the ramps and floor plan constantly evolving, as well as the riders getting better every show.”
When he’s not in front of an audience and doing his adrenalin filled “stuff ”, Pastrana says, “riding my road bicycle is the most relaxing thing I can do. I’m not much for sitting in front of the TV.”