TOM CRUISE’S STUNT BIKE SECRETS
Mission Impossible chase scene made possible by ex-British Supersport racer
‘This takes things to the next level’
‘We can change the camera position within seconds’
Currently sitting at the top of the box-office charts, Mission: Impossible Fallout is set to be the cinema hit of the summer. But one of the key scenes in one of the most action-packed Hollywood movies of all time couldn’t have happened without the skill and ingenuity of a British biker. Never one to shy away from a good bike chase, Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt tries to evade French police, charging through French side-streets on a BMW R nineT Scrambler, skidding past hordes of police cars and weaving in and out of traffic on the Arc de Triomphe. But much of the amazing footage was down to former British and World Supersport racer Kieran Clarke, who joined forces with Tom Cruise’s stunt team to develop a camera bike for use in top Hollywood films. Clarke, who was forced to retire from racing through injury, turned to making a living as a stuntman, getting his break in the previous Mission: Impossible film.
“We did tracking shots on Mission: Impossible 5 which were fantastic, but there were limitations to using a standard road bike as a camera bike,” Clarke explained. “Myself and Wade Eastwood went away and brainstormed some new camera equipment based on a motorcycle to get the most dynamic action shots available and take it to the next level.” This bike is the result. “When using a normal motorbike and a conventional petrol engine, you get a lot of engine vibration which restricts what you can do, especially with sound, and on many tracking bikes it’s very difficult and time consuming to change the camera position.”
To resolve the engine vibration
‘A standard road bike has limitations’
issues, Clarke and the team turned to electric bikes, with their camera bike starting life as a Zero DSR. Producing 69bhp, the camera bike has a top speed of 120mph and is fully kitted out with K-Tech suspension, Moto3 wheels and wets for instant grip. It also features special, one-off carbon-fibre bodywork. The main asset is the elaborate bracketry for the cameras, which thanks to electro-hydraulic valving can have its attitude controlled on the move, allowing dramatic shots. “We’ve refined a piece of equipment using MotoGP and Formula One technology to create something that can get shots that aren’t possible anywhere else. There’s no engine noise or vibration so we can get sound in the same shot which is a first for a camera bike. We can change the camera height and position within seconds with the touch of a button so the bike can shoot a range of scenes from slow speed dialogue to high action sequences with cars and bikes.” With film cameras weighing up to 50kg plus all the associated bracketry, while costing £60,000, precision and safety are paramount. “You need good riders to get the most from it,” says Clarke. “That’s why we’re going to get British Superstock rider James Rispoli and BSB rider James Ellison on board. They need to know what they’re doing.”n
O To see the trailer on YouTube search ‘Mission: Impossible Fallout Motorcycle Paris’