This is one of those articles that has to start don’t try this at home. The Animal action sports tour was at Silverstone this weekend to showcase the skills and bravery of some fellows who could never be described as risk-averse. With two mountain bikers and a free runner the WD40 event gave the crowd a glimpse of parkour and some stunning bike-control skills.
The team had created a freestyle park of ramps, bars and jumps, with riders bouncing onto the roofs of vans and down vertiginous slopes. MC James Thorne kept the crowd pumped up whilst trials legend Martyn Ashton, newcomer Blake Samson and free runner Luke ‘Mad-Gun’ Madigan performed feats of derring-do. Although the sky was blue and the sun was making its long overdue 2013 debut, it was very windy, which made conditions very dangerous for such precision bikemanship.
Blake Samson is a Zimbabwean dirt bike rider who loves the four metre dropin that the new Animal tour playground has. Inspired by seeing the tour himself a few years ago Blake is now part of the team and showed his spectacular aerial style to the race fans at Silverstone.
Martyn Aston has been part of the team since the start and brings a startling precision to his tricks. He says that ‘things have certainly gone XL this year.’ All the shows are different because as Martyn points out ‘there are so many lines for the athletes to explore’.
Martyn is the World Champion trials rider and can also perform seemingly impossible bunny hops. These are of a height that has the politer elements of the crowd saying ‘I really don’t believe that that is possible’. It was though, as was riding his bike around the course with no front wheel.
Parkour expert Luke Madigan appeared to have had a fear-ectomy as he leapt between various narrow landing areas with millimetre precision. He only joined the team this year, and at only 18 is still developing his talents. Special equipment allows him to show off his control with flips, somersaults and general whizz-bangery. The Animal WD Action Sports Tour will be travelling around the country this summer, so if you want to experience some amazing bike stunts try and get to see it.
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