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Travis Pastrana added another world’s first to his resume Thursday as he successfully landed the first barge-to-barge motorcycle backflip. Pastrana battled high winds and rough waters as he flew between the two vessels floating on the legendary River Thames in London, UK, the iconic O2 rising in the background.
120-feet away from solid ground, Pastrana had 36 feet to come to a stop before sliding into the Thames. Winds gusted at 20 miles per hour. In 2006, Mike Metzger crashed in his attempt, fracturing his L-4 vertebra. Metzger made a full recovery. This was the first attempt at the trick since then.
1 Opening Cards
- Nitro Circus logo
- “Presents: Travis Pastrana World’s First Barge-To-Barge Motorcycle Backflip / London, UK / River Thames / October 5, 2017
2. Wide shot on the bank of the Thames. Camera panning L-R. Two barges in the foreground. O2 in the background
3. Soundbite (English), Travis Pastrana
“I don’t think I’ve been this nervous about doing a single backflip since 2003 X Games maybe. When we started doing the 75. Not only is the landing moving up and down and side to side but now I’ve got to aim a little left of where I want to and it’s going to pull me straight”
4. Camera pans and zooms in on journalists gathered along the shoreline, preparing to cover Travis Pastrana’s attempt. Wide shot
5. Shot of cameraman waiting for the jump (filmed from behind him)
6. Close-Up shot of banners on the side of one of the barges
7. Shot of Travis walking toward one of the ramps on one of the barges. Checking out the equipment to make sure everything is ready before the attempt
8. Travis puts on his helmet, gets ready for his attempt
9. Soundbite (English) Travis Pastrana (COVERED)
“It looked way better on paper”
10. Travis starts the engine of his motorbike
11. Shot of journalists getting ready for Travis to ride
12. Shot of Travis beginning his run-in to the takeoff ramp (filmed from the side. On the takeoff barge)
13. Wide shot (from the shore) of Travis’ backflip. O2 in the background. Slight slo-mo
[Sound of Travis’ engine fades out at the peak of his jump, fades back in when he hits the landing ramp]
14. Shot of Travis’ hitting the landing ramp, riding down and coming to a stop (shot face-on from the landing barge camera). Does a front wheel wheelie and then stops. Raises his arms in celebration. Yells. Journalists and spectators cheer (off camera)
15. Long shot of Travis and bike on top of the landing ramp, celebrating. O2 in background
16. Shot of Travis and unidentified Nitro Circus rep, walking from the jump site. O2 in background (shot low in slow mo. Camera moves with Travis)
17. Event MC high-fives Travis. Travis stands with his bike. Reporter in background.
Audio of MC: “Another world’s first and uh you made it look easy bro.” (laughs)
18. Shot of media (photographers, cameramen) covering the event
SOT (off camera) – “Nitro Circus’ Travis Pastrana”
19. Shot of Travis in front of the media. O2 in background
20. Soundbite (English) Travis Pastrana
“One of the scariest stunts just because there are so many factors that are outside of your control. Luckily today everything lined up the rain went away it dried up enough that it wasn’t too slick…”
21. Over Travis’ VO -- shot of takeoff barge (filmed from the landing barge) Travis backflips over the camera
22. Soundbite (English) Travis Pastrana
“…had a pretty good side wind but it was fairly consistent so we aimed a little left. It was like a golf ball. Blew me right back to the center”
23. Another shot of Travis’ landing (Travis riding in towards camera)
24. Soundbite (English) Travis Pastrana
“… So perfect”
Nitro Circus Logo
Card: “For Tickets and Info Go To NitroCIrcus.com
Nitro Circus ringleader and action sports icon Travis Pastrana added another incredible world’s first to his resume Thursday as he successfully landed the first barge-to-barge motorcycle backflip. Pastrana battled high winds and rough waters as he flew between the two vessels floating on the legendary River Thames in London, UK, the iconic O2 rising in the background.
“Landing such a massive trick like this is incredible. Then to do it in such an awesome location, in such an iconic city, makes it even more special,” said Pastrana. “The conditions were definitely a challenge. With the waves and especially the strong winds you get variables beyond your control and that’s where things can really go wrong. But, pushing the limits and achieving world firsts is what Nitro Circus is all about.”
Already 120-feet away from solid ground, Pastrana had only 36 feet to come to a stop before sliding into the Thames. Fighting winds gusting up to 20 miles per hour, Pastrana risked flying off course and missing the 27-feet wide landing barge entirely. Going in, the danger level was already high. Mike Metzger crashed hard during his 2006 attempt, fracturing his L-4 vertebra. While fortunately Metzger made a full recovery, the trick was never attempted again, until now.
Why does Travis Pastrana, a global icon who already has achieved numerous world’s firsts and earned more competition trophies than he can count, continue to put everything on the line? The answer is simple: for him, like everyone in the Nitro Circus crew, progression is everything. “Living means taking risks,” Pastrana explained. “If you have a goal you want to reach or something you want to achieve, first you have to be willing to push it, get outside of your comfort zone and then totally send it “
Nitro Circus’ world-class athletes showcase that same mettle and determination at show after show worldwide. Pastrana flew out to London for this epic attempt shortly after Nitro Circus wrapped up its 2017 North American tour. The four-month trek included massive shows like Travis’ huge Annapolis homecoming party in front of over 22,000 fans as well as blockbuster stops at Seattle’s Safeco Field and San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. Now the action sports juggernaut is gearing up for dates in Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. 2018 will feature two all-new tours, first Australia’s Next Level Tour, celebrating the game-changing progression pioneered at Travis’ Pastranaland compound, then Europe’s You Got This Tour, which will kick out the jams with simply the the greatest, craziest, funniest show in Nitro Circus history.
Sponsors of this historic achievement include ’47, exclusive headwear and apparel partner for Nitro Circus and its athletes, Kevlar, Yokohama and Hyper Bicycles. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is also proud to be a sponsor of Travis Pastrana’s world’s first event with Nitro Circus. Pastrana’s feat will be featured in next year’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Annual, a collection of extraordinary stories, mind-boggling facts and breathtaking photography. A signed copy of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shatter Your Senses! — this year’s edition is on sale now—can be won at ripleys.com/nitro.
For more Nitro Circus news, exclusive behind-the-scenes content and tickets, go to http://www.nitrocircus.com and follow Nitro Circus on Instagram and Facebook.
About Nitro Circus:
Nitro Circus, the world’s biggest action sports entertainment brand, creates electrifying live events and unbelievable original content that at once exhilarates, captivates and inspires thrill-seeking fans worldwide. Co-founded by global superstar Travis Pastrana in 2003, Nitro Circus has since grown into a multiplatform phenomenon producing hit television shows, critically acclaimed documentaries and innovative digital offerings. That success gave rise to the Nitro Circus Live tour. Created in 2010, Nitro Circus Live has travelled the globe, playing to sold-out stadiums on five continents. The company introduced an innovative breakthrough in 2016 with the debut of Nitro World Games, completely rebooting action sports competition in the process. With over three million tickets sold to date, television programming that has aired in over 60 countries, more than 20 million engaged fans across its social media platforms and a burgeoning consumer products business, Nitro Circus is at the forefront of action sports and entertainment. For more information visit www.nitrocircus.com.
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PR Contacts:
Nitro Circus: Greg Terlizzi – greg@nitrocircus.com
5 October 2017
