Sunday, October 11, 2009

WALL OF DEATH

One jaw dropping attraction we saw while visiting the Barbersports Race track this weekend was the Wall of Death: daredevil motorcycle riders racing bikes and go-karts on the side of a vertical 15' tall board wall. Words and even pictures can't describe the sheer excitement.....how these guys have the nerve to do this is beyond me........heck, ya gotta wonder how they learned without killing themselves?!!?

The first two photos were taken with my camera.......these are the only two (of about 30) that turned out.....the cycles were traveling as such a high speed, my camera simply wasn't fast enough. The audience stands on a platform about 20' feet high, around the opening of what looked like a large wine barrel. The rider begins circling what look like wooden fence sections placed between the floor and the wall.

And gradually moves up the vertical wall as he circles around and around. Look Ma....no hands! (Also take note....no helmet or protective gear!) You can just imagine how fast he's going by looking at this blur of man and cycle.

The rest of these photos 'the husband' took with his fancy camera......here the rider looks like he's standing still.....NOT.....the go-cart is actually traveling really fast along the vertical wall.


Audience members hold out paper bills in various denominations, and faster than your eye can see.........the rider reaches out and grabs them.....keeping the money balled up in one hand as he collected dozens.
Again, you have to realize they are going super fast in order to be traveling side by side along this vertical wall.....a motorcycle and a go-kart. At one point the riders even held hands.....I was looking through splayed fingers...... this was so nerve wracking to watch (loud too).

Look how high up he rides....nearly to the top of the 15' wall...... I know I'm repeating myself, but this is amazing. Click on the link I provided above to visit their website where another link will take you to a U-tube video. Okay...enuff excitement for me this weekend.....I'm going to bed!!


1 comment:

Kay Koeper Sorensen said...

Just reading this post made me nervous!