Nitro Circus with Travis Pastrana
Nitro Circus is an American film series based on the wild antics of world premier freestyle motocross rider Travis Pastrana and his crew of elite action sport fanatics. The adrenaline fuelled Nitro Circus team are constantly pushing the body to the limit in a wild display of reckless stunts and manoeuvres.
Nitro Circus Background
Nitro Circus was initially a mini series aired on Fuel TV in 2006. The series was so successful that the team decided to produce a string of films based on the original concept. There are currently 6 films under the Nitro Circus banner (Nitro Circus 1, Nitro Circus 2, Nitro Circus 3, Thrillbillies, Thrillbillies Double Wide, Lock ‘n’ load) and a documentary called 199 lives based on the story of legendary Travis Pastrana.
Since creating the films MTV has taken up the show as a 15 episode reality TV series produced by Godfrey Entertainment and Dickhouse productions. This show has been aired to over 1 billion homes worldwide on MTV in 2009 and has broken rating records in the USA. This series debuted on Australian television earlier this year and contains footage also shown within some of the Nitro Circus films.
Travis Pastrana Bio
The Nitro Circus series is based around complete daredevil Travis Pastrana who was born on the 8th of October 1983 in Anapolis, Maryland. He is now a nine times X-Games gold medallist across many of the games including super cross, motocross, freestyle motocross and rally car racing.
In 2003 Travis Pastrana commenced his rallying career in the Race Of Champions. In 2006 Pastrana won the first rally car competition in the X-Games beating rally legend Collin McRae by 0.53 seconds.
Currently sponsored by Red Bull, Travis Pastrana is easy to spot on track due to his incredible speed through the hoops, spot jump combinations, wicked stand up style and tendency to blow races for the chance to experience a random jump along the track. He is currently one of the most popular motocross riders worldwide due to wooing his audience with elaborate stunts, such as jumping out of a plane wearing nothing but board shorts whilst sipping on a can of Red Bull. "I realize pain is nothing to be afraid of. You’re body can only handle so much, and then it just passes out" says Travis Pastrana.
The Nitro Circus Crew
The rest of the Nitro Circus crew comprise of an array of extreme action sports fanatics, talented in a mix of skills including motocross, skateboard, rally car driving, and snowboard. The cast of Nitro circus include FMX rider Andy Bell, professional motocross rider Jolene Van Vugt, professional skier and base jumper Erik Roner, all round comedian Tommy Passamente, mountain bike rider Jim DeChamp and main character Travis Pastrana. The cast also feature the likes of Johnny Knoxville amongst his equally insane clan of stunt professionals from the MTV series Jackass.
Motorbike stunts and more
Over the Nitro Circus films, viewers can expect to see absolute anarchy as the crew engage in some high risk endeavours. Base jumping, double back flips on motorcycles, serious carnage, extreme skiing, freestyle Moto riding, rally stunts, lengthy jumps, dirt biking, monster trucks, snowboarding, general chaos, all accompanied by the hilarious comedy of the group dynamic, should be expected. The stunts are set up in locations worldwide as the Nitro Circus Crew is inspired by doing the impossible in their surroundings.
The Pastrana Compound
Travis Pastranas backyard in suburban Annapolis, Maryland is home to one of the most elaborate extreme sports arenas and is frequently featured throughout the Nitro Circus series.
This 20 acre and $600,000 compound, houses a full motocross course complete with a foam pit (equipped with a roofing system to protect it from the rain), 6 ramps varying is size and shape, huge pool, rally car track, an assortment of toys and heavy machinery, a tarpaulin and banner lined waterslide carved from a hill and a huge warehouse style store featuring all of Travis Pastrana’s trophies and bikes.
"For a normal person to go out and do a back flip into a foam pit it’s the high point of their life. At Travis’ house six-year-old kids are doing them. It’s not that it’s never good enough, there’s just no satisfaction. There are so many people around him pushing themselves, that you do crazy stuff when you go to Travis’ house" says fellow competitor Kenny Bartram. This hub of dangerous activity has become the platform for many stunts in the Nitro circus series.
The Future of Nitro Circus
Travis Pastrana and the crew of Nitro Circus are amongst the most sought after brands in the U.S.A since its debut on American television. The brand is also rapidly gaining prominence in Australia since the show has started being aired on television here.
"The brand is on its way to becoming a global youth powerhouse and the energy and creativity coming from these guys is phenomenal." said Global Action Sports CEO, Mike Porra.
The Nitro Circus Tour in Australia
Global Action Sports and Nitro Circus have recently announced that they will be bringing the mayhem and madness of the series to live audiences worldwide. This fully choreographed tour will commence in 2010 and will exhibit some of Nitro Circuses action sporting talent combined with smorgasbord of reckless stunts and activities. The performances will take place on a never seen before, multi million dollar set.
"It is our ambition to create the ’Cirque Du Soleil’ of action sports, which tours the world all year round. We believe Nitro Circus Live will transcend cultural boundaries, and like ‘Cirque’, it will be simply spectacular." said Global Action Sports CEO, Mike Porra.
The tour will come to Brisbane Australia on the 7th of May 2010 and will continue through to 4 other major Australian cities before hitting Europe. Tickets will go on sale in October 2009.
"I've got the willingness and stupidity to try anything. If I think it's even remotely possible, I'll do it" says Travis Pastrana. As the Nitro Circus crew all live by Pastranas quote, it is no wonder why the future success of Nitro Circus is only predicted to escalate.