A Japanese stunt rider’s uphill battle in Singapore
Stunt rider Hiroyuki Ogawa is fearless on top of a motorcycle, but one thing in Singapore makes him fearful…
SINGAPORE — Japanese stunt rider Hiroyuki Ogawa has crashed countless times, and his body is covered in scars from his many spills during practice, but one thing about Singapore makes him more afraid than performing his daredevil routine: the Transformers 3D ride at Universal Studios.
“It’s awesome,” he says, his voice rising as he recalls his trip to Sentosa on Thursday. “I thought that attraction was more scary than stunt riding!”
Oga, as the stunt ace likes to be called, is in town to perform at this weekend’s Singapore Bike Show 2016.
Organisers of the two-day event at Singapore Expo expect around 6,000 visitors. Admission is free, and live shows like Oga’s stunt performances (which take place at 3pm and 6pm on Saturday and 3pm and 5pm on Sunday) are meant to complement a large showcase of motorcycles, bicycles and e-bikes.
Mah Pte Ltd, the motorcycle group that invited Oga here, is displaying 35 bikes from its stable of brands, which includes Triumph, Moto Guzzui, Indian and Victory, among others.
Oga will be performing his staple of wheelies, stoppies, doughnuts and other tricks on a Triumph Street Triple, but that has given him a steep hill to climb.
The Triumph (pictured above) is a different animal altogether from his regular stunt machine, a Kawasaki ZX-6R, he says.
“The ZX-6R is four-cylinder and 636cc, but the Triumph is 675cc and three-cylinder, so this difference is a very big problem for stunt riding. The feeling is completely different,” he says. “The Triumph’s power is too much for a ZX-6R rider.”
To make things even more challenging for Oga, he has also been tasked with performing a stunt routine on an Adiva AD3, a three-wheel scooter. To add a twist to that, he will be using it for a tandem show with his girlfriend, Junko.
Local stunt riders Speedzone will also put in performances at the Singapore Bike Show. Their routine had originally included a tandem performance too, with biker babe Vaune Phan.
But a crash during practice put an end to that plan.
“It was supposed to be a surprise appearance,” says Vaune. Her routine with Speedzone would have been the first two-rider stunt show with a female rider in Singapore.
Instead, Vaune will be at the Singapore Bike Show — with her foot in a cast, courtesy of a fracture from her crash during practice — to appear at two sharing sessions about her solo ride to Everest Base Camp last year.
“I’ll be talking about the most common topics and questions that people normally ask me,” says Vaune.
As for her fracture, she shrugs it off. “It happens,” she says. “It’s quite common for stunt riders to fall.”
That’s something readily confirmed by Oga, who himself once had a nasty break in his ankle that put him in hospital for two months. He merrily shows off the surgical scar from that crash, along with other scars on his arms.
“Stunt riding is very dangerous, and it always has risks. During practice, I always crash. Maybe I crash 20 times in a day,” he laughs.
That’s why the most important thing for a stunt rider to have is mental resilience, he explains. “When you’re learning difficult tricks or new tricks, it’s impossible without crashing. That’s why we need a very strong mind,” he says.
Would-be stunt riders in Singapore, take note. Lots of practice and the mental strength to get back on after you fall off are what you need if you’re to become a successful motorcycle stunt rider. But it’s ok if the rides at Universal Studios scare you.
READ MORE
Don’t know what an Indian motorcycle is? Here’s one
For the latest motoring news and Singapore car reviews, there is only CarBuyer.com.sg
