Wall of Death Art

Wall of death 101

Wall of death ART !!!

Thrills Spills Film

A wall of death film by TARA WATNEY. Japan

Donald Ganslmeier, his new ride for 2014

Cool pics from MOTODROM's garage. The new 1926 scout is being painted in green. Not common color for a wall of death bike. Nor for an Indian at all ! Beautiful.

http://www.motodrom.de

PHOTO : Donald Ganslmeier

My best trick "BACKWARD"

   

Pits Todeswand, Munich Oktoberfest 1992. Photos taken by Samantha Morgan. 

When I started my career of trick rider at 14 years old, there was a legend saying that a rider in Germany was riding backward! Ouch! When you want to prove your skills at this age, with such 

innocence and unconsciousness, it's something you wanna try. 

So I started to train for it.  From left side ride, I started to look back. A bit more each time. And bit more. Looking back while riding on the wall of death gets you dizzy strait away. The bike goes up, and you must come back quickly to look in the front to stop the dizziness. 

That's sport! I spent couple of month doing this, and thinking that I reached my limit. The limit of all other riders attempting this trick. Big names did almost the the backward. But none passed the left leg over the rear wheel. They had both legs on one side. 

So after couple of month doing like them, we went to the MECCA of Wall of Death,  the Oktoberfest of Munich. Where the Original Pits Todeswand hired my brothers and I as guest riders.

The honor to have been chosen to perform at this event putted wings in my back. 

After one week of crashes in this Huge wall of Death (10 meters), and remembered that the legend of the "Backward" rider came from this wall. The PITS TODESWAND.

As I was riding one of theirs Indian Scout, I thought if he did that, I can do that.

At every show, I progressed to the back, centimeters by centimeters. It was hard to understand that being backward, the bike goes up, and to put it straight you have to invert the body moves.

Some shows gave me the fright I was looking for.

My leg over the wheel, and next show, the leg was two centimeters more to the other side. The bike get such instability. But work pays, and I my foot reached the other side, touching the other foot peg.

I called miss Irene Wissinger, the owner of Pit's Todeswand, and showed that trick. 

She asked to stop and explained me why. The legend rider who did that backward before, was Franz Loffelhart, her brother in law.. He attempted and got sever head injuries. He had metal plates in his head. Once out of hospital, he reattempted, but crashed and got killed. 

I heard the story. But I was 18 years old, I  couldn't resist by not doing it. So I kept going 

The following years I perfected , and did the trick on various motorcycles. Even on a Honda Motorcycle  in Florida in the THRILL ARENA of Samantha Morgan. But keeping one hand on handle bar this time.

That trick is so mental, that one season I couldn't perform it. Just don't know why. Then, again performing it. My last season performing the backward, I was passing the right leg over the rear wheel. 

On my way to do the complete circle on the motorcycle, I stopped the wall of death, to work only with the Globe of death.

I did backward ride  8 years long  in my life. The first time in 1988. I know no other rider have done this trick since then. My brother Jesse, was also working on the trick couple of years later, was close to do it. But I asked him to stop. For unknow reasons.

 How not to think of the freestyle motocross guys who get bunch of dollars and they are the only one to perform a trick at the X-games??

I did not get any bonus dollar for my "Backward" riding, but I got the respect of couple of people,  riders and non riders, or wall of death fans. That's enough for me. It makes me so happy when someone is reminding me, " I saw you doing that"

Munich, my last year doing the trick. I was passing my right leg over the wheel, to make a complete circle on the bike. But training took too long, we came at the end of the season. That was my last season doing classic wall of death. So, unfinished trick. And am not ready to finish it now !!! Time has passed. The work is for someone else.

Samantha Morgan

Samantha Morgan "The motordrome Queen" posing on my Indian in Munich 1992, on the Original Pits Todeswand stage.

We miss you. 

Art

http://garymargerum.blogspot.fr/2010_05_01_archive.html

Hall of fame - Samantha Morgan.

Tricks day for Donald !

wall of death at www.tridays.com 

Angel can ride

Kim Kroeze, doughter of legend Henny, on the rollers.

Wall of Death Clothing from Skandinavia

Nice, class, this jacket and T shirt called 

SKANDINAVISK MOTORCIRCUS

Seems to be a new brand: We BUY !!

Follow link: http://www.plastickid.dk/Wall-Of-Death

The Varanne are back in the Wall !

Written by Danny.

Done! We are back in the WALL OF DEATH show. It was at least 5 years that I felt the lack of wall riding in my life. These last 5 years, my job with the GLOBE made me more than happy. I brought my team to Monte Carlo Circus festival, we got the Guiness world record, we made a Splitter Globe of Death, we made the DOUBLE GLOBE, ect...It seemed to me that I have done all what can be done in the GLOBE of death show. As I always wants to innovate and not doing like the others, I dreamed of a WALL of DEATH, but not like my family had before. Not in wood. It's too much work to maintain. And because people must climb above the cylinder to see inside, it blocks the market to fun fairs and rallies only.  So my idea was a WALL OF DEATH, you could see thru. Easy to think, not easy to build.

A WALL OF DEATH, like a GLOBE.

The first step was to find a producer. I mean a first customer who will buy the show, just on my words, as the WALL/GLOBE (Invisible Wall of Death), do not exist, I had to convict someone to pay the first gig.

I found this crazy customer in the person of Jason, a UK man working in a Japanese festival. I explained my project, and after some search on the internet, he saw that we had the trust of many people in matter of organization, and riding skills. Si he confirmed the deal.

Papers done, and I started the construction of the invisible wall. One month of meeting and search on internet for the right material. As a Pioneer, none is giving answer. That's the good to be the first in something. But the hassle as well. 

After a month of searching and plans, discussion with my bro Jesse and father Daniel on how will we make this or this, we could start the construction.

Two month after, the METAL WALL of death was born. 

I did the first ride under the eyes of my dad and mom. I was in worry, but trusted my heart. Why worry? Simply, thinking of, may be the motorcycles wont grip, may be it will be too soft, may be this....If it don't work, all this work, all this money for nothing. Not to mention, the problems with Jason the customer of the show. So I rode the barrel, and it worked! Harder than in the classic wood WALL, Harder than a GLOBE. I found my master! A challenge. Exactly what I was looking for. Something I don't control, something I will have to work with.

I spent one week on working on few things to modify, and training with my brother Jesse.

A phone call from Jason, who told me to hurry to pack the WALL in the sea container for outbound to Japan. So no time to rehearse a complete show.

Two month after, we opened the doors of the container in Japan. Only 4 days before the first show.

Bruno Alliot, a family member from Italy did not rode the WALL since 6 years. Nevertheless he came to our compound in Paris to train a little in the GLOBE, to rework his head. To avoid the dizziness we got in circle of death when it's been long time without riding.

So it was not easy to think about a victory, in those conditions. But after the three days, it was done. 

The Friday night 26 th of July, saw our return in the WALL of DEATH, and saw the birth of a new show. I am so glad that almost everything steps worked as I imagined it. From the construction, but also the show. The Japanese crowd reacted where I thought they will react. I imagined it 1000 times in my head. I also imagined 1000 times, the failure, the fall. But ok. I followed my heart, not my head, who is always in contradiction.

The show in Japan was a big success. Jason the customer still send me e-mails saying "Great show Danny", that what am proud and work for.

I am back in the family of WALL of DEATH, in my way. 

I am so happy to bring the old tradition in the new century. Like ROSENTHAL invented the GLOBE, like ABBINS, the pioneers of our business, I showed that there's still something to do to surprise. 

I will just say, do more than what was done before. Put the bar higher. Don't copy your neighbor. 

Thank you to my brother Jesse, with who I have the pleasure to ride. To Bruno, who did not hanged up  the phone. Thank you to my wife who supported me in my dream. And a mega thanks to 

DANIEL VARANNE SENIOR, who putted me in a WALL OF DEATH 29 years ago. 

And today at age of 67 years, who welded the Invisible WALL. 

Danny Varanne

Full website of the Invisible Wall of Death is here:

www.invisiblewallofdeath.com

History of the Wall of Death: 

www.vintagewallofdeath.co.uk

ALL PHOTOS HERE 

The Bomberdrome beer

Dare you ride it?

In 2012, The Ministry of Bicycles built the Bomberdrome - a Bicycle Wall of Death.

This is your chance to see it in action - and for a lucky few Crowdfunders, to ride it.

Ministry mainman Bill Pollard and his friends (collectively known as The Men of Monday, because in their bike-obsessed world, Monday Night is Project Night) spent many long weeks of last year's soaking wet summer painstakingly designing and constructing the 'drome (then known as The Bowl of Harm) in a shed in Northampton they like to call The Shedquarters. Here they are outside said Shed enjoying some beer and lighthearted chuckles. Bless them.

Inspired by their DIY derring-do and gumption, not-for-profit quarterly cycling publication Boneshaker Magazine wrote a feature about the Bomberdrome project, and now the Ministry and the magazine are partnering up so that there can be a live Bomberdrome show as part of the climactic final day of the 2013 Bristol Cycle Festival, which runs from 13-21 July.

The Bristol Cycle Festival is a wonderful thing - a community-run, not-for -profit celebration of cycling that brings together hundreds of events including the UK's only cycle carnival, a ride-in cinema, adventures into the countryside, talks, workshops and silly stuff.
We'd like the Bomberdrome show to be a major part of that silly stuff.

As well as getting to marvel as the Bomberdrome boys demonstrate their death-defying stunts (well, mild-peril-defying, anyway), a lucky few Crowdfunders will have the chance to ride on the strange wooden contraption themselves and become part of the performance, using official Bomberdrome Bombers and with the help of experienced Ministry of Bicycles stuntpersons. The show will be in central Bristol on Sunday July 21 from 2pm. There are only 25 places available. Bag yours while you can - it'll make you feel like this:

Your Crowdfunding goodness will help to make this show happen – bringing a unique live performance into being and helping to make Bristol Cycle Festival the fabulous, inspiring, community-uniting thing it is. You'll also get some nice stuff to keep.

As well as offering a select few members of the public the chance to become part of the Bomberdrome show, the Ministry are producing Bomberdrome t-shirts, modelled poutily by a non-Ministry member below. These'll be available to Crowdfunders giving £15 or more. 

Mmm, loving that thumbs-in-pockets look. The t-shirts will be printed to order once the pledges are in - let us know your size.

For £5 Crowdfunders, we'll give a Boneshaker illustrator postcard set, with free badges and stickers. There are six designs of cards in the set, each designed by a different illustrator for Boneshaker magazine.

New website

Check out our new website! 

www.infernalvaranne.com

Demon Drome Wall of death DVD

Good looking demon Drome crew is the star of a long film abouth themeselves. 

Checkhttp: www.demondrome.com/ to get the film

Wall of Death girl Jaimi

A 17-year-old girl left school to land her first job as the world's youngest female Wall of Death rider - without a motorbike licence.

Jaimi Tyrrell joined a troupe of stunt riders after completing her GCSEs and now tours the UK and Europe.

The daredevil teen hits speeds of up to 45mph on the vertical 20ft high wall as she rides horizontally around the 32ft wide cylinder.

Continue reading article from dailymail

Coney Island Survivor

A beautiful Indian Scout from 1924. Tyres can smell the wood from that time.

La vonnie Pelaquin, Indian Scout

Just one of the vintage Indian motocycles working for a living  at the Thill Arena.

Source: http://americanwallofdeath.blogspot.fr/

It might be the Indian from La vonnie Pelaquin. A beautifull woman on wheels. Read text from Samantha Morgan about La vonnie.

Vonnie came from a circus family.. and rode billed as "La Vonnie". She was 4'  10" and 90 somethin' lbs soakin' wet! She could barely touch the ground when on her Indian Scout! .
Vonnie was married to Sonny's brother Joe for a long while, and while they were together they were the best trickriding team that  anyone had ever seen - they could change bikes up on the Wall! Unfortunately, due to their “artistic” temperments, the Dromes they worked were not the most peaceful places on earth!.... 
...They had their own Lion Dromes (as did  Sonny's dad), and bred their own lions, as well as working Dromes for other  shows...
...Everyone loved Vonnie, although she was not known for having the most peaceful nature...you had to be tough...and Vonnie was!   She WAS known for  always carrying a wrench in her back pocket...and performing "attitude  adjustments " regularly
Source: http://www.thrillarena.com/index.html

La vonnie in action! Such a " LA CLASSE !! "

Elvis Presley, and the Wall of Death

Elvis Presley in the film "ROUSTABOUT", who mean in carny slang " Worker, man who doe all kind of work in a carnival show".

Elvis the King is dubbled by American hero wall rider, SONNY PELAQUIN. In 1964.