Team Name: Vertical Brits Street Xtremes (VBSX)
Home Base: United Kingdom
How many members does the team have?
Three: Jon Jon, Big Mark and Graham Aitken.
How did you guys get started stunting?
(Jon Jon): Watching Wink1100 in the Ruff Ryders vids back in 2000. (Aitken): The Starboyz. Coming from a skateboarding background, the raw street image of the Starboyz got me going.
How often does the team perform?
(Aitken): Once or twice a month at some of the UK's biggest bike events, which are usually held at drag strips or exhibition halls. We are looking to take our shows worldwide, and we'd love the opportunity to do some shows in the U.S.
Do you guys spend time together off the bikes?
(Aitken): Definitely. We don't live in each other's pockets, but believe me, parties are frequent. We love partying as much as stunting. It's a great lifestyle where you'll always meet the craziest of people. (Big Mark): Fave off-bike activity would be watching stunt DVDs-and drinking.
Beer or shots?
(Big Mark): Beeeeeer, and then more beer! (Jon Jon): Sambuca shots, followed by Vodka and Red Bull.
Is American-style stunting big in the UK?
(Aitken): It's growing, definitely. We're the first pro American-style streetbike team in the UK. People love our image so much so that some of our fans took a few of our ideas and started up their own crews-I think that's great. We spend a lot of time pushing streetbike freestyle as a sport in the UK by organizing ride outs, training sessions for amateurs and running a busy chat forum on stuntlife.com. (Big Mark): I feel it's really started to catch on in the last 12 months.
Do you stunt on the public roads in the UK?
Do the police hassle you?
(Jon Jon): Yes, and the Old Bill are a proper pain in the ass-they'll nick ya for the smallest traffic offense. But they have to catch you first! (Aitken): I stunt public roads-that's what it's all about. The police are defiantly not OK with it. You can get three months in the slammer for the shit we do, you can get your bike crushed and license taken for two years. It's harsh.
What's the biggest trouble you've gotten into on the bike?
(Aitken): Once I had the police sitting outside my house for a week watching my every move. I repainted the bike and kept a low profile for a while.
Motorcycle licensing becomes even more restrictive in your country, and all riders are limited to 50cc scooters. Do you give up stunting, or start stunting scooters?
(Jon Jon): Stunt a scooter, but secretly put a CRF450 motor in it! (Aitken): I'd stunt scooters. I'd look kinda gay, but as long as I could still rock 12s all day I'd be happy.
Game Plan
"Test riding" Tourist Trophy, the latest, motorcycle-oriented installment of the Gran Turismo racing video game franchise for PlayStation 2, at Infineon Raceway
What's this? An invitation to a video game release party held at a roadrace track? Was the video arcade at the nearest shopping mall already rented out? Besides, we thought the whole goal behind video games was to make it so you never had to brave the big, bad outside world again, living life virtually through a hand-held controller? And now the PlayStation people want us to not only put on our pants and leave the home-cocoon but also actually pack full leathers and helmets and join real-deal racer guys such as two-time World Superbike Champion Doug Polen on the racetrack? They've got this turned all upside down...