A normally fiery motorcycle show in China went out in a blaze, but not one of glory, leaving one of the performers injured.
On Tuesday, two stunt riders were performing their “globe of death” routine in the Happy Valley theme park in Wujinshan Forest Park in Shanxi, China.
The “globe of death” is a popular circus and carnival stunt involving motorcyclists looping horizontally or vertically within a spherical steel cage at breakneck speed.
In videos that were widely circulated on the Internet, both riders are seen circling the globe in choreographed unison, riding past each other at speed, with their bikes emanating sparks constantly.
But after completing a number of revolutions, one of the riders appears to lose his grip on the cage’s walls and falls to the bottom of the globe. His bike then bursts into flames, while his stunt partner continues looping around the globe, possibly to avoid the flames.
According to local media Sohu News, members of the audience were shocked, with some calling for help for the riders. Some staff members tried putting out the flames with a fire extinguisher, while others attempted to open the gate to the globe.
