Nitro Circus delivered a jaw dropping adrenaline rush at Pechanga Arena.
On Saturday December 6th an absolutely unforgettable stunt spectacular rolled into Pechanga Arena in San Diego California in the form of the Nitro Circus Off The Rails Tour. Co-founded by Travis Pastrana in 2003, Nitro Circus is known for their insane live shows featuring world-class athletes performing insane stunts in FMX (motocross), BMX, skateboarding, and even scootering, often using unique contraptions and massive ramps, offering high-energy, family-friendly events filled with next-level tricks and jaw-dropping action. This high intensity, high energy, high flying show can really only be described as an absolute edge of your seat experience. The adrenaline level in the whole arena shot through the roof, making it impossible not to clap, cheer, and scream for the feats of these incredible athletes.
Dozens of the most talented motorcycle, bicycle, skateboard, and scooter riders in the entire world compete against one another at each stop on this tour to see who can do the most absolutely insane aerial tricks. The riders take off from the Giganta ramp, a 50 foot monstrosity that sends them flying up to 80 feet in the air while flipping, twisting, and even jumping through a ring of fire. On this evening the riders soared high across the sky inside the massive Pechanga Arena, narrowly avoiding the lighting structure hanging from the ceiling. The photos and videos of the insane stunts these riders perform are truly incredible, but to see the physics of some of these tricks with your own eyes is jaw dropping, the stunts almost don’t seem real. At one point in the evening, a disabled athlete named Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, a freestyle wheelchair innovator who pioneered WCMX (Wheelchair Motocross), performed a backflip in a wheelchair, climbing the giant 50 foot ramp one step at a time on his butt to do so, what an incredibly inspirational moment!
For good measure this twisted tour throws in a healthy dose of pyrotechnics, lights, real time contests, and music to keep the show flowing. They also have a really talented MC on the floor providing commentary in real time and interviewing the athletes, which makes the whole event more exciting. Some standout highlights at this show included rider Ryan Williams, known for landing many world’s first tricks, this absolute next level athlete performed some insane moves on his bicycle, as well as jumping some flips on a crazy tricked out three wheeler which looked insane. Motocross rider Adam Jones was also an absolutely incredible performer, speaking before the event he joked about the insane students the riders undertake, saying “it’s just what we’ve always done.” The courage shown by these incredible riders, just to attempt some of these stunts, is admirable.
Having been a casual fan of videos of this tour online, enjoying monster truck and motocross events, and going into this show not knowing exactly what to expect, it was incredible to see the talent and enthusiasm of these young athletes. Each one of these young folks was giving their all, showing unparalleled sportsmanship, and putting everything on the line to entertain their fans. All the participants in the show took time to meet and greet with the young fans in attendance without extra charge, and climbed into the stand to offer autographs, and even the literal shirts off their backs to kids in the front row. This action packed show is a must see for any fan of extreme sports and stunts, but it’s also a family friendly event designed to thrill people of all ages.
