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Motorcycle acrobats delight Fayette County Fair crowd

By Jenny Susa 3 min read

Some might call what they do a little crazy. After all, for most people, propelling oneself into the air at high speeds on a dirt bike, flipping over and nearly letting go of the machine before returning to the ground isn’t the best way to have a good time.

But three FMX freestyle riders who delighted the crowd Friday night at the Fayette County Fair’s Outdoor Arena had more than a good time. They got a charge out of the crowd and enjoyed performing the aerial feats that keep fans nationwide on the edge of their seats.

Trevor Vines from Ohio, Brian Higgins and Gary Robertson, both from Erie, said they rely on crowd participation to get their adrenaline going while they put on a show.

“The louder they are, the better the tricks we’ll do,” said Robertson, who encouraged the crowd to cheer all the riders on as they performed in order to get the best tricks.

The crowd was happy to oblige, and they clapped and cheered as the riders went over the ramps, doing tricks that made some parents watching say they were glad it wasn’t their sons.

Among the many stunts the riders did was the “heart attack,” during which the riders had only one hand on the bike and their legs came straight behind them while their bikes were flying through the air.

The riders also got the crowd’s attention by bending backward and looking behind them while they were in the air. At other times, the riders’ entire bodies left the bikes and they had to quickly grab onto them again before landing on the lower side of the ramp.

“It’s a little daring, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Vines, who has been a freestyle rider since 1998. “I’ve been racing for a while, but I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I do this.”

Vines said he had already been racing for a long time when he decided to pursue freestyle riding.

“This was never something that came with a paycheck before, but it has turned into more of a sport,” said Vines. “I liked doing all the tricks and I knew this sport had potential, so I stayed with it. I was right there when the X games started happening, and I’ve been doing this ever since.”

Vines said freestyle riding can be a bit frightening because there is a certain level of danger involved.

He explained that he used to compete in a lot of freestyle contests until he broke his femur a few years ago.

“That slowed me down a little bit,” said Vines. “I used to do the X games every year, but I couldn’t do it for a while after that. But since then I’ve healed and I’m feeling great, and I like doing more of these kinds of shows now.”

Vines said that doing freestyle exhibitions has been very rewarding for him.

“These are more fun than contests,” said Vines. “If you mess up, the crowd doesn’t cheer as loud, but you don’t get docked points, either. Jumping was always my favorite part of motocross racing and you get to do a lot of that during a show. There’s nothing like just riding with your buddies during a show and having a good time.”

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