Lithuanian moto acrobatics star Aras Gibieža on September 3. Red Bull will be aiming for the world record for the longest distance covered on one wheel without hands at the event. So far, this record belongs to an Indian athlete who flew 2019 meters in 567. The Lithuanian, who is preparing to overcome the 800-meter section, admits that such an idea arose spontaneously, but the preparation requires a lot of effort and endurance.
Career started on sister's scooter
A. Gibieža's motoacrobatic journey began when he was only ten years old. Then his sister got a scooter, and after a few weeks the young man already knew how to ride on the rear wheel: "I don't know why, but I always wanted to ride on the rear or front wheel of a motorcycle and jump over ditches. There was no plan that I would pursue a career", says A. Gibieža. Success in moto acrobatics first visited Ara in 2008, when the athlete tested his strength in the first round of the Baltic moto acrobatics championship and took second place. And then the victories came as if from a cornucopia: already in 2012, Aras won 15 of the 16 first places and signed a contract with Red Bull.
Aras admits that, like every athlete, he has an ideal to which he strives. This is Christian Pfeiffer, a German moto acrobat and one of the first Red Bull athletes, with whom Ara had a friendly relationship. "Ch. Pfeiffer watched my performance in Lithuania in 2008 and was impressed by the tricks I performed, even though I had only been training for half a year then. After that, we met him three years later, when I was riding much more professionally. He was genuinely surprised that I had made so much progress in such a short time. I had the unique opportunity to perform together with him in Austria in 2015", - about the friendship with Ch. Pfeiffer is told by A. Gibieža.
Moto acrobatics is both a hobby and a way of life
According to A. Gibieža, motor acrobatics is an extremely versatile sport. The more complex the road surface, the more interesting it is to drive. The athlete is not limited to asphalt only - he tests his abilities by riding a motorcycle on ice, grass or performing tricks in old abandoned buildings. However, A. Gibieža's great achievements are often accompanied by injuries: "I experienced various fractures or bruises at the beginning of my career. It's true, although I suffer fewer injuries now, once I broke my leg due to doctor's negligence and almost ended up with amputation. It's lucky that I showed up to other doctors on time and everything ended successfully," the athlete recalls.
According to A. Gibieža, the first four years are always the most difficult and complicated in a sports career, when you learn to understand the intricacies of the chosen sport. However, according to the moto acrobat, in order to achieve great results, you should not expect miracles - achievements are not determined by luck, but by patient and hard work. "When I started my career as a moto acrobat, there were six other athletes in Vilnius who practiced this sport besides me, but now I am alone. I had to patiently walk all this way by myself. I remember how at the beginning of my career I had to borrow money to go to competitions. With the money I won, I paid off debts, and some of it was left over for living. Only now can I rest a little easier, because I manage to make a living from this favorite hobby, which has turned into a lifestyle," says A. Gibieža.
Strict training discipline also contributes to victories
A. Gibieža does not hide that the biggest component of a successful performance is diligent work both on and off the track: "At the beginning of my career, I trained for 5 hours every day. And where is the extra time that needs to be spent preparing the motorcycle, taking care of the tires, and going to the location. Training alone usually takes about two hours. Now I have found, in my opinion, a perfect balance between sports and recreation - I do motorcycle riding training three times a week, but I take care of my physical form more often and run and swim in the lake every morning," says the motor acrobat.
The goal is to improve the world record
These days, all of A. Gibieža's thoughts and energies are devoted to preparing for the upcoming event - where the athlete will try to break the world record and overcome the 800-meter track without hands while riding on one motorcycle wheel.
With this breathtaking view, A. Gibieža on September 3. will open the exclusive Red Bull Showrun event. Vilnius residents and guests of the city will also be able to see Konstitucijos Ave. a flying Formula car piloted by Austrian Patrick Friesacher.
According to A. Gibieža, the almost ten-year friendship with "Red Bull" is special for him - together with this global brand, the athlete managed to participate in many prestigious world-class events, which are often watched by 250 thousand people. crowd of fans: "When I signed a contract with Red Bull in 2012, during every performance I was happy with this partner's endless faith in me - even the spontaneously born idea of improving the world record was very positively received by the team." I believe that 800 meters of Konstitucijos Ave. I will overcome the section on a motorcycle with no hands and on one wheel without any problems", hopes the athlete.
