World renowned stunt master on bikes Humberto Rubeiro has promised a performance that Malaysians motorcycling fans would never forget at the upcoming 2008 Polini Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang Circuit this weekend.
Humberto, who thrilled some 1,000 fans on a wet parking bay at Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday with a 30-minute stunt show on a Kawasaki ERN 650 and a lesser powered ‘kapcai’ yesterday, said that what they saw was only half of the true excitement that they would be witnessing in Sepang.
Speaking through a translator, Rubeiro, whose fame in Europe is as a close rival another renowned stunt master Chris Pfeiffer, said that he had plenty more in store for the fans, and that he was excited to perform in his first ever show in Malaysia.
“I would say that today was just about 50 percent of what they will actually see at the circuit. As you can see the track was very wet and this was my first time doing my stunt in the Kawasaki bike. It will be much, much greater in Sepang,” said the 29-year old Rubeiro, who performed his stunts using a Yamaha or Honda in Europe.
“Me and Chris are actually two different kinds of stunts riders. There are some tricks that I do and there are some tricks that Chris does and I don’t do. Some people say Chris in No 1 and some people say that I am the No 1 stunt rider in the world. But, we are two different kind of riders,” he said.
Officially, though, Humberto, who started stunt riding in 2000, said that he defeated Chris in a stunt competition in 2004. “But, in 2007, Chris defeated me in another competition. So, I would say that we are equal,” said Humberto, who actually started his racing career in BMX bikes and downhill mountain bike.
“I first started racing BMX bikes since five years old and then mountain bikes … competing in downhill races. When I was 14, I was the champion of Portugal in the downhill competition and represented Portugal in the competition.
“Then, I progressed to endure and supermotard and I was at one of these competition in Germany when I tried some tricks for fun and somebody told me that I could be really good stunt rider. That was how everything started,” said Humberto, who said that he knew since he was small that motorcycle would be his career.
“My mother never stop telling me the story on the day I was born when she had to ride a bike on her own to the district hospital in Caldas (near Lisbon) to give birth to me. So, my life even started on the bike before I was born,” said Humberto, adding that he had loved bikes all his life and that he was happy to make it a career.
Humberto was roped in by Sepang International Circuit as part of its off-track activities to be organized at the Grandstand Mall Area to support the 2008 Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix to attract a targeted 70,000 spectators for the weekend.
Apart from the stunt show by Humberto, fans would also be treated to loads of entertainment at the Mall Area including performance by Malaysia’s top comedian Nabil, pocket bike competition, display and sale of bikes and racing accessories as well as lucky draws where a RM21,000 Kawasaki Ninja 250R and three Naza bikes have been included as the top prizes.
The other prizes for the lucky draws for ticket purchasers also included merchandise items from GIVI worth more than RM50,000 ranging from special edition watches, racing helmets, jackets, raincoats and storage boxes and SOL racing helmets.
For the upcoming event in Sepang, Humberto is scheduled to perform on all three events days including on Friday, October 17 where the gates at the Main Grandstand would be opened for free entrance to fans to catch the free practice sessions.
Tickets for entry for both days on Saturday and Sunday are priced at RM80 for the Main Grandstand. Entry for the K1 Grandstand is charged at RM30. Ticket can be purchased at the circuit or at SIC ticket office at KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur or by calling TICKET HOTLINE at 03 87782222.
