Interview with the Stunt Legend Chris Pfeiffer

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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What is the best job in the world?

The sun was merciless. Perhaps it had decided to scotch the Earth on that very day? The heat under the tin roof of some badly put together shed, where people swarmed for cover and shade, started melting my body fat reserves. Another minute there and I’ll be leaner than Karl Lagerfeld on an anorexic rampage. Fleeing away would be of no use, of course, since the thinned soles of my Chuck Taylors, rendered that way by my “flat track” style riding, informed my feet that the asphalt temperature meter indicated baboon’s behind. Yes, I do mean red. Why do I ride like that on normal roads? I guess because I’m not a particularly smart man.

Suddenly, the big white Mercedes van with large blue letters on its sides saying BMW Motorrad Motorsport opens its side doors and lets its owner out. It’s Chris Pfeiffer, the four-time stunt world champion, the four-time European stunt champion, numerous other events winner and, as it would turn out, an exceptionally nice guy. He walks across the parking lot once, he walks back, he walks across one more time, he starts walking back. I gather all the courage and sweat I ever had in me and I stop the man. He was delighted to talk. We headed for the big Red Bull tent to grab a beanie bag to sit on and we hit it off. I didn’t want to disturb the man too much, so I kept it short and sweaty.

2WT: What was the first bike you started stunting on?

CP: Ammm, difficult to say. Actually, I started pulling wheelies on my trial bikes when I was ten – eleven or something. We had no stunt bikes, just normal dirt bikes. Then later on, I used my first street bike for something more than wheelies. It was a Suzuki Bandit 1200 – way too heavy and way too big an engine.

2WT: If you were starting with stunting now, as a beginner, what bike would you choose and why?

CP: I always suggest riding a small bike or even a scooter! You can actually stunt everything. In India for example, they are stunting on Bajaj 220 or 180 and they ride on a really good level. So, in my opinion, it’s very important to get the full control over a small bike and only later on think about switching on a bigger bike.

2WT: Right now, you ride a BMW F 800R. What do you like the most about it?

CP: I love the power delivery of this two-cylinder engine. It fits very well into my riding style and the bike is pretty handy, although it is a bit too long for some things. But the biggest advantage of my bike is for sure the engine.

2WT: The torquie engine?

CP: Yup!

2WT: We love the Trick Tips section of your website. Are there any further plans brewing of educating the young guns?

CP: Not for beginners, but I’d love to coach any professional rider, maybe some young guys to polish them for the future. But as I said, workshop for beginners is something that I’ve already tried and it’s difficult. You know, you always have one guy that never learns it, one guy that learns easily, and then maybe somebody crashes. Not everybody walks away from such workshops with a smile.

2WT: There’s a photo of you together with Rok Bagoros simultaneously flipping over front ends. That’s the proof you are already influencing the young professionals by giving them tricks to learn. Thank you very much for this delightful little chat and I can’t wait to see you in live action.

CP: Thank you, my pleasure. I’m going to do a little test drive to check the tire pressure and then, a little bit later, we’ll put on a show.

And what a show he put up. That wide Metzeler on his BMW’s rear, wider probably even than Beyonce’s rear, never stopped screaming and puffing smoke. It was amazing. Watching him chasing the trackside photographers like some big white mechanical fire-spitting fox would chase Nikon-wearing rabbits was funny as hell. The show ended with his signature trick of doing a front flip over the handlebars while parking the bike and shutting it off at the same time. The crowd was stunned. The world champion has fulfilled his mission

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Chris Pfeiffer is a great man and a great sportsman. He truly enjoys his job of entertaining the motorcycling crowd and perhaps creating a dream of doing exactly the same thing for a boy or a two from that crowd. Or a girl. But his job is not the best in the world. It may be close to being the best, but it’s not the best. The best job in the world is the one that enables you to spend time with great people such Chris Pfeiffer is, talk to them, and then later on tell everyone about it. The best job in the world is mine.

 

Battle-scared BMW F800R “Chris Pfeiffer Edition”

Photos: Domagoj Kuna

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