Marat Kankadze. Stunt riding; striking the perfect balance! Turning risks into raptures.
Russian stunt rider Marat Kankadze is a member of Motul Legend, a full-time stunt team that gives spectacular shows throughout Russia and a number of European countries. Being a world-class stunt rider means possessing courage, daring, phenomenal balance, a tip-top physical condition, a hunger for the type of perfection that’s only achieved through relentless practising, and the ability to avoid the potential injuries that can go with the territory.
Where are you from, and how did this adventure start rolling?
We live in Russia’s capital, Moscow, and we’ve enjoyed a strong partnership with Motul for many years. Motul is our main partner and we carry out many projects together. I started solo stunt riding in 2004 and the Motul Legend stunt team started up in 2007, with three riders. We give many shows all around Russia, and some in Europe, too.
Is being a stunt rider a full-time job?
It certainly is! In fact, it’s more than a full-time job. To perform the kind of amazing tricks that we do, you have to stay in good shape. The bikes also have to look great and be in perfect working order. It takes a lot of time to keep everything in tip-top condition: it involves social networking, your personal network, physical work, training, partnerships… Everything has to fit together.
So is it actually possible to train the balance you need to be a professional stunt rider?
You can improve your sense of balance by practising a lot, but obviously the basis has to be good from the start. You get the whole thing going by doing tricks. It’s like being very young and learning how to walk. During those first few tentative steps, you’re looking for the right balance and are unsure of what to do. But the next time you try, you’re much more confident. It’s the same with stunt riding: you do a trick and then practice it over and over again. I think of it as dancing with bikes.
It’s been proven that doing long wheelies can starve engine cylinders of oil. Do limitations like this call for technical changes to keep the engine lubricated?
We had to make some lubrication adaptations about six years ago, but haven’t had to do so since. We simply pour in about half a litre more Motul 300V oil than a normal rider would have to. It does the trick for our bikes. We also change our oils after every 10 hours of stunting and we change the engine pistons after every 200 hours. The average lifespan of our engines is about 800 hours, which is a lot-quite unbelievable, really!
Do you make any other technical adjustments?
We have two engineers working for us, as well as our own CNC machinery in a professionally equipped engineering workshop where we can tune the machines ourselves. Our engineers have actually introduced world-leading adaptations. For example, we’ve developed a small black box that is mounted between the throttle and the injector of the BMW. It increases the RPM and provides other modifications that we need. We’ve sort of hacked the BMW software, as it were (laughs aloud).
How many hours a week do you practise when preparing for a stunt show?
We practice for six months each year, but only on alternate days. On an average day, we’ll practise new tricks for about two to three hours. While our sport may look easy, it’s actually very tiring. We have several nice training spots in Moscow, as well as one in Sochi, which enjoys a milder climate. In the winter, Moscow is covered in snow, which makes it impossible to practise there.
You mentioned how physically tiring the sport is. Does this mean you have to be an athlete to do it?
Maintaining an excellent physical condition is a crucial part of our job as a stunt rider. We’ll often work out in the gym or do some running, but mostly we practise on our bikes. To give you an idea: after about two hours, you’re completely exhausted. You also need very strong leg muscles to keep your balance on the bike and perform the tricks, otherwise you’ll make mistakes. In Assen, we had to do 16 shows in two days, which was absolutely exhausting.
What about the future? Will there be some kind of academy where youngsters can learn stunt riding?
Well, I’m 45 now, and a veteran in the stunt-riding world. At this point in my career, I ride consistently and smoothly, but I’m still learning. I ride with my brains. As for the academy, the major motorcycle federations in Russia have recently joined forces, and I am president of the Russian stunt riding commission.
This year, in collaboration with Motul, we launched the Motul Stunt Championship. It has three stages, the last of which we finished this weekend. We have about 35 riders in two classes: a closed class and an open class. This is where I get to teach new riders, pass on my knowledge and spot upcoming talent. I also offer them the benefit of my management knowledge and share my tricks and my expertise about the business side of things, including sponsorships, how to work on your sports personality image-the whole package. I suppose you could call me a mentor.
What’s your closing message?
I’d like to tell all motorsport fans and riders to ride safely, be smart, and clear your mind of worries while riding. And most of all, be happy in your life!
