Thousands of people flooded to the Dubbo Showground on Saturday for the Nitro Circus Live. Some of the world’s best athletes showed off their tricks, at one point aided at one point by three members of the crowd.
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At his very first Nitro Circus show, FMX rider Bruce Cook attempted a world first double frontflip.
“That’s where I crashed and broke my back so it was a pretty bad first show,” Mr Cook said.
Nine months later he was back riding again, and ten months after that he completed a different world first- the first paralysed person to do a backflip on a motorbike.
It was that exact trick that earned Mr Cook a standing ovation from the thousands of people watching Nitro Circus Live at the Dubbo Showground on Saturday.
Some of the best athletes in the world showed off their tricks, aided at one point by three members of the crowd, who were pulled for a four-person backflip.
The crowds were a major part of the performance, said FMX rider Jarryd McNeil.
“The louder they get, the more into it they are and we get more into it as riders, so they play a massive part,” he said.
As one of the original members of Nitro Circus Live, Mr McNeil said he had seen the crowds grow during the past seven years across the globe.
Born in Deniliquin, Mr McNeil said he grew up on a dairy farm, riding motorcycles with his siblings.
“It’s one of those things that I always dreamed to make it somewhere in the sport, and Nitro Circus allowed me to do that. We get to travel the world for a living, make money, and go out and experience all of these different cultures and lifestyles, it’s pretty cool,” he said.
“That’s what’s so great about coming to these small towns. I come from a small town and I always dreamt of being the next Chad Reed or the next big star of riding motorcycles and these kids can do the same thing.”
Mr Cook also said he had a strong connection to Nitro’s followers. He said the best part of the show was the feedback received after it, and knowing it had been enjoyed by the crowds.
“I’ve definitely heard from a ton of people in all different situations, not just in wheelchairs, saying that I’ve inspired them to try a little harder or get back to something that they loved that they didn’t think of trying, just put the fire under their butt- it’s definitely an awesome part,” he said.
The Canadian may be the only paralysed person doing backflips on a modified bike, but he’s already planning his next batch of world firsts- this time on a side by side.
While his crash may have made things harder, Mr Cook said it wasn’t the end of the world.
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There were 8,794 people who passed through the Dubbo Showground gates on Saturday to be wowed by Nitro Circus Live.
However, despite the figures, Australian and New Zealand Marketing Director Nathan Brown said a return to the city wasn’t currently in the books.
“Dubbo turned on a perfect day for the first show of our 2017 Australian Tour. We love performing in front of regional centres like Dubbo,” he said.
“We are touring all over the world with 130 shows planned for the next 2 years, so a second show in Dubbo is not currently planned, but this show was amazing and nothing is impossible in Nitro world.”
Fifty crew members and 25 athletes traveled to Dubbo for the show.