PB mixed issue sampler - updated Jul18

INTERVIEW / RICK ENGLISH
“Tom Cruise is so focused... and fast”
Working on Mission: Impossible meant working closely
with A-lister Tom Cruise. We’ve all heard the gossip and
rumours. So go on... what’s he like?
“He loves to do a lot of action in his films – he’s into
bikes and cars, so he pushes to get them involved.
I remember coaching him at Rockingham one day.
I was riding round, out on to the straight doing over
130mph and thinking, ‘This guy’s an actor!’
“He has to be reined in on set, because he wants to do
everything himself, and push it – he hates having to use
rigs or anything false. He wanted to do a chase scene in
shorts and flip-flops, and he insisted on doing it without
a helmet so you could see it really was him, to make it
worth him doing the riding rather than a stunt double.
He had to do the scene where I highsided with his bike
on a rig from the camera car, as that was the only way
to get everything consistent and correct for one take,
but he was against it. That’s the appeal of the films,
people want to see him doing those things.
“He’s very focused and intense, but cool to work with,
and likes hanging out with the stunt team, because he
enjoys doing it, and generally brings a good energy to
the job. He’s been out to lunch with us when we’re out
practicing somewhere – we’ll be in the pub and he’ll just
be talking bikes like everybody else.
“He’s good to the fans, too – after one scene in a
BMW M3, he drove over to a fence closing the set
where some public had gathered. He signed a load of
autographs, and then did some donuts for them!”
How to be movie-ready
Obviously, you can’t just knock on the door of a
production company, wave a provisional licence and get
‘IT WAS KNEE-DOWN,
ON
MOROCCAN TWISTIES.
BASICALLY RACING!’
Rick has an S1000RR
track bike to help stay sharp
Two wheels are always
better than three. Fact
handed a S1000RR to throw at the scenery. As Rick
does with martial arts, or fencing, or driving (skills he
also offers), he spends a lot of time on two wheels
honing his reflexes and understanding of bike control.
We went to see him on one of his regular practice
days, where he spends time on an airstrip on a stunt
show-spec F800R. Here, he can develop control for
wheelies, skids, stoppies and general on-the-edgeness
that translates to the skills often required. But the
variety of his film work means he has to ride most
things to ensure he stays sharp and can turn his
hand to most things.
“I have a lot of bikes. As well as this BMW, I have an
S1000RR for trackdays, and I used to race 600s at club
level. I also have motocross bikes, trials bikes and
recently got into flat-track, too. Understanding different
bikes and surfaces makes me better at my job, but I also
do it because I enjoy it. You wouldn’t think club racing
would be useful for a film, but MI:5 was knee-down,
elbow-to-elbow on Moroccan twisties: basically racing!
“I train with show stunt riders, but I don’t ever do
shows, and I don’t train quite the same way. I don’t need
to push it to the same extreme – it’s about throttle and
brake control for me, and the balance. They’ll crash 20
times a session trying something new, but if I hurt
myself going too far, I’ll be out of work for a while.
So you need to do these things, and be able to adapt,
too. I don’t do enduro, though – any sport where your
bike needs handles to pull it out of a bog isn’t for me!
“When I chose my six stunt disciplines, I chose things
I was interested in anyway, even if that’s not necessarily
where I want to work – if you’re not into it, you won’t
get to the required standard and maintain it for when
you might need it.”
With the fast-idle
and braking mods to
his F800, Rick can
hold this up all day
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PERFORMANCEBIKES.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2018