Moto Jam: When bikes flew at Chennai’s thrilling motorsport stunt show

Chennai hosts Red Bull Moto Jam

| Video Credit:
The Hindu

It’s a bird. It’s a plane.

No, it’s a bike. And it’s up in the air.

At the recently-held Red Bull Moto Jam in Chennai’s Island Grounds, bikes flew in the air and cars raced sidewards. Even as the motorists had fun with their vehicles, audiences watched in awe, in an evening that was all about speed and style.

A stunt bike rider at Red Bull Moto Jam 2025, in Chennai
| Photo Credit:
Ali Bharmal

They were not the only ones having fun. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj, a surprise guest, went on a spin with rally champion Abdo Feghali, who, sporting a yellow Chennai Super Kings jersey, did everything possible with a BMW M4 car including quick spins and fast turns.

Much later, Lokesh, currently working on Rajinikanth’s Coolie, would say, “I’ve never experienced something like this.”

That pretty much sums up the emotion that thousands of Chennaiites felt, even as they experienced a multi-discipline celebration of motorsports with motorists pushing their limits with their machines. If stunt racer Abdulrahman Ahmed Alraeesi got his car to race on two wheels, Sebastian Westberg, Vivian Ganther and Thomas Wirnsberger revved their freestyle motocross bikes to perform stunts in the air, much to the delight of the spectators.

Among many firsts that this motorsport spectacle threw up were Lebanon-based Abdo Feghali’s stunts using drifting, a driving technique where a car is made to slide sideways, and Lithuania-based Arunas Gibieza’s (Aras) stunts on his Triumph Street triple stunt bike.

A stunt bike rider at Red Bull Moto Jam 2025, held at Island Grounds in Chennai
| Photo Credit:
S Shiva Raj

Aras is no stranger to Chennai, having performed earlier in shows and college events. He started off with a gentle wheelie but soon, came into his own when he stood on the bike, even as the vehicle kept moving forward. Aras recalls, “When I was four, I was at a friend’s place, having dinner, when the TV showcased a race. The guy who finished the race was crossing the finish line in style. I said, ‘Wow, I want to do that.’”

He did exactly that in Moto Jam, while Chennai looked on in awe. Aras, dreaming to soon get a Guinness Record for the longest no-hands motorcycle wheelie, a record he held not long ago, is thrilled at the public support he got in India. “This will go a long way in spreading the word about motorsports in the country, and I hope it inspires many people to take it up, with appropriate safety precautions.”