Nitro Circus

Travis Pastrana, the star of Nitro Circus, the extreme sport extravaganza that comes to Wolstein Center tonight at 8 p.m., recently spoke to us about what to expect from this year’s show. Here’s what he had to say:

Talk a bit about this incarnation of the Nitro Circus tour and what fans can expect from it?

Nitro Circus started out as group of friends who were pushing themselves and their sports. Our family has expanded to include the best in the world of action sports as well as some really durable guys and girls that push the limits on everything from motorcycles and skateboards to big wheels and Barbie jeeps. Fans can expect to see the biggest and best that action sports has to offer plus a lot of carnage and funny shenanigans.

Were you a daredevil as a kid?

Of course! I loved flipping off bridges into water and riding bmx but most of my time as a kid was spent racing dirt bikes. I always enjoyed finding the biggest jumps and taking my hands and feet off in the air more then I enjoyed racing.

Who inspired you to want to ride BMX bikes?

Matt Hoffman was my biggest inspiration. He always pushed the limits and seemed to have more fun then anyone in the world.

What was the first stunt you ever attempted?

I've been riding dirt bikes for as long as I can remember and the moment the wheels came off the ground, I was trying "stunts". By the time I was 8 years old I was jumping 100' long jumps and taking my feet and hands off while in the air. Having a kid now, I'm amazed that my parents allowed me to do this! but i'm so thankful that they encouraged me to follow my dreams. Especially back then when no one knew we would be able to make a living with this stuff!

When did you sustain your first injury?

My first injury was jumping off a sliding board when I was 7. I broke my foot.

Your 3D film was a big hit when it came out in 2012. Are you working on another movie?

Filming the Nitro Circus movie was such a blast. It's challenging because it takes it's toll on your body and it takes a lot of time to film. With nitro circus, there is a lot of set up and travel. This is fun but almost all of us in the crew have "real" jobs and it's hard to take the time away from racing or doing the tours.

What’s your best Johnny Knoxville story?

I have a lot but the best / worst story has to be the very first time we hung out. I convinced him to try a back flip and he crashed and broke his urethra.. He peed out of a catheter for almost 2 years after that. Unfortunately for us, he invested in really long ones and figured out a way to piss on people from multiple rows away when we were on tour busses and such.

You’ve been a top competitor for 14 years now. What’s the key to keeping it going?

Diversity! Every time I get a big injury I take some time off to race cars or monster trucks and really work hard with my physical therapy. It gives me time to really think of new tricks and be strong enough to take a few falls without being hurt right away. 30 is old for our sports but the top guys seem to find a way to continue at the top of their game for a long time. Tony Hawk is still skating better then most of his competition that are more then 20 years his junior.