Ever heard of somersaulting on a motorcycle? Sometimes you just have to roll with it

Rev up those engines, this record breaker has role cages, engineering talents, and motorcycles. Oh my!

On his Honda MSX 125cc motorcycle, Oscar Whitlock (UK) certified his daredevil reputation.

The 26-year-old stunt rider forward rolled on his bike 14 times, earning the Guinness World Records title most forward rolls on a motorcycle in one minute.

“I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie, growing up at the skate park, free running and doing acrobatics. So, when I finally got myself a motorcycle, it wasn’t long before I was trying to ride it on half as many wheels as intended by the manufacturers,” Oscar daringly said.

“I was quickly introduced to the British Stunt Championships who hosted frequent freestyle stunting group rides at Santa Pod Raceway. It was there that I saw just how far people were pushing the sport, with the creativity and skill of the trick's riders would perform. And the clever modifications riders would make to their bikes to make new tricks possible.”

Oscar has been stunt-riding for five years, with the Santa Pod Raceway community pushing him further and further. Oscar’s inspiration to pursue this record title actually came from another rider's courageous attempt. He said he started imagining how he would win a title of his own after, “seeing the video of fellow stunt rider Jonny Davies breaking the world record for the fastest speed dragged behind a motorcycle in 2024. It was one of the wildest things I’d ever seen!”

In addition to Jonny’s jaw-dropping challenge, having another record breaker in the family sparked Oscar’s competitive side. “My cousin James Moore had also set the world record for the most somersaults through a hoop in one minute by a team in 2015 with Team Kinetix free running team,” he said. “In true cousinly competitive spirit, he never hesitated to pull out the ‘world record card’ he had up his sleeve to settle any debates over who the coolest cousin was.”

To claim his title for coolest cousin, Oscar started a year prior to his record attempt practisng, planning, and fixing his bike to make sure that the 60 seconds he had would go seamlessly. When he found out he had earned a record title he said: “What a relief! Not many experiences stack up against that atmosphere after everything aligns and you get the result you worked so hard for.”

Everything Oscar had been training for, relied on a single minute of the day. Aside from rolling on a motorcycle, one of the most challenging things about this record attempt was making sure that his brave undertaking was well documented.

“For this record in particular I needed three camera angles, two independent witnesses and two timekeepers”, Oscar said. “Where do you fit seven people that need to follow perfectly alongside me at high speeds? Well, the answer was to squeeze my two brave friends with cameras on to the back of a trailer, towed behind the car which seated the two timekeepers and another friend on the third camera, while the independent witnesses followed in close convoy on the back of quad bikes.”

These witnesses and cameramen had to work flawlessly to ensure Oscar would be awarded properly. Oscar would like to thank everyone who helped him out that day, because although no one had any prior practice “like true professionals, they nailed it on their first attempt” he said.

While his witnesses had no practise, Oscar certainly did. “The amazing team at Santa Pod Raceway let me practice along the closed drag strip so I could get the jitters out and get my brain used to tumbling for 60 seconds without getting dizzy and disoriented,” he said. With a limited amount of time, he had to ensure this skill was totally mastered. Learning how to not get dizzy while you are continuously rolling does not sound like an easy obstacle to get over.

Read more stories about record-breaking stunts in our Sports and Fitness section.

This thrill seeker does not seem to be stopping anytime soon. In fact, he has plans to earn other record titles. “I have submitted an application to set a brand-new record for the most people doing a forward roll on a motorcycle. My motorcycle is already equipped with handrails on the roll cage, rear passenger seat and a tank lip which will allow 5 people to be on the bike at once to perform a forward roll. My Mum has even volunteered to sit on the tank,” he listed.

“I would also love to set new records involving motorcycles and water such as furthest distance riding on the surface of water with skis or inside an inflatable Zorb ball, or maybe even attempt the most forward rolls on 4 wheels by creating a roll cage for a car! The only limit is my imagination (and time and money).”

With all these future plans, it is clear that the crave for adrenaline keeps on growing and Oscar is not stopping anytime soon.