Wheelie A Car? Are You Insane?
The best business card

Welcome to the inspiration theme! This is going to be a journey through some worlds you might not have seen before, but ones you might like to be part of. I’d like to think that for most of us in the northern hemisphere, as it’s winter, these stories could make you consider new paths or a different way of approaching things. I’m writing this and outside it’s below freezing with snow on the ground, and the workshop is the same – just without the snow. So as ever, I always try and use this time of year to think ahead and make plans.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-32

As part of the theme, it occurred to me that we should talk to some people who are ‘living the life’. As much as the world needs accountants, plumbers and warehouse staff, it also needs stuntmen. People who seemingly defy death – or at the very least serious injury – every time they go to work.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-7

If you think you can’t live your dreams, you’re probably right, you can’t. However, if you believe anything is possible, then it is. It’s this attitude that made Terry Grant into a multiple world record holder, so when he mentioned he was going to try a new stunt out at the Autosport show earlier on in January 2014, I figured it would be great to see just how you go about the business of being a stuntman. I mean really, just how do you get that on a business card?

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-4

Or a 600hp, anti-lag-equipped, fire-spitting Evo? For Terry it started out in the mid-’90s. At the time he was a fairly successful oval track racer – Hot Rod racing as we call it in the UK. Like a lot of racers who look for sponsorship, there always has to be something new to offer to potential investors, so Terry started doing some stunt driving, putting on small sequences at local shows and it turned out he was a bit handy at this sort of thing.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-29

Since that time a lot has happened, which has involved performing in over fifty countries worldwide, being an annual fixture at the Race of Champions and other prestigious events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed where he’s broken at least two world records for Nissan. This constant need to physically and mentally push himself has meant he’s now one of the top stunt drivers in the world, but seeing as I’ve known Terry for a good few years, I didn’t want to talk about history. I wanted to know more about how you keep evolving, inventing and keeping things fresh. That’s when he told me he was going to do a wheelie in a car.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-9

Now Terry has skimmed my feet at speed with a front wheel before, on many occasions and he’s taken me to a point where I thought I was going to pass out because the Evo was spinning so fast, I was inhaling too much smoke and couldn’t keep my head up without my eyes rolling back in my head. All the while, he stays in control. 

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-39

But a wheelie? This I had to see. Terry explained excitedly he was going to do the stunt for the first time at the Autosport Show in early January. But due to a packed schedule up until that time he was entrusting the build of the dedicated car to an engineer friend. This wasn’t a problem, but the fact that he wasn’t going to get a chance to try it until a few days before the show was. No pressure then…

It’s all down to physics, I think
Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-12

So first up, where does the idea for a new stunt come from? Terry explains the idea of a wheelie car came from watching drag racing when a car launches hard and lifts the front wheels, except this is nothing new of course and people have built dedicated wheelie cars before. Which meant Terry naturally had to go one step further – or five even – because he decided it would be a good idea to make it corner whilst in the wheelie position and try to do it with one of his existing cars instead of a new build. That way it could be seamlessly integrated into the act without people realising what was coming next.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-22

But the real kicker here is that he wanted to do it hanging off the back end. So here’s part of the apparatus that was fitted to his Legend race car – one of a team of them he has for shows, these are easy to fit into a shipping crate and often form part of the act with other more locally-sourced cars.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-13

The live action arena at Autosport is the same as many others the world over: busy, noisy, smelly and intense. I love the atmosphere backstage and although it would spoil the game, it’s a shame not more people get to see the other side of the curtains. So as Terry tried to explain how it’s all going to work, we were drowned out by the sound of race cars lining up for demo laps and races in front of the crowds.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-14

Peace and quiet? You must be joking. Ironically this type of silouhette race car is where Terry came from to the world of stunts. He still knew a bunch of racers there on the day and swapped stories in between preparing.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-35

His motorhome may look grand but if you compare it to the size of your house or apartment and realise how much time he spends in it, then it makes sense. Without a good night’s sleep or even a place to freshen up between shows, there’s more of a chance a mistake can be made. Parked right next to the arena entrance, it stands out and makes you realise that Terry isn’t part of a grid any more or race series, especially when friend and WRC driver Petter Solberg pops by for a coffee.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-16

The sound is deafening in here as Terry lines up for part one of his routine: this is the set-up. So he’s going to drive into the arena and explain that he wants to try a wheelie to the announcer, hence the large guy on the back. The Legend has got a 1200cc Yamaha FJ engine in the front so it’s not an ideal candidate, but that’s part of the appeal I think. Nothing like a challenge.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-15

With the first pass out of the way, it’s back to the team, Terry transferring to the Evo for some ridiculous high speed tricks plus some close proximity work, a real favourite of his. The team then have a couple of minutes to transform the Legend into a car that can wheelie.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-1

Except it’s going to need a bit more than just balloons to get those front wheels off the ground…

Did he do it?
Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-21

About 550kg more in fact. Here you can see the metal weights the team added before Terry headed out for the wheelie stunt. Given that the Legend has a usual all-up weight of around 450kgs, this changes the way it drives massively. Here you can also see the single go kart wheel that’s been connected to the handle bars under the spoiler. This looks like it should work, but as Terry was to find out, it’s anything but easy.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-25

Out in the arena, it’s business time and this has to happen. After the hectic run around backstage trying to make sure it’s all going to come together, there’s been some practice but I could tell Terry isn’t happy. He’s really going to have to work at this.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-26

Jumping up on the back step, the revs rose and the front end of the Legend gradually did too. Terry said he didn’t really know how it was going to feel the first time – remember he’s hanging on as well as trying to steer.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-28

It soon became obvious he was really having to work at it to keep the front end up. Putting his whole bodyweight as far back as possible meant the single ‘jockey’ style wheel was in contact with the floor, but to keep it there needed speed and the steering was anything but precise. Terry amusingly said that he needed nature to help at this stage, so the faster it goes the easier it gets, but the more dangerous at the same time. He also told me afterwards that he had to have a little argument with himself the first time, as his head was saying ‘get off this thing’. When you’re heading towards a concrete barrier with no crash helmet on and the car isn’t turning, I can see how that thought would come up. His logic was he could bail, but then how would you turn the corner? There really didn’t seem to be a fail option here.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-43

You can see just how much force he was having to use to keep the wheels up, because of course if they dropped then he also loses the ability to steer entirely. Oh and did I mention he’s operating the clutch with a length of wood shoved down into the footwell? Again Terry surprised me by saying that he was actually having a laugh to himself right about now, because he’d proved he could do it.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-46

Was it up to his usual standards? Maybe not, but it will be in time. Because as ever, he’s thinking five steps ahead and that’s exactly what you have to do to stay on top of the game. In practice he managed to pull off roughly ten consecutive donuts at speed. Sure he nearly got thrown off, but that just inspired him to go even further.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-47

So what’s next? Well Terry admits this was only ever part of the plan; the real big idea is to have a wheelie car that he can drive really fast around corners, then adding wouldn’t it be good if it could drift whilst up on two wheels as well? Yes it would. Not only that but he has to be able to do it a thousand times out of  a thousand. This is his job and if he gets it wrong… Well you know what? He can’t.

Terry Grant Autosport Wheelie-48

And I guess for me that’s the inspirational part here. Why not dream big? Go further than anybody has before then work back from that point and figure out how you’re going to get there. It might not always go to plan, but you’re trying and that’s a great place to start. Terry said to me that in his head he knows he can do it, so he does. Which is how you get ‘international stuntman’ written on your business card…

Bryn Musselwhite
Instagram: speedhunters_Bryn
bryn@speedhunters.com

The Inspiration Theme on Speedhunters
Killing Supercars – I Want To Be A Stuntman!

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1

ummm...

2

Third photo from the bottom is awesome!

3

A wheelie in a car is usually considered a wheel stand, but seeing how he is hanging off the back holding on to handlebars i agreed that it is a wheelie. I cant be the only one thats a little sad he is not wearing a helmet. Seems like a guy we want around for a long time to come.

4

gokart wet weather tyre on the last pick

5

gokart wet weather tyre on the last pick

6

That's just plain retarded in every sense. So you have a car, you put more than the cars actual weight (550kg) and hang it off the ass end and try to ride it like a Segway?? to only realize that you'd still need speed and inertia (like a motorcycle) to maintain that angle. (Shit 12 o'clock it and speeds not an issue)
almost every time I visits speed hunters lately I'm extremely disappointed by either the content material or the lack of proper editing. The amount of misspelled, improper punctuation or even worse the the clear edits were there are words left behind from what was originally written, I'm no English major but then again I'm not trying to pass myself of as a journalist either.... SMDH @ you SPEEDHUNTERS

7

JoshuaInman You aren't paying for their services, so if the content isn't up to your "standards", you don't have to keep coming back.

8

They are being paid though so there should be a level of professionalism to the end consumer (me, you, etc). The site was once great, until all the $$'s started to come in and the expansion, etc. All I'm asking is for SH to go back to the quality publication they once were and to stop just throwing shit against the wall in hopes that it'll stick. I mean common they more than likely are using a publisher that has a spellcheck & grammar function why can't they use it? Or at least have someone proofread the material before its posted.

9

This is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.

10

Wow... useless.

11

JoshuaInman Can you let me know some examples of the spelling and grammar issues you mention please? All articles are proof read before going up onto the site - while we're obviously not machines, every effort IS made to check for errors.

12

Drag racers do wheelies.

13

Ok Suzy, I guess I'll go back through and find errors for you (hopefully they havenn been fixed) then reply here with the links. I'm guessing ill find 6-7 in the last handful of posts.
I'm not asking to be robots and yes mistakes go unseen even in large novel publications, so please don't reply in a defensive manner. I'm simply noticing (as well as others) that the quality that made speedhunters seems to be turning more into a name to push ala quantity over quality in not only the posts (which are opinion based and vast and one of the things I like most about SH, it's content diversity) but the actual quality of writing.
Please stand by

14

Suzy, here is the first. To point out the purpose of proof reading. The word centre is actually a word but SEMA is held in Las Vegas in the Las Vegas convention Center. please don't argue that centre is British for center either.
http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/01/vip-entrance/
That's right in the top, if I remember correctly I believe there was another mistake in that article.
I'll continue to proof read past articles for errors if you'd like me to, ill just need to know where SH receives their mail.

15

Side note, notice its your article.

16

BridgesJoshuaInmanPeople coming back is a large part of what pays for this service. Not that one should require financial incentive to produce quality journalism.  I have to agree with Joshualnman on this. I've also noticed that many authors take criticism or corrections very poorly here, immediately becoming defensive, unlike the good ol' days of professional journalism when errata were handled by the editor, usually graciously.

17

Hmmm... Kinda dumb

18

JoshuaInman @thefirelizardYes, I used the British spelling there and yes, technically I should have used the local spelling, although we do also permit localised spelling which is why it probably slipped by unnoticed. Is this really ruining the site for you? I'm sure there must be worse examples to provoke such strong criticism, so was just asking for them because one of my main roles is to proof read other articles. Without knowing where the errors are, how can I correct them?!

19

JoshuaInman You sir are a complete twat.
I always despise people who sit on their arse criticizing others for making an effort.

wheres your international blog? 

mistakes are made by everybody, whether its paid or free, 
When i publish a magazine it is checked over by multiple people and there is always something that slips passed, I'm sure you have heard of the saying "we are only human"


you are more than welcome to get off your arse and create an internationally read website, posting up multiple articles a day, then I can come and critique you. 


Have fun you wanker.

20

I love people who moan at punctuation, then spell things wrong or miss basic punctuation marks.

21

Suzy using the British word for center (the middle of a circle) is not even correct, in any way other than it is a word.
The Las Vegas convention (middle of a circle).... Does that down right to you.
After your response as a moderator I clicked your name to find out who you are and discovered through your IG that your title is editorial "manager" hence why I chose to see what type of articles you had. I just happened to find one with both a spelling and grammar error. The simple fact that it's centre (meaning middle of) instead of center (meaning a place or group of buildings where a specified activity is concentrated) is not the end all or even a reason for my concerns. It's simply using YOUR writing to show YOUR proof reading skills in an example that YOU asked for.
You ask "without knowing were the errors are how are you supposed to correct them?" Well I'd say by doing a better job proof reading from the get go and not asking me to do it for you since like you said it's your job and very well could be 90% of your personal job responsibilities which would also explain why you were so quick to chime in like what I was saying had no merrit and I was simply being a troll or something.
So ill repeat, if you'd like me to continue to go back and reread the content that I've already said I (and many others) have been finding to be sub par lately, I will do that for you. Ill help you out but I just need the address where SH receives their mail.

22

JoshuaInman  lol, Suzy is British. So I take it you think 'colour' is spelled wrong too? I am guessing you are also telling me that there is no such thing as a 'boot' or 'bonnet' on a car?

23

@Joshualnman I personally want you to proof read every article on here, as im not happy in knowing that, out there, in the vast quantity of space, somewhere there might be a full stop missing, or maybe, heaven forbid a word with too many letters in.
Probably best to start in the centre and work your way out.

24

Simon, you sir are funny.
I have no intentions on creating a "blog" and technically anything on the Internet is international.
I'd also point out that Suzy (whom is the rep conversing from SH) to my knowledge is not the creator of SH. She is an employ, yes and by definition employees are generally critiqued both by their superiors as well as their customer/consumer ie how's my driving?, secret shoppers, how's are service, etc
Sitting on my arse eh? Bc you know me, what I've accomplished & what I do?
little bio, I'm 28 I own 3 homes the one I live in is paid for free and clear. Damn I must make a killing on my arse.
Constructive Criticism has its place in writing/journalism so if I did in fact have a publication I would want to know what I was doing right, what I was doing wrong, and if there were things I could do better for my readers... Which I'm sure SH is concerned with.
If anything I think the hiccups and that's all they are is simply due to maybe growing & expanding a little quicker of a pace then they should have. Which is a common mistake by businesses (which this is) sometimes even leading to complete ruin. Which I think would be terrible to happen to SH.
Sooo Simon any thoughts?

25

JoshuaInman SuzyWallace @Simon Bridges I remember MY first time on Speedhunters.

26

Lol.
Um pretty sure those all have the same meaning. Boot or bonnet would be fine bc they are the terminology used for that region and have the same definition.
I've been un able to find a def of centre where it refers to a type of building, if so I may have chosen the wrong example & like stated I know what I've read lately and what I've laughed at bc I had to reread sentences due to errors. If Suzy would like me to go through personally and point out the errors I need to know where speed hunters receives their mail and ill be happy to go back through to date of inception. Hell if your want I'd break down errors found statistically and see if in fact they have increased with time.
all this bashing is amusing to me.

27

JoshuaInman  In British English centre is the correct word for convention centre. Heres a link for you http://www.thefreedictionary.com/centre. Center is the American English equivalent and as Suzy is British it is reasonable that she uses the British spelling

28

A. I'm typing on a smart phone while on the go taking care of my life obligations. So not really concerned with even rereading my post, actually for the most part all this has been transcribed bi SIRI.
B. I'm not writing for a publication or even a "paper"
C. You're a tool that isn't trying to do anything other than make a comment in order to feel like you're apart of something, even if its a simple Internet conversation.
D. I've said nice things about SH and obviously I'm a returning stat and have been since day one. simple pointing out constructively that editing should be looked at with a better toothed comb bc the past 12-18 months has been horid.
E. it's been pointed out by original SH (shows how long I've been here) that this all stared as a platform for photography not writing so work would need to be done on the Latter.

29

It would appear that I should have searched for more definitions of centre which based off that one it can in fact be used to describe a building (even though lvcc is a name and located in the USA) So for that I apologize.
I still stand by the fact that there has been errors in writing to a level it doesn't reflect well if its not addressed and simply allowed to continue or worsen.

30

JohnArthur JoshuaInman Thank you JohnArthur for telling this guy what's good. I'd have to say, after reading all the comments posted on this article carefully, I would never prefer Joshualnman to write even one article before the SpeedHunters team. This complaining you have been doing has been completely nonsensical. Everyone makes mistakes. How can a few misspellings (if any) ruin this site for you?? I too am not a huge fan of this article, but that is also what makes this site unique. Unlike other car enthusiast sites devoted to specific categories like stance, muscle, tuner, etc., SpeedHunters covers a large variety of topics in the car industry you wouldn't normally see elsewhere. To add to that, their coverage always gives a ton of detailed information and high quality pictures. So what is it you're really complaining about? You certainly have no room to criticize the SH team in such a rude way, especially since you've been proven wrong in terms of your "centre" temper tantrum. You have since failed to provide any additional examples of errors as well. Thank you SH for all you have done, keep it up. That is all.

31

PatchCollins Hmm, if only there were such a thing as an editor! Oh, there is!

32

JoshuaInman Wow you sound awfully mad about having no friends.

33

some classes in autograss do wheelies for fun

34

LOL, center, centre, color, colour, realize, realize...It's a freakin' car blog you hypocritical nut job- not a grad school dissertation.  Where's all the hate and self righteousness coming from???  Speaking of defensive, I love how insecure people always have to bring money/ displays of material wealth into the conversation.  Carry on with your "life's obligations"; unless that means trolling for errors, researching people's titles and credentials, etc…get a life!

35

This here is a typical internet troll, please go back to policing YouTube comments! Keep up the good work guys I for one will never take a spelling mistake to heart like this guy as I enjoy reading the stories sometimes more than viewing the pictures ( I don't see how one word could ruin the whole thing...) Remember chap, we're human and this website is about our human relationship with different shapes of metal. Humans make mistakes, live with it. The length at which you have gone on your phone to type all this out would suggest you don't have much of a life outside of it. I suppose the thought alone of wearing odd socks turns your stomach... Twat.

36

Um, that's stupid. How to wheelie a car. Hang a ton of weight of the back until your body weight is enough for the front wheels to lift then use motorbike handles to drive around. Stupid! Hate to troll, but this is dumb story. 
I love Speedhunters, but this style over substance stuff should end. The site is for car enthusiasts so why not a few articles with relevance to your readership. I'll start you off - down here in Australia the police have basically taken a stance that makes it harder and harder to be a car enthusiast. I drive my mildly modded Evo to work each day knowing fully well that any police car could pull me over and defect me for the most trivial thing. The Australian Government does not what "modded" cars on the road and the police are only to happy to oblige their whims. I'm sure that Australia is not the only place on this planet where car enthusiasts face such issues - so why not an article on how different car communities face issues such as this. This may take some proper journalism, but I'm sure you guys are up for it. Keep it real guys and leave the wheeling to the bike riders.

37

JoshuaInman  Ok, let me explain myself a little here. As you now know, I proof read a lot of the articles on SH, so when I saw your original comment that there was a lack of editing, this of course applies to me, so I was interested to find examples. If somebody told you you were doing a terrible job, I expect you'd like to know why that accusation had been levelled at you and might ask for examples of what you've done wrong? Surely that's a natural response?
You also mentioned that we should proof read our articles, so my comment of "while we're obviously not machines, every effort IS made to check for errors" was just trying to assure you that there is a proof-reading system in place, but as I'm sure you're aware, it's not an exact science - the human brain is hard-wired to block out errors (just look at those messed up sentences where only the first and last letter are correct but we can still read them) and some mistakes will no doubt slip through. As someone mentioned before, this happens in every publication, even with numerous people checking - TV, newspaper, books, magazines. I'm more than happy to fix any that slip through the cracks though!
And yes, centre is just the English spelling of the American word center. As a proper noun, I should have indeed used the local spelling but instead used the spelling that would normally be used in the UK. I have now fixed this so thanks for pointing it out. However, it didn't really seem to warrant the severity of your attack!
We always welcome constructive criticism, so if you are able to provide me with examples of where things have gone wrong, I can investigate why that might have happened, fix them and provide a better service. Without it, I'm just left staring at a lot of very hostile comments wondering what the hell I did wrong...

38

In regards to the bad english and grammar, it is not so much a question of grammar, the greater problem is the lack of basic sentence construction.  Now, I am not siding with Joshualnma, as he went to the extreme, however I would like to point out the decline in the usually high standard of writing.  For example see the excerpt below.  I for one love the articles, well most of them (this one was rather bizzare), and thoroughly enjoy viewing the incredible pictures, yet I can't help but notice the distinct writing style of perhaps a junior school child. Please, as mentioned before, stop stating the obvious and tell the audience something they can't decipher from looking at the picture alone.  And yes, Suzy, you may know him, but we don't...

SuzyWallace Larry Chen


Since that time a lot has happened, which has involved performing in over fifty countries worldwide, being an annual fixture at the Race of Champions and other prestigious events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed where he’s broken at least two world records for Nissan.

39

JoshuaInman man i really feel for you, this is not worth your time)

40

@Beany  i couldn't agree with you more. there's a certain level of quality you learn to appreciate as you get saturated with low quality media.

41

@Beany  i couldn't agree with you more. there's a certain level of quality you learn to appreciate as you get saturated with low quality media.

42

Uh oh, they've arrived. Totally didnt expect the hole I fell into in the comments

43

Here is my old 1960 Fiat 600 doing a wheelie the good old fashion way -- with Horse Power
http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss306/Fiatdude/ScannedPicture2.jpg

44

@SuzyWallace Please keep up the good work and understand that most of us are not all like our "anal" internet professor who not only criticized you from behind his keyboard in one of his "3 houses" but was then wrong in his criticism. Seriously why even bother replying to his comments and validate this twat.

45

I dont get it. it happens all times during drag racing. Hence wheelie bars. Nothing insane about that.

46

I hope he has put a little more thought into how to stop the car. As his unprotected :'(numb;-) skull bounces along the tarmac. When he falls off...Just think back to the Pirelli Wheelie Truck of the 1980s . Whoops lost control hit the wall and rolled it at Brands Hatch...At less than 30 m.p.hI
It took Steve Murtty months to recover, and that was despite wearing full F.I.A safety gear.ue
I digres my point is how far into the scenery could this unmaned 100+m.p.h misile go????
ii...

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