wmlife sTUNT SHOW EXPLOSIONS, FLAMES AND FLYING CARS - IT’S ALL IN A DAY'S WORK FOR THE VAUXHALL STUNT TEAM AT DISNEYLAND RESORT PARIS WORDS: CHRISTIAN SYLT PICTURES: ANDREW SHAYLOR I get home,” he say ice, without any talking for think of nothing, ! must empty my ready for my family! 36 vauxhall magazinethe show takes place na model village complete ith shops, ales, {sa nin team making ith The action takes place {2 Mediterranean village and plays to a sell-out crowd ‘of 3,000, upto five times every day. The pastel-coloured clapboard ofthe buildings and worn- looking bricks are film-set standard. But itis the stunts that steal the show. Cars chase after motorbikes that pirouette perfectly, missing each other by what fi milimetres. Ina Giant leap across the set, a car crashes into a market stall and is pulled off backwards. The action continues {38.2 bike rider slides through an ol lick, ending up {engulfed in flames - but this doesn't stop him from blowing up a car along the way. Its all part ofa plot that involves the hero delivering a letter to the village withthe bad guys in pursuit. Of course, the good guy's car is red and the villains cars are black. The ive drama is filmed, edited and played back on a giant screen that keeps the audience right inthe centre of the action and every day thousands are enthralled by the events unfolding before them. Infact, the show has become so popular that a duplicate opens ‘soon at Disney Word in Florida, Ws 100 per cent entertainment forthe crowds, but leach day s a whiriwind for Kavaliauskas. “You just don't have time to get scared during the show.” he expiains, The stuntman has plenty of experience under his belt ~ he was motorbike racing for 15 years before launching the spectacle in 2002. But even go, he spent the six preceding months training with Remy Julienne, stunt coordinator for various James Bond films and t car chase classic, The italian Jt, Disney worked closely with Vauxhall to develop the prototype show car, and it has ended up as something Unique ~ a sort of cross between the ECO-VX220, Tigra and Vectra. But as you would imagine, under the curvy lass fibre cloak, i's nothing like a production The car's steel frame has been strengthened and beneath the bonnet is a mid-mounted super-powered engine for increased driver control. The whole lot weighs full-sie set modelled on titer CARS CHASE AFTER MOTORBIKES THAT PIROUETTE PERFECTLY, MISSING EACH OTHER BY WHAT FEELS LIKE MILLIMETRES just 650kg - meaning thatthe hero's motor can hit ‘0m in just 45 seconds. Standard production model Astras, Agilas, Zafiras and Tigras also appear in the show, So spectators might just get the chance to see how their own cars could perform - or perhaps just an idea of how not to drive them. Paling off the most daring stunts involves a certain ammount of trickery. For one backward jump, the body of the car is positioned the wrong way around with a panel cut away so the driver can see, There's also ‘switch on the steering wheel enabling him to limit his speed and not takeoff too fast from the hidden ramps. The climax of the show couldn't be done without it. In a huge emotional crescendo, the hero's car jumps through a truck and lands inside another one onto @ hidden airbag. "We callit the touch and go’ sequence, says stage manager Nathalie Lombardi. “The scene isSTUNT SHOW Nmlife incredibly complex.” She goes on to explain that, for the stunt to work, the two trucks must be at exact Locations with the airbag inflated and the ramp at a precise angle The final scene lasts just three seconds. “It is impressive but very demanding,” she adds. ‘But with the glamour ofthe show comes the grat. Wit just an hour between each performance, the show's 12 mechanics are under race-like conditions. At the end ofthe day, the cars must pass a vigorous 30-minute “YOU MUSTN'T GET COMFORTABLE OR FEEL WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS WITHOUT RISK. BUT THERE IS NO ROOM FOR FEAR - IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, YOU JUST REACT” inspection and are then tested on set just to be sure Meanwhile, the drivers have two-hour dress rehearsals ‘each week plus a 15-minute practice before every show. "You have te be in excellent physical condition,” says Kavaliauskas, adding that no matter how experienced 2 driver is, complacency is the biggest danger. "You ‘mustn't get comfortable or feel that what you are doing is without risk,” he explains. The adrenaline keeps him on edge and Kavaliauskas admits that it's impossible to relax between shows, because of the noise ofthe engines | WIN A FAMILY WEEKEND BREAK Fancy getting in on the action? and the numberof people working around the set. "You ‘ats giving youthe chance to are in the action” he eay. “There is no room for fear at ‘win a family weekend break at the time, i anything happens, you just react tt. Disneyland Resort Paris. 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