Josh Sheehan took some time out of the Nitro Circus European Tour to visit the Red Bull Racing Factory in Milton Keynes – where he had to be dragged off the F1 simulator…
Evening Josh, we’re doing this a bit later than planned. Our moles say you’ve been difficult to prize off the simulator.
Yeah! I was having an absolute blast! I’m glad I got there early because I really didn’t want to get out of the thing – I think I was in there for about an hour and a half. It was superb.
What circuit did they have you running?
Melbourne! They set up Albert Park for me – which was a pretty awesome experience, pretty full-on. Everything from the pedals to the steering to the force feedback… you can feel every bump on the track, every corner. It was amazing!
So, was it just fun and games in the simulator or did you get to see the nuts and bolts of the factory as well?
I did the works. After the simulator I got to have my tour around the workshops and the design studios. It’s a real eye-opener, just seeing how much work really goes into making a Formula One car. There’s way more going on behind the scenes than I initially thought.
What was the highlight of the tour?
I think the production workshops, seeing the car put together is my sort of thing. That said, everything was very impressive, everything that goes into planning, designing, testing and building the car. It’s mind-blowing looking at that from the inside. Absolutely fascinating.
What brings you to the UK in the first place?
I’m here for the Nitro Circus Live tour, which has just finished in Birmingham. On Monday we had our show in London, then Tuesday Manchester and Wednesday Birmingham. I’ve hung around for a few extra days – a day off and a day to check out Red Bull and tomorrow I’m off to Salzburg for a week before a competition – so a holiday in the snow.
We’re sure you’re enjoying the lovely December weather in Milton Keynes but where is it you enjoy being best?
I’d have to say home is best. My family has a farm in Australia and about 200 acres of farmland so I love to get home there; I’ve got my motorbike and a bit of a track there and we can thrash some cars. It’s out in the countryside so there’s plenty of room. It’s a nice place with nice weather and you can’t beat it.
Describe the Red Bull X-Fighters for us in five words.
Thrilling. Entertaining. Extreme – definitely. Action-packed. Dangerous. Can I have ‘action-packed’ as one word?
We’ll let you have that one. What’s the highlight of your career?
I think the best thing that’s happened in my career was winning the Red Bull X-Fighters round in Sydney last year. It was the first time Red Bull X-Fighters had come to Australia, my family and friends were there and it was my first win. It was the first time I threw some double back-flips in competition and… aw, everything happened that weekend. It was massive.
RB: Are you a very driven competitor?
I’m a pretty easy-going kind of guy! Not a fussy guy at all, pretty relaxed, just like to hang out and have fun. When it comes to cars and bikes and stuff, I can be competitive – but fun competitive. I just love to go fast. Anything with wheels and an engine I love to thrash and just have a good time.
Five Minutes With... FMX superstar and Red Bull X-Fighter Josh Sheehan