Ballito’s stuntman lives on the edge

Where there is speed, explosions and danger, there is Tyrone Stephenson – Ballito’s internationally known stuntman – who lives on the edge and rides on two wheels.

“I got a motorbike for my 16th birthday. That was when my life started. My motorbike was like an extension to my body,” said Tyrone (60), who entered his first SA Motocross Camps competition just for fun.

“I got to the start line, wearing my little helmet without padding, army boots, corduroy pants and a short sleeve shirt. It was mad. We set off and I smoked them, badly.

“Until I crashed. I could not get up, but I remember two men picking me up, putting me on my bike, starting it and saying “you are doing well, go, go, go”.

“I went and I won. I picked up a sponsor after that and that was it,” said the former South African motorbike, motorcar and mountain bike champion.

Word soon spread about Tyrone and his daredevil moves and so he began doing stunts for movies when he was about 18 in the 1970s.

“I have done over 100 movies, including Lord of War (2005) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). Sadly, stuntmen days are numbered, because everything is done with CGI now. I hate it. It is the biggest culprit for destroying the movie industry.

“I have stopped watching movies, because I do not want to watch a car explode and immediately see that it was done with CGI.”

Having survived in the industry for so many years, Tyrone said it was crucial for a stuntman to be perfectly rehearsed and focused under pressure.

“What makes a good stuntman, is someone who can think under extreme pressure. When you get scared, your mind does not work well. Regardless, things do go wrong sometimes.

“I have had an explosion ricochet on a train window, which I was supposed to jump out of, and it exploded in my face. I was badly burnt, which is the most terrible type of injury. Besides that and a water incident with a plane, I have always been safe. I am very good with mechanics, which is what makes a good stunt look cool.”

He said the tricks people do these days on motorbikes are “insane” and that it was “no wonder they die”.

“Technology has changed massively in the motorbike world, mainly because of the suspension revolution. It allows people to do insane stuff. In my day, guys practically bowed down when I popped a wheelie.

“They even called me the “Wheelie King”. Now, these superbikes are so fast, it is like sitting on a bullet. In my opinion, people should do a special test before owning one of these bikes.”

When he is not on a motorbike, he is on a mountain bike, cycling 300 to 400 kilometres a week for training.

“I have nine bicycles and probably have the lightest mountain race bike in the country at only 8,3 kilograms.

Weight is everything in cycling,” said Tyrone, who is now semi-retired from the stunt business and keeps busy repairing and riding mountain bikes.

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