Wall of Death returns as star attraction at rally.

Step right up! A new generation of Lincolnshire residents have a rare opportunity to see a forgotten carnival tradition.

Returning to the county after 22 years, the Wall of Death World Tour is one of only two such attractions in the country.

It will be making an appearance at the 24th annual Steam and Vintage Rally, taking place at the Lincolnshire Showground on August 22 and 23.

The Wall of Death features a barrel-shaped wooden cylinder in which stunt motorcyclists ride around at high speeds performing tricks.

With the audience viewing from the top of the cylinder looking down, the riders start at the bottom and ascend an initial ramped section until they’ve built up enough velocity to drive horizontally in a counter-clockwise direction.

The Wall of Death World Tour, created and run by the Fox family troupe, is making a stop at the rally as it continues it’s tour to the Great Dorset Steam Fair.

Ken Fox, leader of the Fox family Wall of Death troupe, said he was excited about returning to Lincolnshire with his unusual attraction.

“I’m originally from Skegness, so this is a bit of a homecoming for me,” he said.

“The whole process of moving the wall from town to town, constructing it and deconstructing it is very labour intensive, so we don’t get to come back to Lincolnshire very often.

“We have four riders across the different acts in the show. The audience will get to see stunts, acrobatic riding, and then at the end we top it all off with a three-bike race.”

Mr Fox went on to say that no matter where the Wall of Death travelling company go to perform, they always seem to go down well.

“People seem to like the show we put on. Its good value for money, and it’s something different to what people are used to seeing.”

Mr Fox mused that the rigorous hard-work and preparation that goes into the Wall of Death performance is probably the reason why there are now so few professional companies still performing the act world wide.

Lincolnshire Steam and Vintage Rally Chairman Glyn Macdonald said that the Wall of Death was an exciting addition to the line-up of the event.

“The Wall of Death will feature in the fair-ground aspect to the rally,” he said.

“On top of that we have everything from speed engines and vintage cars to military vehicles and commercial trucks. There’s sure to be something for everyone.”

For more information on any of the other 1,500 events at the rally, visit www.lsvr.org.