Kriss Kyle preparing to for his first flight for his 'Don't Look Down' project in The Cotswolds, England on December 9, 2022. // Sam Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202304060121 // Usage for editorial use only //
    Kriss Kyle performs a wallride during the Don't Look Down project in Malmesbury, United Kingdom on December 9, 2022. // Eisa Bakos / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202304080097 // Usage for editorial use only //
    Kriss Kyle is seen during the Don't Look Down project in Malmesbury, United Kingdom on February 6, 2023. // Eisa Bakos / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202304080100 // Usage for editorial use only //

    BMX pro rides custom bowl suspended at 2000FT under hot air balloon

    Red Bull athlete Kriss Kyle takes BMX to new heights 

    Today (April 13, 2023), athlete Kriss Kyle releases his latest BMX film on Red Bull Bike YouTube. Aptly named Don’t Look Down, Kriss rides his bike in a Formula One engineered BMX bowl suspended over 2000FT in the sky underneath a giant hot air balloon. It is a dream come true for Kriss to ride where no one has before and he hopes to inspire the next generation to take up BMX through this project. 

    To realize his dream, Kriss worked with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the tech arm of the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One Team to engineer the BMX bowl. Made of the same composite as a Formula One car, he utilised their world-leading aerodynamics, simulation and modelling expertise. Cameron Balloons also joined the team to design and build one of the world’s largest operational hot air balloon. It had to be six times bigger than a standard hot air balloon in order to lift the 1.7-ton BMX bowl into the sky. 

    The biggest challenge was the size and swing of the BMX bowl when it was in the air. While Kriss uses his own unique riding style, quick thinking and years of experience to maneuver the compact space, it was also essential to wear a parachute, a necessity when balancing on a metal rail over 2000FT up.

    Kriss Kyle said: “I’ve been dreaming of this project for so long, but the height factor has always felt like a massive weight on my mind. I’ve had to push past my fears several times before on Red Bull projects, but nothing has compared to this. Having to climb over the edge of the basket to get down to the skatepark underneath was such a crazy experience. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help and encouragement of my friends, who helped me down. At over 2,000FT you’re so high up it almost doesn’t feel real anymore.”

    Christian Horner, Team Principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing said: “it has been great to see this unique project come to life utilizing the same aerodynamics, simulation and modelling expertise we use in Formula One.”

    Despite Kriss’s fear of heights, this is not the first time he has incorporated aerial feats in his challenges. In ‘Dubai Drop’, Kriss jumped out of a helicopter on his bike and landed on the Burj Al Arab skyscraper. In the ‘One from Copenhagen’ he paraglides in on his bike. 

    Watch Don’t Look Down from 10am today on Red Bull Bike YouTube. 

    Still & Moving images for editorial use:  Red Bull Content Pool.