To the ranks of the hugely-famous-yet-unknown-at-home, add one Anthony “British Bulldog” Barlow. The St. Peters resident is king of “Xtreme International Ice Racing” (which comes to St. Charles’ Family Arena on January 23), a sport in which motorcycles with metal-studded tires race around ice rinks. The three-time world champion and five-time national champion discoursed on sliding without slipping.
Why do these bikes have no brakes?
The bike goes from 0 to 60 [mph] in under
3 seconds, so that creates mayhem. On the ice, whether you brake or not, if somebody comes to a stop in front of you, you’re gonna hit him. There’s a lot of crashes.
What’s the best way to survive a crash?
Pray. [Laughs.] You’ve only got a split second to decide what you’re gonna do. You can lay the bike down or try to get around the corner. But when you lay it down on the ice, you actually pick up speed. That’s why we have hay bales in the corner.
Does your wife worry about you crashing?
As long as I’m making money, she’s not bothered. She just keeps buying better insurance coverage every year.
What’s your strategy to win?
A lot of people go what we call “balls to the wall” and wind up hitting the wall. You actually have to go slower to go faster. You’ve got to be cool, calm, and not get wound up.
You have a pretty thick accent.
I’m from Southport, England, 12 miles from Liverpool. Since I’ve moved to America I’ve had to speak really slowly. Even my wife doesn’t understand me when I get around my old friends.
So how does a guy from Southport, England, wind up in St. Peters?
I had been coming to America to race for two or three years, and that’s how I met my wife. She’s from Macomb, Ill., originally, but now we live in St. Peters.
How did you get involved in the sport?
A friend back in England is in a wheelchair from an accident in 1985. He was a top racer. It’s a little bit like The Karate Kid story, where I helped him and he helped me. He needed a project, and he showed me how to build and race motorcycles.
Do people ever recognize you on the street?
With ice racing, you’re a superstar for that night, but when you go home only a few people know who you are.
What do you say when a kid comes up to you and says he wants to race motorcycles on ice?
Go and ask your mother first.
