The wall of death, motordrome, velodrome or well of death is a carnival sideshow featuring a silo- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder, typically ranging from in diameter and made of wooden planks, inside which motorcyclists, or the drivers of miniature automobiles and tractors travel along the vertical wall and perform stunts, held in place by friction and centrifugal force. The original wall of death was in 1911 on Coney Island in the United States.
Overview
Derived directly from United States motorcycle board track (motordrome) racing in the early 1900s, the very first carnival motordrome appeared at Coney Island amusement park (New York) in 1911. The following year portable tracks began to appear on travelling carnivals. By 1915 the first "velodromes" with vertical walls appeared and were soon dubbed the "Wall of Death," the very first mention being Bridson Greene's unit in Buffalo, New York. Although not a silo-drome, the large combination motordrome at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition included a perfectly vertical section at the top that was used by both car and motorcycle riders.
The motorcycles most widely used were the first generation Indian Scout models (pre-1928) with 37 cu. in. displacement. Royal American Shows out of Tampa Florida was one of the largest travelling carnivals and used 1928 to 1931 Scouts. This carnival attraction became a staple in the United States outdoor entertainment industry with the phenomenon reaching its zenith in the 1930s, with more than 100 motordromes on traveling shows and in amusement parks.
The audience views from the top of the drum, looking down. The riders start at the bottom of the drum, in the centre, and ascend an initial ramped section until they gain enough speed to drive horizontally to the floor, usually in a counter-clockwise direction (the physical explanation behind this act is found at banked turn and the turning car.) In the United States the American Motor Drome Company uses several vintages Indian Scout Motorcycles from the 1920s to give the audience a view of how these shows were done in their heyday. The American Motor Drome Company is the only wall of death to have two riders Inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame; Jay Lightnin' (2014) and Samantha Morgan (2006). In 2015 the Indian Motorcycle company chose the American Motor Drome Company to preview the new 2015 Indian Scout by putting it on their wall along with the 1926 and 1927 Indians that were regularly used in their show. The newest wall of death show in the United States is the 'Wild Wheels Thrill Arena' which will be performing in the Traditional Style of the Carnival Midway Shows.
This act also became popular in the United Kingdom, and often is seen at fairs. In the 2000s, there remain only a few touring walls of death. "The Demon Drome", "Messhams Wall of Death" and the "Ken Fox Troupe". These acts feature original American Indian motorcycles which have been in use since the 1920s. A similar act called the "Globe of Death" has the riders looping inside a wire mesh sphere rather than a drum. This form of motorcycle entertainment had a separate and distinct evolution from carnival motordromes and derived from bicycle acts or "cycle whirls" in the early 1900s.
On 28 March 2016, Guy Martin (successful Isle of Man TT Racer) set the world record for the wall of death. He reached a speed of during a live broadcast Guy Martin's Wall of Death on UK television Channel 4.The world record was set in a wall of death of 37 meters diameter, special-built for this attempt.
India
In India, the show is also known as the Well of Death ( (maut kā kuām̥), (maut dā khūh)) and can be seen in the various melas (fairs) held across the country. Apart from motorcycles, the act may also feature other vehicles such as automobiles, as performed regularly in Adilabad in India since 2005.
The show involves a temporary cylindrical structure about 25 feet high and 30 feet in diameter, or wider when cars are to be involved, built of hardwood planks. The audience stands upon the platform built around the circumference of the structure and gazes down into the well where the motorcyclists or cars drive.