Lauren
"Bumps" Willert, for all his skill, can thus be called a "Big
Wheel", and when we say he went straight for four years before he really
began to enjoy his work it's the not to imply Bumps had a difficult time
adjusting to society.
Bumps is a 32-year-old auto show daredevil from Tipton, Iowa and next week will begin his
16th season with the Midwest cast of the Joie Chitwood Thrill show. The show is billed as the "Legion of
World's Greatest Daredevils" and after watching Bumps perform last summer
at the Minnesota State Fair we'll go along with that tag.
Willert’s bag is
driving in a circle - normally on an asphalt racetrack - and on only two
wheels. Now we've seen some of this action on some of the corners coming off
First Avenue in Cedar Rapids, but it was totally unrehearsed and not for a
prolonged length of time.
Bumps is good,
in fact, he’s so proficient that he held the world record until this year of 2
and 5/16 miles on two wheels. That’s without stopping or falling.
He's also
appeared for the last seven years in the Tournament of Thrills at Las Vegas
Bumps and his
"two-wheeler" (he'll use a Chevy II this year after a Camaro in 1967)
have thrilled crowds throughout the country, and the world, for that matter.
But it wasn't always by going around in a circle.
“For about four
years I didn't think there was any way to turn the car," Bumps said.
"I stumbled on to the trick by almost upsetting the car."
Willert first
explained there was no secret to keeping a car up on two wheels after he came
off a sloped starting ramp.
“Everything has
a balancing point,” he said. “It’s all in the front wheel. Then, although the
fans can't see me doing it, I'm constantly turning the steering wheel back and
forth to maintain the balance. My speed is 22 to 25 miles per hour.
“One day I
turned too hard to the right and the car started to fall. I quickly turned the
wheel hard to the right and then slowly back to the left and that's when I
learned I could turn left in a circle."
Is it hard on
tires? You bet it is.
According to
Bumps, he uses regular car tires and a set's (two) life expectancy is only 1-1/2
miles.
“When you get
past 1-1/2 miles you're on borrowed time," laughed the 6-1, 220- pound
daredevil. "I've had tires blow four different times but I always came
down right side up. If you're turning left, though, you're gone and the car
will get messed up pretty good."
Bumps doesn't
feel his job requires a lot of intestinal fortitude, "just an ability to
think. I have a lot of respect for the car and I get butterflies before each
performance, but I'm not afraid."
He also does
precision driving for the crowd-pleasing crash scenes. Those are rare, however,
and only done to keep in practice in case he's needed. In either role, Bumps
has never suffered even a scratch. And don't forget that includes 16 years in
the business.
Bumps says
Tipton is regarded as the "thrill show capital of the world."
What other city
can match the claim of 37 performers in a thrill show at one time or another?
All have been connected with the Chitwood organization and Bumps admits he had
some influence on all of them. Two of them, John Bails and Wayne Drumbarger,
are still with the show.
One of Bumps’
fondest memories involves the late Abe Saperstein, the founder of the Harlem
Globetrotters. Abe started a Trans-World thrill show to tour Europe
behind the Trotters in 1955.
Bumps was signed
to go, even though he was only 19 at the time. This created a problem.
You can't go
abroad as a minor unless you're with a parent or guardian. Okay, you guessed
it. Saperstein took out legal guardianship papers on Bumps.
“I was
thrilled,” said Willert. “We were going to make some pretty good money. Then
Abe told me, 'you know as your guardian all I have to provide is room and
board, don't you? You’ll be working for nothing.
“He was only
kidding, but it scared me for a moment. It was a wonderful trip and the first
time we performed there were 92,000 watching us in a London
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