Torres Family

  Highlights: 

• The Torres Family has raced professionally on motocross circuits throughout Latin America.   

• The Torres Family performs with 8 motorcycles in a 16-foot steel sphere, where speeds can reach up to 65 mph. 

• Whistle blowing and revving their engines cues each rider to embark upon a set pattern, or path of trajectory inside the 16-foot steel globe. 

Imagine a 16-foot steel globe with not four, not six, but EIGHT motorcycles orbiting around at 65 miles per hour. Impossible? Not for this thrill seeking family from Paraguay. The Torres Family led by Ariel Torres first joined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® for the 133^rd Edition and have been a perennial fan favorite with their record-shattering performances ever since. 

Motocross is a popular sport for kids in Paraguay, and the Torres were no exception. The family raced  professionally in many motocross circuits that thrived in Latin America.  While visiting Argentina the family got their first glimpse of the imposing contraption that would change their lives forever. A fellow motocross competitor and friend who also performed for a local circus had an act that included a steel globe with motorcycles racing around inside.  As soon as the family laid eyes on the act they were hooked immediately.  “It was a lot like being on a motocross course condensed into a 16-foot, spherical space,” explains troupe leader Ariel Torres. 

Within a year the Torres family had learned and perfected the act and was invited to perform in popular Latin circuses, including Circo Nacional de España, Circo Hermanos Muños, Circo del Sol and Circo Tejedos. The troupe has also appeared on well known television programs in both Argentina and their native Paraguay. 

Now with more than 15 years of experience, the act has evolved with faster speeds, more motorcycles and complex maneuvers.  The Torres family describes their technique inside the globe as “very much like what pilots do in an air show.”  Blowing a whistle and revving their engines to cue one another, each rider embarks upon a set pattern. Once the riders are in motion, maintaining constant speeds (which can reach up to 65 miles per hour), distance from one another is critical.  Still, when they are inside the globe they are “completely focused on where everyone else is and are making constant, micro second adjustments.” Although the Torres family admits that being in the globe can be unnerving at times, they find confidence by feeding off the audiences energy and applause.  To them this is not just a job, it is their life, their passion, and love for motorcycles that really drive them to give the best performance they can.