BATTERSEA Power Station has lain mostly dormant for 25 years, but this summer the kraken awakes to the sound and fury of motorbikes performing crazy stunts in front of a near 20,000 crowd.
Popular on LondonNet
The bikes and their riders are part of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour, a motorcross competition that features death-defying tricks and jumps of up to 15 metres. Under the rules of the event, riders are given 90 seconds to impress judges with their skills and bravery.
X-Fighters have been been going since 2001, but this year is the first time London has been included in the global series.
The choice of Battersea Power Station shows that the organisers have an eye for a stunning venue. They’ve already put motorcross into bull rings in Madrid and Mexico City and a stone quarry in Wuppertal, Germany.
Red Bull X-Fighters perform at Battersea on 22 August. Tickets go on sale on 1 June.
Battersea Power Station itself has seen renewal scheme after renewal scheme bite the dust, but hopes are high that the latest project will get underway by 2010. Even then, the development of flats, shops and leisure venues featuring green energy, isn’t likely to be up and running until 2020.
