Roll up, roll up for the Globe of Death

By Joel Ford
What do you get when you put three Brazilian daredevils on motorcycles and let them loose inside a giant steel ball? A sensational circus act, that's what.
The Globe of Death is the star attraction at the Weber Bros La Jester circus at Palm Beach Plaza in Papamoa this year.
The act features three riders on 125cc motorcycles speeding around the tight confines of a metal sphere - at times riding completely upside down. It is the first time the act has come to New Zealand .
The act kicks off with just two bikes but the excitement really builds when the third bike is added. For maximum tension a young girl is also placed in the middle of the globe while the bike riders do their best to avoid her.
"When there are three bikes going it is the best - very exciting," said 21-year-old Ricardo Araujo, who along Michel Kikuchi, 28, and Junior Piris, 24, makes up the Globe of Death team.
Mr Araujo started riding motorcycles 12 years ago. He comes from a family of circus performers, meaning there was very little doubt as to where he would end up using his talents.
"My family have been in the circus for 21 years. My father does an act with sport bikes and my mother is a trapeze artist."
When he is not careering around the Globe of Death, Mr Araujo performs a juggling act for the circus but it's the motorbike spectacular that's his favourite - even if it means a broken bone or two.
"I have broken both my elbows and have had pins in them both. It can be dangerous but I love it."
Marie Weber, who helps manage the circus, said this year's show featured a variety of performers from around the world, including a trapeze act from Canada and a death-defying high chair act from China.
"We have people from all over the world with us. About 60 families are a part of the show. We perform just about everywhere in New Zealand - even in Winton, " she said.
The Weber circus travels to New Zealand every two years, each time bringing a new acts and a new theme. This year the show is based on a medieval theme - La Jester- that blends the old world with the new.
Mrs Weber said the Globe of Death - the show's finale - always leaves the crowd buzzing. "Once you get three bikes in the globe people just don't think it's possible. It's definitely our most spectacular act."
The Weber Bros Circus is staging shows daily until January 14 at Palm Beach Plaza, Papamoa. Phone 0274 996 148 for show times.