Aaron Colton freestyles his way through Manila

MANILA, Philippines - While living in the fast lane may prove uncharacteristic of us Filipinos, what with the bumper-to-bumper journey across EDSA, one person proves that all it takes is a revving spirit partnered with a good engine to jumpstart a rapid ride.

Recently, Red Bull Philippines pulled out all the stops to bring in one of the most celebrated Street Freestyle riders in the world. Taking his soaring success as an example, a two-wheel drive could very well solve our traffic woes while providing quite a hefty mileage of fun and adrenaline-pumping adventure along the way.

Twenty-two-year-old Aaron Colton already has a decade of professional riding experience under his helmet. Ditching his training wheels at just 12, Colton has reigned as the youngest XDL National Riding Champion since he was 15. Since then, Colton has bagged countless other trophies, and has never been lower than third place on every track he sets his bike on.

“I don’t necessarily always look forward to going to competitions or competing,” Colton says. “But I’ve been competing since I was 13 years old, so I’ve had so many years and so many different styles of competition. So by now, there’s a different mindset going into it. And it’s funny, because once I show up, I just know I don’t want to finish behind the top. Because that’s the part where it’s not fun! I hate to say it like that, but there are some competitors who still enjoy it regardless of the result, but when you’re at a certain level for so long, it’s not fun not to be on top.”

Spoken like a true pro, but when exchanging banter with this long-locked straphanger, with his childish giggles and amiable attitude, one is quick to note that despite the 190 km/h speed record, he keeps his feet firmly on the ground.

“I think that one thing that people do forget is that it’s actually a job and a career. There are a lot of things that need to be considered. There’s the mechanics, there’s the train, the practice, the riding, the upkeep, the physical. And the one thing is that you have to take this seriously. There are also a lot of things to think about like when you’re going to compete, what events you’re going to do and things like that.” Colton speaks about his regimen like a rocket scientist bound for Mars, but in reality, this Minnesota-born and LA-bred biker pushes the limits of his mad motorcycling skills along the lines of motocross, trials, road racing, flat track, ice racing, stunt riding, to even watercraft.

“I guess for me I didn’t necessarily ever consider it a risky sport,” he muses. “For me, it was what I knew. So for me, knowing that it wasn’t something risky, as if I may have waited a couple of years, then maybe it would’ve been a risky situation. But at this point, I understand the risks of it, but I don’t consider it an actively dangerous sport. I take the precautions, I wear the proper gear, I use my head, and I think that I just have a more extreme job than everyone else.”

This “extreme job” includes being one of Red Bull’s impressive roster of athlete ambassadors, joining the ranks of BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner, surfer Mick Fanning, windsurfer Alice Arutkin, and skier Lisa Zimmerman, all peddling the same extreme, euphoric effect of daredevil sports. And part of Aaron Colton’s occupational hazard, as if it were not enough, was to have his passport stamped around the world, and getting people to ride on their motorbikes — wheelies, stoppies, and burnouts included.

“Some people ask, ‘How do you deal with all this travel?’ I kind of reverse the question: ‘How can you not travel this much?’ It’s such an amazing experience. I won’t really trade it for anything,” Colton admits, be it in a continental motocross across the US or a leisure trip to one of our archipelago’s choice island paradises.

During his first trip to the Philippines, Colton brought his manager/ significant other of two years along for what, he believes, was easily one of the best trips of his life.  â€œI took Daniella here for her birthday last September. We came to Manila and we actually planned on going to Puerto Princesa, but when we got here, we actually changed our minds a little bit because we had breakfast with the Red Bull team. And they convinced us to go to Boracay for five days, and we had such a great time. Then we got back to Manila, we spent another day and a night in Manila and it was such a great experience.”

They didn’t necessarily go to the Philippines to make a tour out of it, but after spending some time here, Colton started to think, “It would be a great place to receive my riding and the whole motorcycle culture. So, nine months later, we’re back in the Philippines with a full-on tour and it’s great.”

The tour, organized by Red Bull Philippines, took Colton to the frenzied streets of Eastwood, Capitol Commons, Makati Avenue, and the Fort Strip for a taurine-fueled exhibition ride that showcased the world’s best stunt rider screeching along in his KTM motorbike. With his grace, efficiency, and well-calculated choreography, it feels like you’re watching a ballet, but a quick inhale of the diesel fumes sends you back on track. 

“I ride in true freestyle, which means I go out and I go with complete passion and flow of freestyle riding and try not to set a regimented specific run of what I’m going to do,” Colton says. “At least I have a base, I know when I need to go off to get the most points, but I don’t want to be a robot. I want it to be fluid, like water, and I want to have the most solid freestyle move that I can have.”

He observes that if you’re riding a motorcycle in the Philippines, you’re a couple of steps ahead of the cars, because being stuck in traffic sucks. “I live in the Sta. Monica-LA area, so I’m familiar with traffic, but traffic here is terrible. So if you’re on a motorcycle, at least you’re going to get somewhere. So it’s a big benefit, and it’s a huge pull-through for how many people are really passionate for motorcycle commuting, which is great for me.”

If beating traffic is not enough to get more and more Filipino riders into the sport, then maybe some plum sponsorship perks can sweeten the deal. Regarding the brand he proudly wears on his helmet, he enthuses, “Red Bull is one of the most revolutionary companies that the world has seen in the last few decades,” Colton says. “It’s great to see that they’re revolutionizing a purchasable item into an absolute lifestyle. And they’re great because they actually care about their athletes. It’s not like they’re just going to support an athlete and put a helmet on them and expect that you do well. They do expect you to do well, but there’s a lot that comes with it. They build a friendship, a partnership. They support you when you’re injured and when at times you’re down, and they try to get you better from there. And they support you when you’re on top, because in the end, they want to grow with you.”

Colton advocates the use of safety gear, which he admittedly cannot live without.  “I think one of the biggest thing people have to understand is there’s nothing not cool about wearing gear. If all the top pros in the world do it, then whatever level you’re on, you should be able to do it as well.“ Colton reminds amateurs and pros alike that no head is hard enough to withstand a concrete crash.

But then, no street is hard enough to stop one’s motoring passion as well. When asked if Filipinos are built for speed, just as he is, Colton says: “There’s a lot of spirit and a lot of heart in your people for them to do a lot of awesome things with motorcycles. And for them, seeing it up close is a great motivator, and it’s really going to snowball in this area. I think that me going around doing this tour, which is my first, but which I do not think will be my last here in the Philippines, is going to cause some hype to get some people involved in my sport, and within motorcycling as a whole.”

Then just like that, we hear the engines revving.