The Twin Brothers Taking Over Stunt Shows
For 22-year-old brothers Sawyer and Shannon — the twins behind Twinstunts — standing wheelies and synchronized drifting on high-power sportbikes — well, that’s just another Saturday afternoon. But it wasn’t always that easy for the young performers.
Starting Out
Back in 2015 in Valders, Wisconsin — a town Sawyer assured me definitely has more cows than people, the brothers were just two of the best-known action junkies around. Starting on dirt bikes at age five, they easily got into skateboarding, BMX, and pretty much anything else that involved speed and wheels.
Although some might say Sawyer is the more outspoken of the two (also older- but only by 2 hours), it was actually Shannon who got on a bike first. Buying his first stunt bike in 2015 and quickly catching on prompted Sawyer to find his own bike on Craigslist and get started catching up with his brother.
“I was still dirtbiking and he helped me get to where he was,” said Sawyer, “and then we just pushed each other.”
Road America
Before performing with sponsors (notably Quicksilver) at big motorsports events like our Road America race two weeks ago, the guys spent hours driving out of town, camping out in Sawyer’s Honda Civic, and going door-to-door trying to book events. To date, they’ve done between 40–50 events, with 20 of those happening this year alone.
“It’s a pretty big year for us,” said Sawyer, naming the recent Road America performance as his all-time favorite. Being from WI, Road America is home turf for the brothers, and only 25 minutes from their hometown.
“Honestly Road America is by far our favorite, and MotoAmerica in general. It’s the greatest as far as crowd feedback, and we have a lot local fans there — we’re always bringing people there to eat,” remarked Sawyer, referring to the incredible food culture Road America events are known for.
Last year, the guys even competed in the XDL Street Bike Freestyle Championship (sponsored by Quicksilver Lubricants). They went to all four rounds, competing in mini-bike classes, pro classes, and drift limbo events. Despite their growing success, the trip for this was reminiscent of earlier ones they took — driving 36 hours to the Sonoma event in a loaded up Honda with three tents in the back.
Up Next
So what does a Twinstunts show look like? Roughly six bikes (four Yamahas: two MT-09s and two YZF-R3s and two Harleys: a Sportster 1200 and an XR-1200) and a whole lot of coordination. During the roughly half-hour performances, you can expect to see each guy riding all the bikes, and engaging in close-contact stunts that most performers wouldn’t attempt: synchronized drifting, one-footed wheelies, and more.
“It’s a riding level that no one else really has because we ride together every day of the week. It’s something you have to see live,” explains Sawyer. “The twin image-twin vibe is clicking.”
This year will continue to be a big one for the guys, as they alluded to some “pretty big secret stuff” and “announcements as far as brand and team later this summer.”
When asked what inspired them to persevere through the initial grind, Sawyer said, “Locally were some guys in Wisconsin. People ask us to come ride with them, but we realized we were good and just kept hungry.”
Follow Shannon and Sawyer for their latest shows and updates.
Think you’ve got a story that should be featured on our blog? Let us know.
