World Champion stunt rider, Chris Pfeiffer, has died aged 51

CHRIS Pfeiffer, it has been reported, died last week aged 51 following a battle with depression.

Pfeiffer was a stunt rider of international notoriety, and had retired from professional, competitive stunt riding back in 2016. Before that, he had established a 20-year career which featured numerous successes. 

Pfeiffer won the Red Bull Hare Scramble four times, and added a number of other trophies and championship victories - including in trials and motocross - to those triumphs over his long career, but German outlet Speedweek reported yesterday (15 March 2022) that Pfeiffer had lost his battle with depression, and taken his own life at the age of 51.

Speedweek report that according to Pfeiffer’s wife, Renate, Chris had endured a long struggle with depression, and he had relapsed in “recent months”.

He became celebrated as one of the greatest motorcycle stunt riders in the world, but before that Pfeiffer was a motocross racer, in which discipline he became the German youth champion in 1985, and a trials and enduro rider, where he found much of his competitive successes.

Although Pfeiffer’s early ambition was to become motocross world champion, he became engrossed by bike control and performing tricks and stunts, which took him to the enduro and stunt riding routes. Since we are talking about a rider who grew up in the late 20th century, it goes without saying that many of the skills Pfeiffer learned in his early years of stunt riding he taught himself, or found hints from magazines. The internet was not the tool for creatives it is now. 

Auto Evolution writes that Pfeiffer performed stunt shows in an estimated 94 countries around the world, including tours of such places as India. 

Lead image courtesy of Auto Evolution.