Meet Petrol Pedro: The 3-year-old stunt biker joining his family circus team

The circus has arrived at Lincolnshire Showground for the rest of the year, and the headline maker is a three-year-old stunt biker who hits ramps wearing his helmet, gloves, and a dummy to match.

Planet Circus arrived for its first show at Lincolnshire Showground on Sunday, December 12, running until the New Year with daily shows apart from on Christmas Day itself.

The new star attraction is three-year-old Pedro Pavlov, known as the UK’s youngest stunt rider, whose parents Emilia and Brody, from Market Rasen, organise the circus each year.

Pedro has always been crazy about bikes, owning five in the 18 months he has been interested in them. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Pedro has always been a bit of a daredevil from the moment he could walk. His mum Emilia told The Lincolnite that he was “jumping off sofas” and was always “fearless”.

“We got him a balance bike for his second birthday and couldn’t believe how quickly he picked it up. After not being able to get him off it for six months we bought him a little electric bike and again he was obsessed.

“Pedro went to a few tracks with his friends and enjoyed it so much, he’s had five bikes in 18 months now.”

Pedro with his dad Brody (left) and the other stunt riders at Planet Circus. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Pedro is yet to do any major stunts on stage for Planet Circus, just going over a few small ramps and joining in at the end to dance around or ride his bike.

You may wonder how it feels to see your toddler son take on something as daring as stunt riding, and Emilia says it isn’t easy at times.

A fearless child at heart, Pedro conquers what most people many years his senior cannot. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

She said: “I get nervous of course because there’s nothing I can do once he’s out there, he just gives me a fist bump and a cuddle and then is off on his way.

“He always talks about when he can next go on his bike, he lives and breathes it. I understand when people can’t believe it, I’ve seen some look over at him riding around with a dummy in asking ‘did I really just see that?'”

Planet Circus will be at Lincolnshire Showground until early January. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Emilia has been involved in Planet Circus her whole life after following in her parents’ footsteps, and she confidently stated that she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I had other options in my life but this just suits us all better, I wouldn’t change it for the world and we all love doing it”, she said.

Always ready for action! | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The business was put on a back burner last year due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdowns, but Emilia told us there was never a doubt in her mind that Planet Circus would return.

She told The Lincolnite: “We were always confident that it would come back. It was a real struggle with the pandemic as many of us ran out of money, we rely so heavily on being able to move all over the country for our show.

“The council have been great with us so far and we’re really looking forward to bringing this show to Lincoln, as we get back to doing what we do best and putting smiles on faces.”

It’s showtime at Lincolnshire Showground! Planet Circus has arrived. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Part of Pedro’s next steps as a stunt rider involve his practice in the ‘Globe of Death’, which is a round cage which bikers ride inside to loop vertically and horizontally.

The record for the youngest Globe of Death rider in the UK is currently held by none other than Pedro’s uncle Peter, who took his nephew into the globe to help him practice.

Pedro may be small, but his heart and bravery are very big! | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Peter was eight when he became the youngest, and with Pedro not turning four until April, he has plenty of time to hone his craft and break that record.

Planet Circus runs at Lincolnshire Showground from December 12 to January 3, offering 2-3 shows a day, and tickets are available online starting from £8.

At the show you can expect all the classic circus traditions, including trapeze acts, clowns, bike jumping and hula hoopers.

You can follow Pedro’s progress on his Instagram page and for more information on the show, visit the Planet Circus website.