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STUNT

Austrian stuntman breaks world fire records

On an overcast Saturday evening by a Styrian mountain lake, Austrian stunt performer Joe Tödtling broke two world records -- longest drag behind a galloping horse (500m), and longest drag behind a quad bike (582m) -- both while on fire.

Published: 28 June 2015 22:10 CEST
Austrian stuntman breaks world fire records
Photo: Paul Gillingwater

The stunt required meticulous training and preparations.  Tödtling armored himself with iron plates on his elbows and knees, then was swaddled in layers of protective clothing and fireproof gel.


Photo: Owen Kilgour

He then held on to a rope which was then dragged along by a horse at full gallop, for a distance of 500m, having been doused in accelerant and set alight by his stunt coordination team.

After traveling nearly half way around the scenic Teichalm mountain lake in front of a crowd of enthusiastic locals and safety professionals, Joe then reversed direction, holding on to a tow rope being dragged by a quad bike.

In an exclusive interview with The Local, Joe revealed that this was to be his last attempt at a world record stunt, after a long conversation with his wife.

Tödtling completed another stunt world record in his home town of Passail in March 2015.

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SWEDEN

Swedish town on Norway border pulls Gotland sign stunt

A sign company in Strömstad on Sweden's border with Norway has changed road signs across the town to read "Gotland" in a light-hearted protest at Norway's refusal to allow its citizens to come across the border to shop at its border stores.

Published: 18 June 2020 23:24 CEST
Swedish town on Norway border pulls Gotland sign stunt
One of the swapped signs in Strömstad. Photo: Jenny Åslund
The island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea is currently the only region in Sweden to which Norwegians are allowed to travel for leisure purposes under the new rules for travel in the Nordics introduced last week. 
 
 
On Thursday morning signs popped up where the name Strömstad had been replaced with the name and anchor symbol of Gotland, while mock-ups of ordinary municipal road signs had also been changed to read “Gotland”. 
“Now the Norwegians who come can take a photo of themselves next to the sign and send it home as evidence,” Torbjörn Hallström, from the town's sign company Texthuset told Swedish state broadcaster SVT. 
 
He said his friends had come up with the idea, but it had been his company who enacted the stunt. 
 
“It was me and my son who did it,” he admitted. “When this thing with Gotland happened, a mate said 'you should get some signs up', but I thought I couldn't really do that. But then someone else came and said more or less the same thing, so this morning we just went and did it!” 
 
 
Strömstad's economy is heavily dependent on Norwegians driving  across the border to stock up on sweets, snus tobacco, alcohol, and other goods which are cheaper than in Norway. 
 
Kent Hansson, a country councillor told SVT that he thought the stunt was “fantastically funny”. 
 
“It's probably significantly safer for Norwegians to go to Strömstad than to go to Gotland. We've got hardly any Covid-19 here at all,” he said. 
 
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