DUBAI: British motorcyclist Sam Sunderland has ditched his usual surroundings of deserts and off-road racing to film a promotional clip from atop the Burj Khalifa.
As part of a short film titled “Yalla,” released on Friday in a joint collaboration between Dubai Tourism and Red Bull, Sunderland is filmed climbing to the top of the world’s tallest tower in his full riding gear.
The 34-second clip, posted on Red Bull’s German account (@redbullGER), shows Sunderland ascending a metal ladder and footage from a helicopter shows him standing on top of Dubai’s best-known landmark.
In the clip, a voice can be heard telling the Red Bull biker: “You are now the highest person on a manmade structure.”
Dubai-based Sunderland responds: “It’s incredible, I’m not the kind of guy to get scared and freak out, but I feel scared.”
The clip ends with a still image of Sunderland, with outstretched arms posing for a photograph.
Sunderland, 32, told www.redbull.com that climbing the Burj Khalifa was “petrifying.” He explained how he and two assistants took the elevator to the 160th floor, two or three hours ahead of sunrise, then climbed a ladder for around 90 minutes until they reached the top.
Sunderland, who won the 2017 edition of the gruelling rally, leads the overall bike standings by two minutes and 38 seconds over 2018 winner Matthias Walkner of Austria.