Thrills On Two Wheels For Mother Of Twins

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Ilia Iryani Shuib shows off a stunt on her motorcycle. (Bernama pic)KUALA LUMPUR: Just mention a motorcycle stunt, and 33-year-old mother of twins Ilia Iryani Shuib can do it – whether wheelies, stoppies, doughnuts, drifts, jet-skis, stopper stands, high chair stoppies or burnouts
Selangor-born Ilia Iryani’s interest began a decade ago: while a student of marine biology at Universiti Sains Malaysia, she used to dabble in organising motoring events
The RK-M motorcycle chain agreed to be a sponsor and arranged for stunts to be performed. “They also asked me if I’d be interested to be part of the act and were willing to show me the ropes, despite me not having any basic skills in motorcycle stunts. Why not”Something that began ‘for fun’ and as a hobby turned into a real passion and became a daily routine
In the first six months, she kept it from her parents as she did not want them to have anxiety attacks over her safety. “I only told my sister who accidentally blurted out to our father about having a free ticket to a Grand Prix race in Sepang and said that I would be in action too,” said Ilia, the third of six siblings
Ilia Iryani Shuib performs a wheelie on her motorcycle. (Bernama pic)It was tough for her parents to accept it at first but after watching her manoeuvres, they gave her the green light and encouraged her to use that as a platform to showcase her skills
“They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the way I went about my business, always in my safety attire and following procedures,” explained the tough cookie who performed stunts in the box-office flick, Adnan Sempit 2
Relieved to have secured her parents’ blessings, Ilia took a professional course for six months on Honda EX5 and Yamaha Lagenda motorcycles
She married former stunt colleague Muhammad Amierul Hasraf, 25, in 2017. Ilia could not have asked for a more supportive husband, who is also her trainer
The sport is a tall order but with her husband’s guidance and the help of YouTube videos, movies and television, Ilia is confident of improving her skills and talent
One of her sweetest moments was when she and her husband were asked to perform stunts together in Singapore for a recording of a commercial
Maintaining her image with a headscarf, Ilia said that has never stopped her from performing dangerous acts as she would put on a full face helmet, safety suit and knee and elbow pads during training or actual performance
“Training is vital because every single stunt needs to be mastered properly. A single mistake can be costly,” said Ilia, who trains twice a week. - FMT

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