Pro Stock Biker Peggy Llewellyn Goes Hollywood
NHRA Pro Stock Bike competitor Peggy
Llewellyn has taken a slight resume-enhancing
detour on her way back to full-time NHRA racing,
and it doesn't involve another racing series:
she has signed on as the technical advisor for
FourWinds/Adrenaline Entertainment's feature
film Seven Second Barrier, currently in
production. The film centers around a racer
coming to terms with her father's death in a
racing crash by racing his bike and shooting for
the world record he died chasing.
"I'm nervous and excited at the same time,"
Peggy said about her new job, in an email to
producer/director Pete FourWinds, who also
co-wrote the script. She also promotes the film
on her website's message board, firmly
professing her support for a film which "shows
you real racing, not stuntmen on a bike," a
reference to her disappointment in the treatment
of motorcycle racing in Biker Boyz, a recent
feature film dealing with the sportbike world's
version of illegal street racing.
After trying for nearly a year to sell the
script, FourWinds decided to pull it from the
market in favor of directing it himself,
something which would've been nearly impossible
as an unknown director if he'd sold the
screenplay. Several months ago, in an effort to
generate interest in his vision, he began
contacting several drivers and teams, and
Llewellyn happened to be the one who responded.
The crossing of their paths couldn't have been
better timed, as she was just ramping up to
return to the Texas Shootout Series on her way
back to the NHRA.
Earlier this week their business relationship
became official when FourWinds formally offered
Llewellyn the position of technical advisor on
his crew. The terms of the agreement are
undisclosed, but Pete FourWinds has stated that
he is writing, producing, and directing a Peggy
Llewellyn television spot and promotional video
as a side project. A longtime motorcyclist,
FourWinds has stated that he'll be performing
much of the riding himself, and he has expressed
his hope of convincing Llewellyn to stand in as
the lead character's riding double.
"How cool would it be for me, a racing nobody
who's never even sat on a Pro Stock Bike, to go
up against a professional who's raced at PSB's
top level? These are some of the fastest race
bikes in the world," he said, clearly showing
his child-like enthusiasm for the project.
Jennifer Nathan, the film's co-writer and
casting director, who happens to be Pete's
fiancée, offered her somewhat point-blank views.
"Pete is solely responsible for the business
aspects of this project, except for the fact
that we share final casting decisions, but I
think it's very cool that he found a
professional driver who's so supportive of this
film. And, she's a chick! That's way cool."
Seven Second Barrier is a rare look into the
vastly underexposed world of professional
motorcycle drag racing, but Pete FourWinds tends
to shy away from comparisons to other pro racing
films such as Days of Thunder and Driven, as
well as other films dealing with drag racing,
such as The Fast and the Furious and its sequel
2 Fast 2 Furious, as well as the aforementioned
Biker Boyz.
"They're all good movies, and I'm certainly
not calling my film better, just different. Days
of Thunder and Driven are ABOUT racing and
reaching goals IN racing. The Fast and the
Furious films center around a criminal plotline
and take place among ILLEGAL drag racers, and
Biker Boyz is really just a showcase of
motorcycle stunts. Peggy raised a good point to
me: who really wants to do a handstand on a 200
mile-an-hour Pro Stock Bike?" he said.
More information on the production status of
the film can be obtained by writing to
pete@petefourwinds.com or by logging on to
WEBSITE.
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