UR: What is your opinion on the stunt community and what is going on with it right now?

TL: I think there are two different sides: there's the side that still wants to be reckless and crazy on the streets, causing havoc and stuff like that. We've got another side that is going into this great path of making money and representing ourselves wisely and there are a lot of great riders that are making great things happen for the sport. I see that the pro riders are starting to take over, and kids just want to take over the streets.

UR: So, you just returned from China. Could you talk a little about how that came to happen?

TL: I have been on two so far, on the first trip I was with the Vertical Mischief Crew and Ryan S, a great guy and awesome rider. He ended up teaching me so much about dealing with people from overseas. He came to Florida one day and said "Hey, do you want to go to China with me?" I said "Of course!" Who wouldn't want to go overseas and do what you love to do? Then it turned out that Ryan was going back again. When he unfortunately suffered a really bad accident and lost his leg below the knee cap and fractured a femur, I was contacted by the promoters and they said "We need somebody. Have you already booked shows? Would you be interested?" This is a week before I had to leave. I was going to be gone for two and a half months; I was missing my birthday, my grandma's birthday, a family reunion...Thanksgiving. It's one of those things that was like, "Wow, am I going to get to go again?" This time it was an Asian tour which was probably over 150 shows. It was amazing, probably the best thing I have ever done.

UR: Did you get the opportunity to do anything that you never thought you would do?

TL: Well, there were many things there that you could do, that in the states you would be spending millions. I had everything set up, I had my stunt bike set up, I had my road racing bikes set up. I had all the gear I could ever think of. When I said, "Hey, I would like to try rally car racing," they put me in a brand new rally car! When I said I could drift, they gave me a car and said "Go drift." Unlimited tires, unlimited gas, unlimited bikes, cars, everything. I drove Bentleys, I drove Ferraris, I drove an Aston Martin which was one of seven that were made for the James Bond movie.

UR: Yeah, you can't touch or get near one of those here.

TL: Nobody here is going to let a 23 year old jump in a car like that! It was amazing to be able to drive anything I wanted...Porsches...whatever!

R: Some other highpoints of the trip?

TL: I got treated like a rock star! Hong Kong is probably the ritziest spot, it's probably like going to Italy or France, lights everywhere...it's like Vegas or New York, everything thrown into one, just amazing how crazy it is. Then you go out to old China, like Shanghai, where I did a lot of shows, and we pretty much got stalked. I had to get a bodyguard from the manager, and sometimes the crowds would get so amazingly scary, to the point where you felt like you could get trampled by people. I mean, you would have to duck out the side or push your way through, like a rock star, was pretty much how it was.

UR: Tony, what has been going on since your return and what are your plans for 2008?

TL: I have a full year scheduled. I just witnessed the birth of my new son, Logan Anthony Levesque, so that was really amazing!

UR: Congratulations!

TL: Thanks, I am trying to work around that and do a lot of more family stuff, and I want to work on my family as much as my career at this point. This year I get to go to Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore...just all over the world this year. I got a couple months off so I can be with my family. And, we are planning another Asia tour this year in October, and hopefully Ryan S will be back on tour with his prosthetic leg. We started a fund for him, www.helpryans.com, to help raise money for him.

UR: Cool! You got some people that you would like to say thanks to?

TL: Definitely. Seminole Power Sports; they are awesome and have put a lot of trust and money into me. They are there for me, they are the best and have supported me. 1infastfun.com is my brand new sponsor, and again, they are with Seminole Power Sports.

And of course, Full Throttle Inc., Naarden sport bike products. Chris, he's another great guy; when I call and need something, he's right there. Ogio bags. Craft helmets have kept me safe; I probably went through a hundred of them with all the wrecks I have had so far. Freestyle Ingenuity cages, Racing Media Services, FMF, Stomp Grip, HEL Preformance Brakes, DGGraphics and Monster Energy Drinks.

UR: We wish Tony the best of luck with his family and all his travels and new opportunities. He is definitely a class act that the stunt community should be glad to have around.



Written by Mark "Pepper" LeClaire, Urban Rider Magazine

Photo courtesy TLStunts.com