24-year-old graphic design student Decio Lourenco of Cape Town, South Africa, hit the headlines earlier this year when he rode his skateboard down Kloof Nek Road in Cape Town at insanely high speeds - at one point hitting 68 mph and triggering a speed camera. I know that road very well, having driven it umpteen times over many years, so I can only doff my hat to the courage - or foolhardiness - of anyone prepared to tackle its steep slopes and tight turns on a skateboard. I recommend watching the video in full-screen mode.
Mercedes-Benz South Africa decided to make use of his skills, and the publicity surrounding them, by recruiting him for an advertisement highlighting the performance of their sporty A45 AMG model. They took Decio and the car to the Franschhoek Pass, another South African road I know very well. Over three days camera crews filmed the skateboarder and the car chasing each other down the pass, producing this extended advertisement that I find very attractive as a piece of 'performance art'. Again, full-screen mode is recommended.
Kudos to Decio Lourenco for his amazing skills, and to Mercedes-Benz South Africa for having had the sense to see an opportunity like this and make the most of it.
Peter
