Riding a motocross calls for specific characteristics: vigor, steadiness and minimum body weight. When it comes to Freestyle Motocross (FMX), however, the ingredients differ.
Versatility, flexibility and ultimate boldness seem to be the main components, coupled with a penchant for flying high and an ability to entertain a crowd of several thousands.
Twelve riders from nine different countries electrified an audience of 18,000 fans last Saturday at London’s historical Battersea Power Station. On any given day, the station that once fueled a fifth of London’s power is lifeless. But on that particular Saturday, it was brought back to life; the course was similar to that of a bullfight: electrified and ready for battle.
The iconic station, featured on Pink Floyd’s 1977 album, Animals, and used as a guide for pilots on their way home during WWII, housed the fifth stop and world tour finale.
From Mexico City and Calgary Stampede Park in Calgary, Canada to Texas, Spain and finally the UK, the world’s top riders dazzled with speed and aerobatic stunts in a fight for the world’s best FMX rider title.
The riders held their bikes and flared-up, sometimes reaching 40 feet, making it seem like it’s the easiest of sports. Every rider plays out a choreography of tricks, bearing names as crazy as Kiss of Death, Cliff Hanger and Lazy Boy.
They flip and swirl – whipping their bikes and tossing their bodies in the air, kicking their feet and extending their arms, defying laws of gravity – and somehow manage to artfully land on their two-wheel bikes, untiringly, preparing for their next trick.
The first part of the event featured the bottom six, drawn from a qualifying round the previous day. They took the field for a 90-second run to impress a heated audience and to convince a set of six judges they should move on to round two.
Only the first and second placed riders stay for the next round to compete with the top six world champions. The bottom four get to sit-out and watch the rest of the championship.
Round two is a one-on-one round where the eight top riders are divided in sets of two. In each set, every player takes the field by storm; if they succeed, they make it to the semi-finals.
The semi-final rounds sees the top four from round two competing against each other, with the top two winners then fighting in a final run for the crown.
Seventeen-year-old Levi Sherwood enthralled a sold-out venue with his solid-gold extensions and mid-air suavity. He was carried from one round to the other by a cheering crowd and a personal determination to make it to the finish line.
The “Rubber Kid , distinguished not just for his young age but his unparalleled flexibility, made it to the final round by coming in second place in London after losing against world champion Nate Adams from the United States.
Sherwood came first in the world tour’s first stop in the Mexican capital, his first participation in a Red Bull X-fighters competition. He occupies the sixth place in the overall competition.
Nate Adams secured this year’s crown in a stunning final round that was the most entertaining display in the competition. Nate is quick on his bike, rushing from one trick to the other. Scoring a home win in Fort Worth, Texas, Adams was once named the best FMX rider on the planet by the legendary Travis Pastrana.
“I’m kinda numb and shocked, Adams told media after his win. “The pressure was huge; it’s a great feeling to win against the best riders in the world, said the 25-year-old.
Adams came first in both London and the overall championship.
Japan’s Eigo Sato is the world number three FMX rider. Although he was elbowed out during round two in London, he delivered a stellar performance throughout this year’s competition, coming in second place in both Mexico and the US.
The 30-year-old samurai is most noted for his strong, confident tricks. “It’s simple; I just love jumping.
“What I like about X-fighters is that we have to entertain the people; the audience must have fun, Sato told Daily News Egypt prior to London’s competition.
Red Bull’s X-fighters was brought to life in 2001 in Valencia’s bullfighting arena in Spain, when avid fans gathered to watch some of the world’s best freestylers rule the air. The event took the world by storm in 2005 hosting its first international competition in Plaza de Toris in Mexico City. It was 2007 that witnessed the first world tour with stops in Mexico, Ireland and Spain.
Red Bull Egypt is considering hosting one of the X-fighter 2010 stops. If things go as planned, the world’s best freestyle bikers will lure audiences at a spectacular performance at the bottom of the Sphinx. Last April, four professional FMX riders gave an enthralling performance in front of the Pyramids as part of Red Bull X-fighters world tour.
