Freeridermx issue86 2015

Issue 86 · Dec · 2015

CONFESSIONS OF AN X GAMES VIRGIN FARM JAM It’s Back!

COMPLETING HIS JOURNEY Morgan Gilks

THE BROTHERHOOD PROJECT THE STATE OF PLAY The Ambassadors weigh in

FREE

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FOR FULL RANGE, VISIT GREEF.COM.AU

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ISSUE 86

1

THE MENU WHERE YOU FIND STUFF

QUICK FIX

MOVER & SHAKER

S H A M I S B O R G É D O I N G I T H I S WAY

INDUSTRY PROFILE

2

INJURED SOLDIER

W/ J O E L W H I T A K E R & A L E X S T A A T Z

A A R O N G U T H R I E ’ S B AT T L E

3

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NEW PRODUCTS PRODUCT REVIEW

16

FOX V3 HELMET

25

YOUNG GUNS

T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O F F M X

28

WAIT, WHAT!?

WHO IS DARREN NICHOLLS

30

IN-DEPTH

33

1

COMPLETING HIS JOURNEY

2

THE STATE OF PLAY

THE AMBASSADORS WEIGH IN

38

3

HITTING THE ROAD

LONG WOLF PROJECT

48

4

X GAMES

MORGAN GILKS

CONFESSIONS OF AN X GAMES VIRGIN & REAL MOTO

62

FARM JAM

72

IT’S BACK!

4 HOME STRETCH

THE BROTHERHOOD PROJECT A FREERIDER MX CLOTHING T H E FMX 101 P A R T PARTING SHOT

THREE

VIDEO PROJECT BY YOU

NEW RANGE DROPS

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EDITOR Andre Albert - andre@nolimitsmedia.com.au DESIGN Troy Cochrane - facebook.com/TroyDesigns86 FREERIDER MX ISSUE 86 · COVER

PUBLISHER Nic Blair - nic@nolimitsmedia.com.au SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR Johnny Bonnar CONTRIBUTORS Alex Staatz, ThatKimmyChick, Alex McNulty, Ryan Brown, Pete Anderson, D’Arcy Morris, Josh Penner, Truman Carroll, Ashley Breed, Jay Schweitzer, Simon Makker, Jarryd McNeil CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Normally the cover shot is pulled from a feature article to wet your appetite when you see the mag sitting obediently on the newsagent shelf waiting to be taken home in eager hands. But seeing as this is a new format for us, we thought why not mix things up even further.

Whilst putting this mag together, we put the call out to our readers to submit some reader images for the section of the mag entitled exactly that. Jaws dropped and a few tears were shed when this image hit our inbox as a reader submission.

Although a sick image, it wasn’t the image alone that had us all quivery lipped and excited. It was a combination of a few things but ultimately it was the fact that this image encapsulates the essence of freeriding on many levels. We know of Dereck Beckering but for the most part, he is an underground rider. We also know of the lense-man, Jeff Witthans, Jr., but he too is a low profile technician shooting for the love of what he does. There is no glory in this image. It is not at an event nor a competition, it was not an organized shoot for a web or print feature.

It is of a rider and photographer out at their favorite ride spot shooting the shit and hitting some jumps. Even more poignant, this image very clearly captures what The Brotherhood Project is all about. Later in these pages you will read about our video project designed purely to showcase riders from all over the world, freeriding for the love of it – like what you see on this cover. We want to uncover more of this. We want to bring all these riders, filmers and photographers to the world because, put bluntly, this shit is nuts!

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Jeffrey Witthans, Jr, ThatKimmyChick, Might Die Productions, Zan Bergeron, Jay Schweitzer, Johnny Bonnar, Simon Makker, Bri Behlings, Marc Jones, Ben Heidrich, Carson Weibe, Brad Kneebone, Matt Ricketts, Tom Scott, Ray Watterson, Matt Morning/ ESPN Images, Garth Milan/ESPN Images, Kaitlyn Egan/ESPN Images, Christian Pondella/ESPN Images, Gabriel Christus/ESPN Images ADVERTISE IN FREERIDER MX Magazine Advertising Manager: Andre Albert (+61) (0) 401 188 550 AUS andre@nolimitsmedia.com.au MARKETING Marketing Manager: Nic Blair (+61) (0) 422 678 730 nic@nolimitsmedia.com.au Freerider MX Magazine is proudly published by

Company Director - Nic Blair Sales Operations manager - Andre Albert Creative Director - Troy Cochrane Multimedia Designer - Troy Cochrane Proofreader - Johnny Bonnar Production & Digital Content Manager - Andre Albert Administration - Peta Walpole Send contributions to the Editor andre@freeridermx.com We will not hold ourselves responsible for unsolicited contributions.

FRMX will retain reprint rights, contributors retain all other rights for resale and republication.

FRMX is published 4 times a year by No Limits Media. Views expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Copyright is reserved, which means you can’t scan our pages and put them up on your website or anywhere else. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. Email addresses are published for professional communications only.

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Some love it, some despise it but ultimately, change is not a bad thing. In fact, the only constant in life is change.

Those who resist it are often left behind, however those who embrace it stand to reap the rewards of new and exciting possibilities.

We took a time out after our last issue and knew that a change was needed. Our world is evolving at a staggering pace and we’re achieving things that used to be seen only in science fiction movies.

We decided that we need to change our game plan and evolve Freerider MX. We want to use the new digital media capabilities available to us and be a frontrunner in delivering the content you love and expect from us. With social media bringing all kinds of content to users everyday, we know we need to evolve how we engage and interact with the FMX fans around the world and create a product equally as engaging and interactive as digital and social media.

We’re excited about our digital coming of age and all the possibilities it holds.

Before we jump head first into this, our first digital issue, we want to take a moment to thank each and every person who made it possible. As we entered into the unknown, we were blown away by the amount of people who were willing to help us put this magazine together out of sheer love and passion for it and the sport. For this, we dedicate this magazine to each and every one of those people and say a massive ‘Thank you.”

Thanks to these heroes, we welcome you to issue 86 of Freerider MX Magazine.

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QUICK FIX

MOVER AND SHAKER · MIGHT DIE PRODUCTIONS W O R D S · T H AT K I M M YC H I C K P H O T O S · T H AT K I M M YC H I C K & M I G H T D I E P R O D U C T I O N S

MIGHT DIE PRODUCTIONS, WHERE IT ALL BEGAN If you’ve been paying attention to the Australian FMX scene lately, you probably would have heard of Might Die Productions – a local movie and music production company with their own apparel line. MDP was not born overnight and has been ingrained in Aussie FMX for quite some time. Blood, sweat and tears have gone into every aspect of the brand and although it’s been a long ride to get here, the man behind the brand assures us this is just the beginning.

It all started in the early 2000’s with a bunch of mates that were out on their dirt bikes every opportunity they had. When off the bikes, the motocross movies would come out. Watching countless hours of Crusty Demons, Seth ‘The Hard Way’, Moto XXX, A4D and anything of

that nature motivated and inspired them to go even harder on their bikes and go further with their dreams.

This particular group got together and started riding as a crew known as FXT and despite the naysayers, they still

“Creating MDP was his way of showcasing himself as a rider and also as an artist.”

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created buzz in their local area. At that time, Shamis Borge aka “Borgs” was making FXT T-shirts by spray painting over stencils and could often be seen running around with a camera in his hand. Borgs started editing movies using two VCR players and a portable tape player, creating home movies of he and his crew’s antics. As time went on he began to learn about digital editing and started to make movies. Shortly after that, came the production of his ‘Shit load of Stitches’ DVD in 2005 and the ‘FXT Underdogs’ DVD in 2009. After the making of ‘Shitload of Stitches,’ Borgs decided to give his up and coming production company a name and Might Die Productions was born. Creating MDP was his way of showcasing himself as a rider and also as an artist.

Borgs sustained several injuries riding FMX, which prompted him to hang up his helmet and he started focusing more on filming and editing. He wanted to get his work out there and show the world what is possible if you put your mind to it with the only game plan being to go hard or go home. With a positive attitude, solid work ethic and dedication, it wasn’t long before doors started opening for Borgs. He started getting involved in other action and adventure sports such as skydiving, motocross, skateboarding and BMX. Borgs has gone about building a solid base for MDP and has been able to connect with some like-minded people that share his goals to get out in the world, work hard, reach dreams and most importantly, love life.

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Around three-years-ago, Borgs was offered a good opportunity to work as a screen printer and moved on to getting his own printing setup. This move allowed him to be able to make all his own designs and print merchandise in his own backyard, giving him total control from start to finish.

Music has always played a big role in Borgs’s life. Connecting with music through editing movies, Borgs developed a good knowledge of what makes for good musical composition and after recording a few songs as a joke, he found his passion in writing lyrics. This also became a great way to get his message across to his listeners. His music speaks about some real issues and the truth that not everyone wants to talk about. Borgs wanted to make music that took him out of his comfort zone and that pushed him to try new things lyrically and musically.

Ten-years on, Borgs is still doing things his way and has earned Might Die Productions a respectable reputation proving anything is possible if you work hard and believe in yourself. There seems

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to be no sign of slowing down for MDP and Borgs says that he “has never, and will never give up.”

Passion, it’s an admirable thing.

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QUICK FIX

I N D U S T R Y P R O F I L E · J O E L W H I T A K E R & A L E X S T A AT Z O F R I VA L I N K D E S I G N C O .

W O R D S · A N D R E A L B E R T/A L E X S T A AT Z P H O T O S · M AT T R I C K E T T S/ R AY WAT T E R S O N

JOINING FORCES Rival Ink was formed around the basis of incorporating what they do, with how they started. Alex Staatz and Joel Whitaker started as rivals in the custom graphics industry for many years whilst being friends. When they decided to join forces, what better name for their new company than ‘Rival’, as well as being a common aspect of racing. The ‘Ink’ part was easy; this represents the style of printing service they offer, and of course the foundation of being a ‘Design Company’.

Both Joel and Alex come from racing backgrounds with Alex starting his life in motocross at the age of 14 at his local track in Reedy Creek, and Joel racing motocross and supermoto.

In the early days of riding and racing, Alex used to design custom back number plates and stickers for his friends and print them at home, which then progressed into studying graphic design and landing a job as a designer at a custom graphics company in Brisbane. After 3 years working there and learning a lot he decided to step out and attempt to manage a design and graphics company for himself with a business partner. After 2 years, with no real progress, Alex decided to make some changes, and align himself with his true core values and beliefs. “I had known Joel for years and he and I always got along well and shared the same 20 - FRMX 86

passions,” said Alex on his decision to start working with Joel. “We met up and outlined the initial ideas behind Rival Ink which was launched in January 2014.”

Joel has been in the industry a lot longer than Alex, starting Five Three Designs over a decade ago. Initially producing motocross graphics, Five Three Designs has now built a strong corporate cliental within the signage, wrapping, printing and design industry and now services all of Australia.

Alex and Joel created Rival Ink Design Company together, which is dedicated to servicing riders across the globe with a wide range of custom designed graphics products and accessories.

With Alex steering the front end of the ship with customer service, design concepts, website upgrades and more.

Joel looks after the back end from

marketing approvals, current and future growth in all areas, as well as design input. Over the past year and a half the Rival family has grown significantly and they are happy to have such a diverse group of talented people around them including their in house design team and brand ambassadors. The crew at Rival work with FMX athletes Lance Russell, Luke McNeill and Katie Lucas as well national motocross and supercross race team Penrite Wilsons Honda and the DK Bicycles Australia BMX Race Team.

Whether it is athletes at the top of their game or the weekend warrior, their inspiration is drawn from every level of action sports and the rich history behind them.

better, and are aiming to further build on their concepts to motivate and inspire ourselves over in the US as well as back here in Australia,” Alex commented on their plans to take on the USA market.

Both Joel and Alex are driven, young businessmen that ooze passion for what they do and love. This shows in their success and what they have created in such a short period. It’s hard not to get excited when speaking to them about their world, which tells me a few things, but most of all, that these two live and breathe what they do.

Looking to the future, 2016 is set to be a massive year for the guys as they set up a second factory in Corona, California, which is arguably the heart of the motocross world. “We plan to take our Aussie style and personality to the US stage, while still keeping our roots firmly planted in Australian soil. We respect what the American motocross industry has done to elevate our sport for the

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QUICK FIX

INJURED SOLDIER · AARON GUTHRIE WORDS/IMAGES · JOHNNY BONNAR

CAN’T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN I simple mistake. A slight error. A miscalculation.

However you want you want to put it, Aaron Guthrie never imagined he would still be off the bike 12-months after over-jumping his first-hit of the day on October 2 2014.

The standard 75-foot setup was something the Gold Coast-based rider jumped 6-days a week as part of the Stunt Driver 2 show at Movie World and he became so complacent with the ramp that him and fellow riders used to make bets about flipping the jump first go. Only this time a simple straight jump left Azza, as his mates call him, with two badly dislocated and broken wrists. Including a broken radius in his left arm, broken Ulna in his right arm and a severed left Ulna nerve which has left his pinky-finger with limited movement and a permanent awkward bend.

Guthrie knew from the moment he left the ramp that he was going long but he didn’t expect to miss the downramp22 - FRMX 86

tranny completely and he definitely didn’t expect it would change not only his plans for the next 12-months but his future also. “The two-seconds in the air were the longest two-seconds of my life and when I hit it was loud. As soon as I landed I heard my arms snap.

“It was the first jump of the day and I just sent it straight to the bitumen at the bottom. I have had a few injuries before and I didn’t think this was going to be so bad,” Guthrie said.

Well, it was bad. So bad that the first surgeon Guthrie seen told him, “Your hand is done”. But Guthrie was determined to get his arms fixed and wouldn’t stop pestering surgeons until

he found one that was prepared to operate on him. It took the 27-year-old numerous phone calls and appointments with specialists to avoid having his wrists fused. In-fact the injuries were so bad that it took Guthrie meetings with eight surgeons before he found one who would take on the challenge of fixing his arms.

“My surgeon has been [in the business] for 25-years and [he told me] it was one of the three worst he has operated on, it was so damaged”.

The result has been over 10-months in five different sets of plaster, four surgeries by two-different surgeons, foursets of splints and an estimated 90-plus physio appointments to try and re-gain movement.

And although his recovery is nearing the tail end, it is not over yet. Guthrie has remained positive throughout the whole ordeal and dealt with the pain after surgeries but although the breaks were severe, they were not the real issue. They were the main source of the pain but healed as scheduled. The dislocations however proved to be a hassle.

“Simply there is not much I can do about it now. It sucks but it is what it is,” Guthrie explained with a relaxed attitude.

But like most injuries the physical damage is only part of the pain and he said it has affected him in some weird ways, even stopping him from checking social media because he didn’t want to see riding photos.

Even though he understands it is all part of the process he won’t check Instagram on Saturdays because everyone was posting riding photos and videos from their weekend.

He also has a brand new Honda CRF 450 sitting in the shed, hiding under a sheet after he was forced to cover it because he couldn’t stand looking at it.

His arms and hands now show-off numerous scars to remind him of his costly mistake. His left wrist contains eight screws and a plate, while his right wrist houses six grub-screws to lock down synthetic ligaments to avoid it becoming locked.

The synthetic ligaments inserted in his wrists are expected to last 10-15-years before wearing out but have been a key ingredient to prevent him from getting them fused, which is considered a final measure.

The only real positive is the time off has allowed him to spend more time with partner Breanna and become a stay at home Dad with his 2-year-old boy Riley.

“Not too many fathers get to spend that much time with their sons so it has been good investing so much time into him,” he said.

Guthrie said the last 12-months has seen him miss more fun activities than just riding his dirtbike, including an unwanted absence from wakeboarding, but said the thing he has missed the most has been riding with mates and guaranteed he will be back on the bike when his wrists are better.

“I don’t want to finish riding. That is not how I planned to finish my career, by lying on the ground”.

We look forward to seeing Aaron back in the saddle soon.

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QUICK FIX

NEW PRODUCTS

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Regular fit 100% cotton tee with high quality, soft hand feel screen print and Unit woven label.

LKI MENS GRIP IT MUSCLE TANK

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ROCKWELL 50MM, GUNMETAL WATCH 24 - FRMX 86

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RHK PURSUIT FOOTPEGS

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QUICK FIX

PRODUCT REVIEW

FOX 2016 V3 DIVIZION HELMET We all know that protecting your melon is paramount in motocross and when choosing a helmet, there is a multitude of things to consider.

We had Freerider MX Ambassador, Pete Anderson who rides freestyle motocross for the JC Action Sports Yamaha team and who works with the guru’s at MXstore, put the iconic Fox V3 helmet to the test after some recent changes to its protective construction.

I recently made the switch to the Fox 2016 V3 Divizion helmet to protect my little brain when on the bike. Although the V3 has been out for a number of years now, it has had a complete makeover last season, which has lifted the standards of the high-end helmet category yet again.

A number of things have been changed but the key point is the inclusion of MIPS into the EPS liner. To explain, MIPS stands for MultiDirectional Impact Protection System, and EPS is short for Expanded Polystyrene Foam. This is the layer between the outer shell of the helmet and the soft comfort liner on the inside which acts like the crumple zone of a car. The addition of MIPS to the EPS liner means the helmet is better at soaking up impacts from a number of angles.

So at speed if your head comes in contact with the ground the crumple zone will absorb the impact better and slow the deceleration of your brain down inside your head reducing the chances of head injuries and concussion.

The outer shell is a carbon composite mixture, which has had a redesign also, adopting some of the characteristics of the V3’s big brother

full carbon model, the V4. One thing I really like about the shape is the depth of the helmet which now sits a little lower around your jaw line giving the feeling of more protection.

The helmet is super comfy to wear with a soft, plush comfort liner and a super lightweight feel when it’s on your head. Getting the right fitting helmet is easy with the sizing breakdown of this helmet falling across 3 shell and 4 EPS sizes where as many other helmets stick to 2 sizes and just run thicker or thinner padding!

The liner is easily removable for cleaning and to keep the rider cool and comfortable there are a total of 14 intake and 4 exhaust vents to allow for optimal airflow which is key during our hot Aussie summers.

I am very particular in what helmets I run, you only get one brain and I need every bit of mine.

I’m pleased to say after running the new Fox V3’s that I am thoroughly impressed with the effort that has been put into quality and rider safety. To top it off, the colour range available is awesome! You can even get the matching colour to this year’s Fox 360 riding gear to get everything looking on point. All up, I’m a V3 fan.

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QUICK FIX

READER IMAGES

READER IMAGES We reached out to our readers on Facebook to submit their shots. After sifting through dozens of submssions, these were our top pics for this issue.

InstaFrame We don’t know too much about this image other than the rider is Tim Beckner and that it was taken in Anchorage, Alaska by Soren Sieberts. This picture is so good! I feel like Tim is 3000ft up. Image: Soren Sieberts

The hills of Southern California need no introduction. However, some of the riders out there might. Although given they have called themselves the NoNamers, would it be weird to name them? Either way, this shot of Tanner O’Brien got a lot of love in our Instagram feed.

This looks fun as hell! Image:@keaviie_94

Ben Madden sent us this image of him stretching out a clean one at Jayden Bailey’s compound in Tasmania. There is a strong Tassie presence coming up in the game. I’d say this is not the last time you’ll be seeing Ben. Image: Julian Purton

This image stood out to us because it just looks so fun!

Hitting some jumps with your bro’s and having fun with it.

Shawn Lawrence and Ben Hayes working on their syncro game in Cookernup, Western Australia.

Image: Unknown (We asked Ben, who submitted the image, for the name of the photographer but it seems his mind was on the mid air antics and not on who was behind the lense as he doesn’t know who took it!)

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QUICK FIX

YOUNG GUNS - BEN RICHARDS / TOM RICHARDS IMAGES · BEN HEIDRICH

Ben Richards

g

Young Age: 14 Hometown: Wagga Wagga, NSW Australia Years riding FMX: 5 Sponsors: Metal Mulisha, City Coast Motorcycles, Maxima oils, Fist Handwear

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guns

g

Age: 12 Hometown: Wagga Wagga, NSW Australia Years riding FMX: 4 Sponsors: Metal Mulisha, City Coast Motorcycles, Maxima oils, Fist Handwear

Tom Richards

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QUICK FIX

DARREN NICOLLS IMAGES · MARC JONES W O R D S · A L E X M C N U L T Y/ R Y A N B R O W N

The South Australian FMX Championship has been running for three years now and it continues to deliver the goods for the FMX community in Australia. The series brings a blend of up and coming riders as well as some of the top fmx riders in Australia into one place for a great day of riding and competition. There are always a few surprises at each round but none quite as jaw dropping than when the relatively unknown 30 - FRMX 86

Darren Nicholls rocked up and started throwing 360’s on his 250F. Darren Nicholls made his first appearance in an FMX competition at round three of the SAFMX Championship. Nicholls landed himself in the finals of the event, eventually coming sixth overall.

Needless to say that we decided we had to have a chat with Darren about where he’s been hiding and how this kind of behavior came about.

So Dazza, tell us about your background in FMX. I’ve always ridden dirt bikes but I built my first ramp 14-years ago and have loved every minute of freestyle since that day. I seriously froth dirt bikes.

Why do you chose to ride a 250F? Works for me.

Have you spent much time on a 450F? I haven’t spent that much time on the 450 as I just got it but it’s pretty sweet.

What gear do you hit the standard 75ft in? 2nd gear for the 75-footer.

How did you get to be throwing 360s?

Practice! I was flipping and progressively started looking over my shoulder and it all just came together.

What inspired you to go to SAFMX? The Defy boys twisted my arm.

Do you think you’ll be back next year?

If I have the time I may be back.

What are your plans for the future?

Less work more riding!

It’s apparent that Dazza is a man that prefers to lets his actions do the talking.

So, off the back of our all too brief chat with Darren, we caught up with a mate of his, and an Ambassador of ours, Ryan Brown, to give us some more insight into Darren’s world in FMX.

Inverloch, VIC, and riding with him a lot.

We have both progressed heaps, and we learn something new every ride.”

Ryan goes on to describe how Nicholls runs his own farm, which means that it is hard for him to get time off to go ride other places, but he managed to get him to ride the last round of the SAFMX championship in Ponde, SA. “It was sick when we showed up because not many people knew about him, and he was riding a Suzuki RMZ250 that looks pretty much like a stock bike besides the grab holes, cut seat, and flip levers. He was even still running the safety sticker on the rear fender!’ Ryan laughs.

“He comes into the ramp slower than most people on 450’s and he killed it when he went out for practice doing super flips, seat grab flips, 360’s, and his good bag of upright tricks. Everyone was like ‘who is this dude?’ We laughed it off a bit saying, ‘that’s just Farmer Daz being a badass!” Ryan hopes to see him come along to more events in the future however it is not always easy for him to find the time between his work commitments.

Darren has now made the change to a 450 and is rumored to be “killing it!”

“I’ve known Dazza for a few years now.

When I met him, I had never heard of him before or seen any photos or videos of him riding, I really had no idea he was around! When I saw him ride, I couldn’t believe that I had never heard of him; he was throwing massive rock solids, rulers, double nacs, double harts, and flipping off the super kicker. Ever since then, I’ve been going down to his compound near 31 - FRMX 86

SHOP NOW AT FOXHEAD.COM.AU 32 - FRMX 86

SUMMER 2015

IN-DEPTH

F E AT U R E 路 M O R G A N G I L K S IMAGES 路 JOHNNY BONNAR WORDS 路 JOHNNY BONNAR

MORGAN

COMPLETING HIS JOURNEY

GiLKS

It was the death of his younger brother that prompted Morgan Gilks to pursue a career in freestyle motocross but it was also feelings from his brother that enabled Morgan to realise he needed to step away from the sport after only a short stint at trying his hand at the craft.

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Morgan was 21-years-old when he lost his, then, 19-year-old brother, Tyrone in a motorbike accident while he was practicing to break the Long Distance World Record at Maitland Showground on March 21 2013.

While Morgan was following a career in the Australian Army, Tyrone was an established name within FMX circles and had some good credentials under his belt including a win at the well-known New Zealand contest, Farm Jam in 2012, multiple distance World Records and being the youngest person in the world to backflip a motorcycle by turning his RM 85 upside down-when he was just 12-years-old.

The Gilks family, understandably, was nothing less than shattered after losing the one they called, bear. “There was always something special about Tyrone, he just had something that made you love him and it was contagious,” said Morgan.

As the Gilks family learned to adapt to the self described “new-normal” Morgan was plotting a plan to get back into riding. Riding was in their blood. Father, Kevin, had always owned motorbikes and brothers Morgan and Tyrone both grew up with racing backgrounds. Sister, Sam and Mum, Rebecca, would also help out at the track.

Morgan can still remember the first time he threw a leg over a bike as a threeyear-old on a PW 50 with a side car attached and sister, Sam, along for the ride. “As soon as I got on Dad just said go, so I said OK and rode across the oval and crashed into the first fence we came across and knocked us off the back,” he laughed.

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was always “There something

special about Tyrone, he just

had something that

made you love him and it was contagious

“

Getting back to the enjoyment of riding was always something Morgan had planned but a career in freestyle motocross was not on his radar after being in the Army for four-and-a-half years.

As his heart ached, Morgan’s desire to achieve new goals grew and he was out of the Army seven-months after that fateful day. After some long discussions, a bit of time to get his head around things and a move from Sydney to the Gold Coast, Morgan decided he was going to follow in Tyrone’s footsteps and chase the Australian freestyle motocross dream. “I didn’t get on a bike right away.

After Tyrone’s accident I didn’t ever want to ride again but after a while I went out to one of the boys tracks and as soon as I hopped on the bike I knew my business with riding wasn’t finished.

“I was just so at peace while I was riding, I felt like that was when I was closest to Tyrone,” he said. After picking up a YZ 250 and rolling through a basic trick list while riding with Lance Russell in Sydney it wasn’t long after his move to the Gold Coast that things began to take shape for Morgan. A racing background as a child definitely proved its worth and he soon found himself ahead of the field when judging distances, helping build his confidence at a rapid rate.

The progression was so fast that Morgan was learning the names of the tricks as he was learning the actual tricks themselves. “I was learning about fouror-five tricks each ride for the first month we moved up here. I would hit the ramp and I would forget which way to move because I wouldn’t know what trick to do. “I could hardly remember the names,

MORGAN GiLKS

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I would come in and ask what that trick was called and all the boys would laugh at me,” he joked. As his trick list grew so did his passion to progress further in the sport and with that he needed a backflip in his repertoire. But with no access to a foam pit the task seemed unfathomable to all those except Morgan who decided he didn’t need to use one.

While competing in his first comp in Mackay Morgan knew the timing was right to try the trick that would take his riding to the next level and had in the past moulded-or-folded some riders’ FMX careers.

Known as a bit of a quiet achiever to those close to him, Morgan stayed true to character and kept his mouth shut at what he was about to try, despite how nervous he felt. Morgan gave his trust and confidence in Tyrone telling him for years that it was just the same as flipping a pushy. “I went out in my second run and nailed all my tricks as good as I could back then and I come down and there was a ramp set up at about 40ft and at this point I had never hit a ramp in first gear. I just clicked it into first gear, didn’t even know if that was what I was supposed to hit it in and I remember going so slow and pulling at the top,” he described. It was so slow I couldn’t believe it, I rode back and I had tears in my eyes, I was like, man, Tyrone helped me through that one”.

Shortly after the high of landing a flip on his motorbike, Morgan went back to work on progressing further and added the 75foot flip to his arsenal of tricks and was soon adding combos upside down.

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His quick rise amongst the growing number of freestyle motocross riders based on the Gold Coast enabled him to ride some shows and start making money from FMX but his career would reach its climax after learning the Cordova Flip, a favourite of Tyrone’s. The day after learning the Cordova Flip something changed inside Morgan’s head and he felt like he had got to where he needed to within the sport.

With the court date of the inquest into Tyrone’s death approaching Morgan knew it was time for him to take a back step from riding and appreciate all that he had achieved in the past 18-months. “The

minute I walked out of that courtroom it was like a switch flicked inside me. I had talked to Mum and Dad and they thought it was just because of the court case but I felt Tyrone say you have done enough now, it is time to go and live your dreams”.

This confusing time for Morgan shed a new light on his goals as he realised the chapter on his FMX career was coming to an end but the time he spent involved in the sport, people he met within the industry and the things he learnt helped him understand more about not only himself but how Tyrone lived his life as well.

MORGAN GiLKS

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IN-DEPTH

F E AT U R E · F R E E R I D E R M X A M B A S S A D O R S IMAGES · CARSON WEIBE, JOHNNY BONNAR, MARC JONES, BRAD KNEEBONE, BEN HEIDRICH W O R D S · A N D R E A L B E R T, P E T E A N D E R S O N , T R U M A N C A R R O L L , J O S H P E N N E R , D ’A R C Y M O R R I S , A S H L E Y B R E E D, RYA N B R O W N

X IN M H R G E I D E I ER RS W E R F ADO E H T ASS B AM There is often talk about the state of the industry or discussions about how to build the sport and brands within it. We wanted to get some insights and opinions from a few of the riders out there, so we nutted out a few questions and put them to our ambassadors to get some perspective on how they feel about the current world of FMX and where they want to see it head.

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Rider: D’arcy Morris Photo: Tom Scott

How do you feel about where things are at right now with FMX?

that the amount of riders needing memberships would not support the effort and the costs involved in running PA: Overall I feel that although the level such a thing. There is MA (Motorcycling of the riding and the public’s perception Australia), but they don’t currently have of the industry is still very high, FMX is at the right people or attitudes towards FMX a point where it is really suffering from not to make it work. having a governing body behind it. Riders are usually making decisions on contracts TC: The riding is still going through the with very little assistance so there are a roof with the use of varials and quarter lot of guys putting in a lot of work and pipes in competitions, the progression is taking a lot of risks for less money than not slowing down. in the past. On the promoters side they JP: I feel that right now FMX is on can argue that there just aren’t enough another level. There are a handful of guys people willing to pay good money to host taking the sport where a lot of people in an FMX show anymore. But the answer to the sport will never go, accomplishing that is promoters should put more effort stuff that won’t be topped, its pretty crazy into building value into the shows they too see. On a smaller scale, I see a lot of are putting on. The riding level always people gaining interest in it (FMX) instead increases each year so therefore so should of racing cause its less expensive and laid the value of the show. But promoters back, easy to get into. tend to regularly take the easy option by selling their show by reducing the price AB: In the overall scheme of things, I think less than “the other guys” which ends up that this year has been a pretty positive being a race to the bottom with everyone one for FMX. Progression is still being losing. A governing body could help pushed with the help of Tom Pages, body create structure and industry standards, varials and such. Also, Sheeny’s triple flip, but the sport is so small in Australia transfer flips and this years X-Fighters 39 - FRMX 86

tour, which I personally think has been the most closely contested and exciting X-Fighters for some years has made for a big year.

RB: Right now, I think FMX is by far one of the craziest sports there is! Some of the tricks that are being thrown down these days, is unbelievable!

What direction would you like to see things go, more competitions, more shows, more lifestyle?

PA: I think a legitimate Australian FMX championship with multiple rounds would really help bring riders together

more often and give athletes something to strive for. Right now, unless you are heading to X-fighters or Europe for the IFMXF series you wont be competing!

More shows is always a nice idea, as long as it’s for the right people for the right money! The sport is in a weird place, the guys making money out of it only seem to ride to keep polished. There aren’t anywhere near enough fun sessions or jam sessions with mates any more. Its all work, work, work which I think, is the number 1 reason why there aren’t as many newbies to the sport these days. All they see is a bunch of risks and hours of practice to hopefully make the big time and earn money which doesn’t appeal to everyone!

TC: More competitions and shows for sure! Anything that can assist professional riders in making a good living financially.

Rider: Pete Anderson Phot : Johnny Bonnar

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JP: I’d like to see more events that include qualifiers so that more people can get a chance to show what they got and possibly earn there way into these high profile events such as X Games and X-Fighters. I think the” invite only” system caters to the popular riders in the sport, leaving a lot of very talented but unknown riders out of the picture and unable to shine. More shows is also good, it gives the riders money to keep

the same time. It would be awesome to see their enthusiasm carry on to the other states.

RB: I definitely feel there should be more competitions, as an up and coming rider it’s very hard to try to get into big competitions. I think it’s a lot to do with who you know, not what you can do. If there were more competitions in Australia, it could definitely help up and coming riders with getting into bigger competitions. As for shows, there’s a lot in Australia, but a lot of show committee’s don’t want to spend the money to have FMX.

riding and showcasing the sport to the younger generation across the country.

AB: In Australia, it would be good to see more shows and competitions happening. It seems there are a few groups that have the show side of things pretty well covered, and when the odd jam is organized, it is by invite only. The South Australian’s have a great thing going with the SAFMX Championship, which gives everyone the opportunity to get together for the love of the sport, and pit their skills against each other at

DM: To be honest I think the state of FMX in Australia in terms of the lifestyle, vibes and mateship is the best in the world. Globally the sport is suffering immensely from a lack of competitive structure and major sponsorship. Of course you have the lifeblood of the contest scene, Red Bull X-Fighters, but apart from that anything major is basically nonexistent. Accessibility for amateur riders into competitions and some sort of medium to progress themselves has in the past been almost dead but I feel it is getting better, particularly in Australia. As a rider myself I would probably more be of a show type rider as I just like to do it and have fun but of course you need your competitions to push the sport forward.

I personally think there is a lot of good happening for FMX at least in Australia at the moment. We have a few new show teams who are doing great and it’s honestly refreshing to see new faces on the scene rather than the same top dogs year in year out.

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As a rider, what are your thoughts on sponsorship deals and are the brands involved in FMX supporting the riders enough?

PA: As a rider and also my position at MXstore I see things from both sides. I think the top athletes who are on decent deals have earned everything that comes to them. I do know that there are also limited budgets for sponsorships and brands can’t just hand money and product out to everyone who asks for it.

But if a brand is willing to help any rider out on any level I see it as a positive thing as they are supporting the industry which they are making a living out of. It comes down to how the rider nurtures the business relationship to make sure the brands feel they are getting value from you and want to keep giving each season.

TC: The majority of the brands support the riders with some product and some social media coverage.

JP: As a rider I think there isn’t very much support from brands in FMX. Its tough to get gear and parts sponsors, even if you are flipping. It’s still hard to get support and that will always hurt the growth of the sport.

RB: Again, I’ve learnt it’s a lot to do with who you know, not what you can do.

DM: As a rider I see a lot of companies not really in the situation to provide as much support as we would all like. I think everyone in FMX knows that unless you are an X-Fighters or Nitro Circus rider, you are very lucky to be receiving any financial support as it’s basically all product for the rest of us guys. Not to single out companies but I think it’s just a bad time economically for everyone in business to be paying a budget for a non- essential service really.

Rider: Ash Breed Photo: Brad Kneebone

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What drives you to keep pushing as a rider, what’s the “dream” look like these days?

PA: I honestly just really enjoy riding and the feeling of improving a skill I have been working on for a long time now.

Earning a little money on the side from it is nice and being able to travel and make a lot of friends while riding is great too.

Moving forward I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, as long as I’ve got a smile on my face after every ride I’m happy.

TC: Just to keep improving my style and gain bigger tricks.

JP: What drives me is my love to make myself a better rider than I was yesterday.

I love to ride period.

AB: It’s just the sheer enjoyment I get out of riding my bike that keeps me pushing.

The day I stop having fun is the day I’ll stop riding, but I cant ever really see that happening! As for the future, I just want to stay fit and healthy enough to travel around bettering my skills on the bike for as long as possible.

RB: The dream definitely looks like it could become a reality, with some more hard work. I know I will get there soon. I’ve always dreamed of riding in X-Fighters, Night Of The Jumps and any other big competitions, that’s what drives me every day to keep pushing and pushing to get to where I want to be in FMX, and with a few more tricks I know I could be a threat!

for myself and no one else. My outlook now sits a bit differently as I have just signed a contract to ride for Freestyle Kings in China with a bunch of dudes I would call great friends of mine. I didn’t think dreams like this came true!

Would you rather compete in major events like the X-Fighters and X Games or film video parts like how Twitch does and which do you feel keeps the sporting going?

PA: I like both, competing is great for the sport and progression but I think there is a lot of value in taking the time to put videos together. Social media makes it hard to sell videos or content these days, as there is so much available for free.

But Twitch does a great job of bringing fresh content and a moto vid done right creates a lasting impression and builds athletes profiles which we are really lacking these days!

TC: Compete for sure! X-Fighters is the pinnacle of the sport, best of the best.

JP: I would love to compete in X Games and events like that because I have a competitive mentality when it comes to motocross. I also think X Games is great for the sport because everyone in the world watches it, only the riders and big fans will buy the FMX movies being made.

DM: If you asked me this question a few months ago, I would of told you I just do this for fun and because I love it. My dream has always been to ride at a level I am happy with, first and most importantly 43 - FRMX 86

AB: It would be unreal to compete in a top-level competition like X-Fighters or X Games, the biggest FMX events of the year. Each are televised, reaching a huge, more mainstream audience, and carry with that the big sponsorship deals and exposure. But as a rider, video parts and DVDs appeal to me more. As most would agree, the Crusty Demons series pretty much paved the way for FMX and Freeriding, so its cool to see what Twitch and a few others are doing what they do as it is something that the riders appreciate more. I think a small part of me died when the On The Pipe series finished up!

RB: I would rather compete in major events, that’s my dream and I’m going to keep chasing it. I think that keeps the sport going and pushing it to new levels!

However, filming video parts would be awesome to do whilst you have a few weeks in between events, where you can go out and have a mad session with your homies and put it out there for everyone to check out.

DM: Not that I ever will, but most likely compete in X-Fighters if I could choose.

I respect what Twitch and creative videography has done for the sport of freestyle but I just can’t express how much I admire what the top guys go through to be at that level day in day out.

TC: The sport is in a great way with the great progression and up and coming talent getting bigger and better. The industry seems to be dying down every year; hopefully 2016 is a turn around.

JP: Always keep it fun!

AB: I hope 2016 is just as big for FMX as this year has been, its pretty cool to be a part of a sport which keeps on evolving and entertaining..

RB: Well, I love riding FMX and dirt bikes in general, so no matter what happens with the sport, I will always continue to ride and push myself and have fun on my fucking dirt bike! HaHa! DM: To every rider in the sport, just be grateful and appreciate all the good times along the way. If you’re not as far as you think you should be, think back to a time past where you would have never even dreamed you would get to where you are now. It’s good to aim high but don’t aim so high you forget to take in the view along the way. To the industry, particularly the companies out there giving any support to FMX whether it be financial, product or exposure, thanks for showing the world how awesome this sport is!

Whats your final word to the sport or industry?

PA: There is a lot of work to be done in our industry to get it heading in the right direction again. It will be a lot easier if everyone worked together so its up to the riders, promoters and companies to start working!

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MX GH IN R IDE WEI R E E ORS R F THE ASSAD B AM

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Rider: Truman Carroll Photo: : Ben Heidrich

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The HOME STRETCH

Project THE BROTHERHOOD PROJECT IMAGE: JASON EBEL IN GREEN RIVER BY ZAN BERGERON

At Freerider MX, one major theme is consistent through all our interactions with our readers, followers and the riders. It’s apparent that we are a brotherhood of riders who live for getting on our dirt bikes with our friends, finding jumps in the hills or building up our compounds, simply hitting a track or trail and living to twist the throttle.

Welcome to The Brotherhood Project.

The

We’ve had contact from pockets of riders from all over the world, all doing what we love to do wherever they are.

We’ve been sent clips of weekends in the desert finding new hits, free ride sessions from our own shores here in Australia, dedicated riders hitting ramps in the snow of Russia and more. Images are coming at us thick and fast of more and more brothers taking their dirt bike well above the terra firms to get their kicks. We love it, we live for it.

We know you are out there, we’ve seen your edits online. We are opening up this project for free ride riders, crews and filmers to get in touch with us about being a contributor to this free ride movie.

We are looking for approximately 7 to 10 free ride communities or crews to be involved and film a section for the full feature. To apply for a section in the movie, we need to see a 30 to 60 sec teaser of your crew, ride spots and filmmakers style to kick things off. From there, 7 to 10 contributors will be selected to film a full segment between 3 and 5 minutes for inclusion in the film.

Project

Freerider MX is 100% about this brotherhood and you out there that are living it. We want to pull all of you together to produce the first moto movie of its kind, made 100% by YOU.

This project is about you; the riders, the photographers, the filmers, the families, the girl friends, the fans and everyone else in this community.

Show the world who you are and how you live life.

Welcome to the Brotherhood Project 47 - FRMX 86

IN-DEPTH

THE LONE WOLF W O R D S / I M A G E S : JAY S C H W E I T Z E R

L O C AT I O N : M O N TA N A , S T R U C K M A N R A N C H AS IF ITS NOT ENOUGH TO HIT THIS JUMP 3RD GEAR P I N N E D O N H I S K T M 4 5 0 .

T H E L O N E W O L F, W E S A G E E , E X E C U T E S A H U G E E X T E N D E D C L I F F H A N G E R O F F T H I S B E A S T L Y J U M P.

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Film guru Jay Schweitzer, and the Lone Wolf, Wes Agee, have been hard at work on their film project and recently hit the road to get out to some fresh freeride spots and push the envelope.

These are a few of the images that hit our inbox when we got word from Jay shortly after the trip:

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L O C AT I O N : M O N TA N A , S T R U C K M A N R A N C H T R AV I S C A D Y WA S P R O B A B L Y T H E B I G G E S T S U R P R I S E O U T O F A N Y F M X R I D E R I N L O N E W O L F. H E C O N N E C T E D A L L L I N E S P O S S I B L E AT H I S P R O P E R T Y A N D E V E N P U L L E D O N E O F T H E B I G G E S T D O U B L E G R A B S I H AV E E V E R F I L M E D . T H I S G U Y H A S M O R E SKILL THEN YOU CAN IMAGINE

“About a year ago Wes and I were fortunate enough to meet a freestyle rider Travis Cady. Travis let us build some of the biggest freeride jumps in history out at his inlaw’s property, the Struckman Ranch in Sidney, Montana. With the help of a D-6 dozer that we rented, we were able to build the biggest jumps I’ve ever filmed. It was so windy for the two sessions that we had there so we barely got to film off the jumps.

Wes and I vowed to come back with more riders and do a proper film shoot before the release of the Lone Wolf.”

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“One year later we came back with riders Brian McCarty, Jarryd Mcneil, Jimmy Hill, Alex Harvil and of course the Lone Wolf - Wes Agee.

It was an epic shoot that showed an amazing display of incredible riding from all these riders. After Montana, the crew head over to Grand Junction, Colorado where we met up with a natural terrain specialist, Chas Burbridge. Chas showed us some of the most technical freeride jumps in Colorado. The entire road trip lasted about a month, this is just a little bit of what went down.�

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L O C AT I O N : G R A N D J U N C T I O N C H A S B U R B R I D G E I S A N A M E T H AT O N L Y A F E W H AV E H E A R D O F B U T W H E N I T C O M E S T O S T R A I G H T N AT U R A L T E R R A I N S H O V E L E D J U M P S T H I S G U Y H A S B A L L S O F S T E E L AT A N A B N O R M A L L Y H I G H S K I L L L E V E L I H AV E N ’ T S E E N F R O M A N Y O N E I N Y E A R S . I F Y O U H AV E N ’ T H E A R D O F C H A S B U R B R I D G E BEFORE YOU WILL SOON ENOUGH.

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L O C AT I O N : M O N TA N A , S T R U C K M A N R A N C H JARRYD MCNEIL ISN’T JUST KNOWN FOR THROWING THE BIGGEST WHIPS IN THE BUSINESS HE ALSO UNLEASHES SOME OF THE BEST UPRIGHT TRICKS OFF M O N S T R O U S J U M P S L I K E T H I S O N E . T A K E N O T E : T H I S I S H O W T O D O A K O D I N D Y.

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L O C AT I O N : M O N TA N A , S T R U C K M A N R A N C H A L E X H A RV I L I S A L S O K N OW N F O R H I S R E C O R D B R E A K I N G D I S TA N C E J U M P S B U T T H I S G U Y C A N F R E E R I D E A S G O O D A S A N Y O N E O N T H E P L A N E T. A L E X ‘ T H E H A M M E R ’ H A R V I L L AY S I T U P S I D E D O W N AT C A D Y ’ S S P O T.

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L O C AT I O N : M O N TA N A , S T R U C K M A N R A N C H BRIAN MCCARTY A.K.A MCGNARLEY HAS BECOME LIKE A MINI WES, PROVING HE C A N T H R O W D O W N S O M E O F T H E B I G G E S T F L I P S I N A C T I O N S P O R T S .

B R I A N O N LY F L I P P E D T H I S J U M P O N C E A N D L A N D E D WAY AT T H E B O T T O M .

A L T H O U G H I T S U N O F F I C I A L L Y M E A S U R E D , T H I S I S A B O U T A 1 6 0 F O O T F L I P. T H E Y DON’T CALL THIS GUY MCGNARLEY FOR NOTHING

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HOME STRETCH

OUR NEW RANGE OF FREERIDER MX APPAREL HAS LANDED.

MERCHANDISE

S ’ E E ALL T ONLY .99

$34

The iconic “Life Begins” Tee is back! This redesigned version of the original shirt, was done by the original designer 10 years after the first version was born.

BUY NOW

BUY NOW

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Introducing The Brotherhood Project Tee. This is the official shirt of the project and available only in our online store. Show the world that you are part of the Brotherhood.

BUY NOW Stance Tee

Godfather Tank

BUY NOW Shield Tee

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99 Tee

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Our collaboration with new youth culture brand AXY brings you the Wide Open Tee. Designed for those who live life exactly how it says, wide open!

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Jump over to freeridermx.com/shop and respresent

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IN-DEPTH

F E AT U R E 路 X G A M E S AU S T I N 2 0 1 5 I M A G E S 路 G A R T H M I L A N/ M AT T M O R N I N G / K A I T LY N E G A N GA B R I E L C H R I S T U S/ C H R I S T I A N P O N D E L L A/ E S P N I M AG E S WORDS 路 ANDRE ALBERT

CONFESSIONS OF AN X-GAMES VIRGIN

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At some stage in every action sports fan’s life, we’ve all dreamt of going to the X Games.

After all, the X Games is the holy grail of action sports events. It’s been around the longest, it carries the most prestige and it brings the world of action sports into one place for 4 days every year. Finally, it was my time to head to Austin, Texas to attend the games.

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I landed in Texas the day before the event started to ensure I was rested up for the games as I knew it’d be 4 days of non stop action once things kicked off on Thursday night. Although, as soon as I touched down in Austin, the boys from Fist Handwear were in touch with alluring suggestions of “a few quiet beers.”

Hold the phone, I’ve heard this before. I know how this works. “Not happening!”

I responded despite knowing that a welcome to Texas drink would be just the ticket after a day in transit. Thankfully for me, my refusal turned out to be a very good idea as when I dropped in to say G’day to Sam and Jesse the following day, it was clear that the “quiet beers” weren’t so quiet after all.

X Games was due to officially kick off on Thursday evening with Moto X Step Up in down town Austin. Once I had rallied Sam from his dazed state we head over to the hotel where the Monster Energy team was staying. The Omnia Hotel bar was littered with action sport’s finest athletes and spirits where high as we unofficially kicked off X Games 2015. A few handshakes, intros and beverages later we’re standing at the down ramp of the Step Up course watching the riders go head to head under a setting Texan sun.

The field was strong but you can tell that Ronnie Renner is well versed in this discipline, putting his years of experience into practice and taking out the top spot with a jump of 34ft followed by Massimo Biaconcini, Libor Podmol and Bryce Hudson all at 33ft.

Whilst at step up, I had got word from film guru, Jay Schweitzer that there was a moto party happening at a bar just around the corner.

Moto party, you don’t need to tell me twice! Walking into The Summit

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FOUND ON PHONE

“

As sleeves were ripped from shirts and beer cans were crushed on foreheads, the night descended into darkness.

“

Bull horns

MeekMill

y Party

nerg Monster E

you could tell things were going to get rowdy. Everyone was pumped to be back at X and a lot of people who only see each other once a year were reunited. I met up with the European crew lead by Alvarro Dal Farra as well as a bunch of the Southern Californian boys. Round after round things became blurrier and blurrier and it was now my turn to be the victim of over indulgence. As sleeves were ripped from shirts and beers cans were crushed on foreheads, the night descended into darkness.

Texas. Well Texas is hot. Not like Australia hot but that kind of heat that punches you in the face every time you leave the air-conditioned comfort of your hotel.

Believe me when I say that taking your hang over for a walk in the Texan heat is possibly the worst thing you could ever wish for. However, X Games was now in full swing and there was no way I was missing a second of it.

The crew

Slowly (very slowly) I made my way to the Circuit of the America’s, the venue for the 2015 X Games. Fan’s, athletes and media descended upon the circuit en masse as the day wore on. Today we were spectators as there were no Moto events to attend so we were able to enjoy the day as a regular attendee. There is never a shortage of things to do at X. Even when you are not watching events, there are games to play, places to hang out and plenty ways to entertain yourself.

We settled in for an afternoon of Corn Hole (actual name of an American lawn game) on the lawn as I tried desperately to replenish the fluids leaving my pores at a stifling rate.

Taking in all that is X Games, we finally made our way to the stage to watch Punk Rock legends Pennywise entertain the crowds. As per usual, the moto crew were on stage to watch, support and entertain.

As the sun set on this Friday afternoon,

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you could tell that this day was far from over. Touching base at the hotel for just minutes, we had freshened up and head straight out into town. For those who have never been to Austin, picture a whole section of your city that is just rows of bars and every one of them is at capacity. The streets are closed to make stumbling from venue to venue safe and the rooftops are packed with thirsty people quenching their thirst. Now that you mention it, I’m a little thirsty.

in Monster Energy paraphernalia, The Summit was alive with athletes, industry crew and media. One thing I can tell you is that these green guys know how to put on a party; open bar, guest artists including Meek Mill and some of the best action sports people in the world.

Almost all of them actually. With drinks on Monster, we settled in for a night of sipping drinks and talking everything action sports with everyone actions sports.

Stepping onto the rooftop terrace of a bar we’d found, my phone vibrates a message that condemned me to another long night but a night I’d happily put myself through. “Monster Energy party at Summit, meet me outside in 5.”

Not twelve hours later we’re back at the Circuit of the Americas. It’s Saturday and that means Moto X Speed & Style.

Personally, I’ve always wanted more from Speed & Style. The race is over as it’s begun. Two laps on a short course doesn’t make for much of a viewing spectacle but I understand that from an athletes point of view, doing anymore than 2 might not be ideal. Regardless of

Monster Energy were hosting their X Games party at the same venue we’d been at the previous night. Decked out 66 - FRMX 86

my opinion, the riders were warmed up and ready to battle it out for Gold. One by one the head to head battles took place. The part that really got me thinking was how closely the riding and tricks are being done to one another. At one stage it looked as if Bilko was going to take out Nate Adams mid 360 as they both hit the kicker so close to each other. I cringed and white knuckled my way through the final, the racing was tight and as entertaining as you could possibly ask for.

Obviously, the Aussie contingent were backing our boy Blake “Bilko” Williams who unfortunately pushed it a bit too hard as he lead the race and spun out in a corner during the last lap. Clearly disappointed with his mistake, Bilko lay on the ground as Nate took the lead and ultimately the win. Not to be out done,

Bilko’s “redemption” jumps once he had picked himself up were a highlight for the fans who took some comic relief from the larrikin’s side show.

Leaving the media tower after the race, I saw Metallica’s front man, James Hetfield, who had also been watching the Speed & Style finals. Despite my eagerness to attend the Metallica concert this evening, my not so youthful body needed a rest so I returned to the sanctuary of my hotel for an early night ahead of the final day of X Games 2015 and of course, the after party.

This afternoon we’d be closing the games out with Moto X best whip and the all-new Moto X Quarter Pipe. A strong Aussie crew was in town for the new quarter pipe event including Josh

“

From the get go, Jarryd McNeil executed twisted and tweaked whips like only he knows how.

“

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Sheehan, Cam Sinclair, Jacko Strong and New Zealand’s Levi Sherwood. Despite having a new trick he had planned to show case at the event, Jacko ended up pulling out of the event as he was not completely happy with the ramp setup and wisely walked away rather than risk injury. Also not having the event they had planned for was Cam Sinclair who crashed in his first run and called it a day.

Levi brought his new transfer flip to the party and I must say, watching him loop from ramp to landing is quite impressive.

I watched the trick over and over again trying to wrap my head around it even though at face value it looks quite simple 68 - FRMX 86

to understand. This trick, with a trick variation, earned Levi a Silver medal behind the French super power, Tom Pages who stuck a near perfect Bike Flip on his second run at the quarter pipe, earning him Gold.

The Best Whip event was like watching a prophecy finally be fulfilled. From the get go, Jarryd McNeil executed twisted and tweaked whips like only he knows how.

Judged purely by the fans, Jarryd ended up with a 59% of the votes with the next closest competitor being Tom Parsons at 10%. There was a clear winner and finally we were able to watch McNeil show off his X Games Best Whip Gold medal.

On our final night, we’re spoilt for choice.; a Hart and Huntington party with the moto crew or the Red Bull party. “We’ll do both,” says Schweitzer as we grab a bite to eat before we head into battle one last time before it’s all over for another year. The next few hours we bounced parties and tried to enjoy ourselves despite fighting the growing feeling that it was all over.

necessarily like the changes, but its clear that the X Games committee know what they are doing and they are simply leading the way into a new era and keeping the event relevant and up to speed with the changing times. The event is professional, exciting and a hell of a lot of fun. It brings the action sports and FMX community together and gives us With my first X Games now under the a platform to showcase what we do to belt, I already turn my attention to 2016.

Attending the X Games is truly something the world. I’m already excited about next year’s hang over. that every action sports fan simply must do. Sure, the games have changed over the years and sometimes we may not 69 - FRMX 86

REAL MOTO X Games welcomed the sport of motocross to the X Games Real series lineup for the first time in 2015.

Real Moto is a video FMX contest in which five riders compete for X Games gold and the Fan Favorite award through video parts released online.

The competitors themselves chose the winners with Ronnie Renner taking gold, Twitch claiming silver and Drake McElroy coming away with the bronze. To decide who won the Fan Favorite award, fans watched the videos online and voted for the edit they thought was the best. Twitch clenched the Fan Favorite award as a result of the online voting.

Best of X-Games Real Moto - ESPN

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With the changing media landscape upon us and content being delivered via the internet on a daily basis, incorporating an element of this into X Games is nothing short of brilliant. The online video part is such a big part of all action sports these days. To see an official contest and award being put on for this new form of action sports media is definitely a good thing.

If things continue to progress in this direction, becoming a professional athlete purely to film video parts could very well become a reality.

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IN-DEPTH

F E AT U R E · FA R M JA M 2 0 1 6 WORDS /IMAGES · SIMON MAKKER

After a long two-year wait, the next instalment of the iconic Farm Jam will again tear up the New Zealand hills in February.

Freerider MX’s Kiwi connection, Simon Makker, gives you the inside word on what you can expect when the much-anticipated action sports festival returns…

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There’re a lot of things to like about New Zealand summers: temperatures are warm enough to contemplate a skinny-dip in the still-frigid ocean, the daylight hours – especially down south – are ridiculously long and there’re long stretches of windless, sunny days. But next year there’ll be something else to cheer about: the legendary 2016 Farm Jam will make its return to the postcard-esque rolling hills of the South Island.

After running annually from 2008 until 2014 and attracting a steadily growing number of top-shelf FMX, BMX and MTB riders the organisers, Dan and Brett Frew, 74 - FRMX 86

made the tough decision to start making the event biennial (once every two years) at the end of the 2014 running.

While there were legions of initially disappointed riders and fans at the time, the expectation and hype building up to the 2016 installment has already rolled further and faster than ever before.

“The decision to make the hold the event every two years was a tough call but first and foremost we’re farmers,” explains Dan, a former Crusty Demons rider. “The amount of time and effort it took to organise each Jam is immense and between arranging that and our

Left: Levi Sherwood / Backflip Heli Right: Disco Stu / Horse Head Point

normal day-to-day running of the farm, it was kind of burning us out. Both Brett and I have two kids now and we wanted to spend more time with our growing families as well as continue making Farm Jam a sustainable event to hold into the future.”

Brett says as a result of the event going biennial, there’s been a huge increase in rider and industry interest from around the world.

“Not a day goes by where we’re not being hit up by international riders now,” he reveals. “It’s kinda added to the prestige of the event and people know that if they miss next year, the next one won’t be until 2018, which, right now, seems a long way down the track.”

the world. Already confirmed are Kiwis Levi Sherwood and Nick Franklin, the always popular BMXer Mike “Hucker” Clark and defending MTB champion Matt Jones from the UK. As always, the February 6 event (that’s a long weekend in NZ, meaning there’s an extra day up the Frews’ sleeves if the fickle Southland weather turns ugly) will feature FMX on a perfectly-sculpted largly natural terrain course, BMX and MTB dirtjumping. Digging operations are already under way to revamp the two hip-littered pushy lines, and Levi Sherwood will spend the two weeks leading up to the 2016 Farm Jam changing up the FMX course.

“If we want to continue to attract the world’s best riders we need to give them something really special to come to Long-time sponsors of the Farm Jam, each time they come,” says Dan. “Levi Red Bull are again supporting the iconic two-wheeled action-sports event by flying has some pretty awesome plans for the course this year in order to take it again some of their best riders in from around 75 - FRMX 86

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Callum Shaw / Backflip Cordova

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to the next level. Anyone who’s seen footage of his home compound will know that he’s bloody handy in a digger and we’re excited to see what he comes up with.”

Right: Matt Jones / Double Backflip Sequence

A heavy contingent of Aussie freestyle riders are again expected to converge on the Southland hills for 2016; in 2014 the FMX roster included Aussie riders Ryan Brown, Truman Carroll, Pete Anderson, Brodie Markham, Luke McNeill, Joel Brown, Steve Sommerfeld, expat Callum Shaw, Brazil’s Fred Kyrillos as well as a bulging number of local shredders.

Providing the weather plays the game this year, the FMXers will also compete in a media-only freeride day in an entirely different section of the farm. Last held in 2013 (the day was rained out in 2014), the Ride-To-The-Hills-inspired riderjudged contest was a huge hit with everyone who rode and is a massive drawcard for riders.

“I think that’s what I like so much about Farm Jam,” says regular Steve Sommerfeld. “The amount of riding you do from the moment you arrive at the farm is ridiculous. You can ride the jumps every day all day if you want.

The scenery and quality of the jumps is unreal, the atmosphere on contest day is great and the rider-judged jam format means there’s never any contention by riders with their noses out of joint. Without a doubt Farm Jam is my favourite event to ride; everyone who makes the trip over vows they’ll be back again next time.”

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Below: Nick Franklin / Double Grab Hart Attack

Keep your eyes peeled to Freeridermx.com for more information, news and developments on the 2016 Farm Jam, as we’ll be chucking updates up there as soon as they come to hand. For more information about the event hit up simon@makkreative.com or farmerdanfrew@gmail.com.

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HOME STRETCH

FMX 101 WORDS · JARRYD MCNEIL / ANDRE ALBERT I M A G E S · B R I B E H L I N G S , M AT T M O R N I N G / E S P N I M A G E S

PART III With the basics covered in Part I and II of FMX 101, it is now time to start working on some of the fundamental grab tricks in freestyle motocross.

When starting out in FMX, seat grab tricks are what you’ll focus on whilst you learn the basics of moving around the bike and learning the grabs and extensions. Seat grab tricks look great and there are many variations. Here, we’re going to give you a step-by-step guide on everything from learning to grab the seat to moving your body into different positions. Once you are confident with the basics, you can work on extending your tricks further out, doing bigger Indian airs, and even taking your hands off for tricks like one handed hart attacks, one handed indy’s and

rock solids. Its best to learn these tricks over a gap of 60ft or more so you need to make sure you’re confident and your skill level is up to it before you go trying these tricks.

FMX 101: PART III

If ever there was going to be a good source for information on how to do a trick its going to be from a person that travels the world doing them for thousands of screaming fans. To walk us through a few of these, we contacted Jarryd McNeil, who’s on a bit of a hot streak right now, to get the run down on some grab tricks.

Study these words carefully and when you’re ready, put them into practice.

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Once you start getting away from ride position, remember that you need to get back to the bars and pegs for When learning grab tricks, it is best to take small steps. Start by just grabbing landing. The best advice I could give you when it comes to getting back your seat without taking your feet off on the bike from a seat grab is to just the pegs. Once you’re comfortable take small steps with your extension with grabbing your seat you can then start doing no footed seat grabs, which pushing it out a bit further each time as you get more comfortable. Your tricks then lead into superman seat grabs.

The superman seat grab is such a good will all come together when you are comfortable with the feeling of moving benchmark for tricks such as the hart around your bike in the air. attack, double grab, rock solid, holy grabs and many more variations.

JARRYD MCNEIL

SUPERMAN SEAT GRAB Take off in a neutral body position as if you were doing a straight jump. As you are leaving the ramp you should look for and grab your grab hole with your preferred hand. Learning to get the grab hole is the foundation for every grab trick. Once you have the grab, push your feet off the foot pegs moving them up towards your body and out behind you so that your body is parallel to your seat.

Then extend your legs out behind you.

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Photo: Bri Behlings

After you get your body extended, it’s time to get your feet back to the pegs.

When doing this, pull your body back, reversing the movement you made to get the trick to full extension. Tuck your legs back in towards your body and pull your body back to ride position and your feet to the pegs for landing. It is important to take your time working up to these tricks by starting with smaller extensions. You can push your extension out further as you get more comfortable.

Photo: Bri Behlings

HART ATTACK You follow a similar movement in this move as you do the Superman seat grab. Once you have the grab, bring your knees to your chest by pushing your feet off the foot pegs. As you do this, bring you head down towards the seat and look out through your arms behind you, past your rear guard/fender in a ball position. Push your grab arm to full length and at the same time straighten your body out bringing you feet above you. After you get your body extended to a hart attack, it’s time to get your feet back to the pegs. When doing this, I tend to pull my body back in the same process as getting the trick to full extension. Tuck back into a ball and pull your body back towards the bike and your feet to the pegs for the land.

Photo: Bri Behlings

HART INDY For a Hart Indy, commonly called the helicopter, use the same grab process and body movement as in the Hart Attack but instead of extending your feet straight up and out above you, split your legs apart and twist your hips a little. This is called an Indian Air or Indy for short. This feeling and movement will come naturally to you over time and a lot of practice.

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Photo: Bri Behlings

DOUBLE GRAB This trick starts off like the other grab tricks. As you leave the ramp, look for your grab holes and grab your grab hole with your preferred hand. Go through the same motion of getting your body out behind you like you do for a superman seat grab.

As you get comfortable, slowly start taking your bar hand off the handlebars for a one handed seat grab. As you get more comfortable, start moving your bar hand to the other grab hole. Once you make the grab with both hands, extend your arms and body out behind the bike.

This trick is a little more difficult than the other tricks because you have to take both hands off the bars and move all the way to the back of the bike. A good way to build up to this trick is to slowly start taking your bar hand off the bars but not going for the grab hole just yet. Feel it out and slowly build up to grabbing the holes with both hands. After you get both 84 - FRMX 86

hands to the double grab position, you will need to push out to full extension behind the bike. Getting back to the bike from a double grab can be quite difficult but take it slow and with a bit of practice you will get it. Eventually getting back to the bike will become second nature. When learning to get back from the trick, do it in two stages. First bring one hand back to the handlebars and use the other to pull your body back to the bike and feet towards the pegs. Getting these few grab tricks dialed will lay the foundation for you to progress your riding and start working on different variations and combinations.

Once you are comfortable with these tricks, you can start to build on them. As we get further into the FMX 101 series, we will be bringing you more tricks to learn including the game changer, the back flip.

Stay tuned for part 4 f FMX 101 in issue 87 of Freerider MX.

Photos: Matt Morning/ESPN Images

JARRYD MCNEIL Lives: born and raised in Australia currently reside in Yorba Linda, CA Age: 24 Sponsors: Yamaha, Alpinestars, 1Law, Bell, Fist, 100%, Renthal, Motul, Boyesen, Ogio, Dunlop, Split Designs, DVS, Rad MFG, FMF, MB1, Wyvern Ranch, DT1, Grip Clean Career Highlights: 2015 Monster Energy Cup Dirt Shark Biggest Whip - First Place 2015 X-Games Best Whip - Gold Medal

2014 X-Games Speed & Style - Bronze Medal 2013 Monster Energy Cup Dirt Shark Biggest Whip - Third Place 2012 X-Games 18 Best Whip - Silver Medal 2011 X-Games 17 Best Whip - Bronze Medal 2010 Dew Tour Best Whip - Winner 2010 X-Games 16 Best Whip - Silver Medal

2014 Monster Energy Cup Dirt Shark Biggest Whip - First Place 85 - FRMX 86

HOME STRETCH

PA R T I N G S H O T

With issue 86 in the books, we’re turning our attention to events in the near future.

In and amongst compiling the best freestyle and freeride action for issue 87, we’ve got the Australian FMX and Speed & Style Titles and Farm Jam 2016 to look forward to. No to mention, the best trick event at Aus X Open brought a handful of the best international talent to our shores to do battle with our homegrown heroes in Sydney just last weekend.

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This is no doubt a sign of the times and good things happening in FMX. Until we see you again for issue 87, we’ll be hard at work unearthing FMX and freeride action from all corners of the globe to be brought to you in the one and only, Freerider MX.

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