NIGHT of the JUMPs 2018

SEASON 2018

Diary of NIGHT of the JUMPs 2018 – Tightest season of competition ever. Before we look to the future, let’s take a look at the past.

**From left to right Luc Ackermann/Maikel Melero/ Libor Podmol**

The 2018 NIGHT of the JUMPs season was one for the history books. The official FIM Freestyle Motocross World Championships came down to the very last round and the winner of that event was to create their own history. It was the battle between the 4-time reigning consecutive World Champion, Maikel Melero, and the possible youngest World Champion in history in Luc Ackermann.

History will show that it was Maikel Melero who would make history as the only rider to make it to 5 times World Champion, but let’s see how the season transpired and pinpoint where it could have all been different!

Round 1 – Basel, Switzerland:

Looking back at the start of the 2018 season at the first event in Basel, Switzerland, Maikel Melero (ESP) was shaping up to be the rider to chase again after achieving 4 straight World Championship wins in the previous year. In Basel, Melero put on a clinical display of Freestyle MX, landing all of his tricks perfectly, dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. He was simply on a roll and everyone else was competing for second place. It was Luc Ackermann who showed the most risk and surprised the rest of the rider field by taking out 2nd place with an impressive run of ‘best tricks’ and stunned the Swiss crowd. If Luc could put this run together with one more big trick, he could battle Melero for the season. Picture Luc Mini Flip

Round 2 and 3 – Berlin, Germany:

We didn’t have to wait long for that ‘Big Trick’ from Luc Ackermann. The young German on his home soil absolutely blew everyone away by stomping the very first Double Backflip in NIGHT of the JUMPs competition ever on the first night. Unfortunately it was a small mistake in missing a trick which cost him a win, letting Melero sneak some extra points for the overall championship. But the seed was sewn for Ackermann. Rob Adelberg returned to NOTJ for his first event of the season and went straight to the Podium. Could the Aussie disrupt the overall battle? Was cooles von melero On the second night of competition, the nerves had eased for Ackermann after landing one of the hardest tricks in the sport the night before. Luc now knew if he could put together a solid run and finish with the Double Flip, he could finally unseat Melero as the boss of NOTJ. And in true Ackermann form, he put together a show-stopping run, wild looking tricks and stomped the Double Flip with no mistakes. This was the stamp of authority Luc Ackermann needed. He took the win, Melero made uncharacteristic mistakes and finished in 5th place, Libor Podmol returned to the podium in 2nd place and David Rinaldo made his return to the podium in 3rd.

Round 4 – Krakow, Poland:

**Warm Up show in Krakow (Steve & Massimo)**

It was over a month since the riders battled in Berlin, and all eyes were on the German wunderkind, Luc Ackermann if he could throw down his Double Flip again. Unfortunately, the ramp which Luc performs the Double Flip wasn’t available in Krakow, so he was going to have to make the most of his normal tricks to push for a victory. Even though Luc’s run had more style than previously seen from the youngster, the experience and perfection of Maikel Melero was the key to winning the Polish round. Libor Podmol has shown over the years a level of consistency which not many other riders possess, to maintain his footing on the podium with a 3rd place.

To Break up the World Championship series, the European Championship was underway with the Munich and Mannheim events to determine the European Champion.

EU Round 1 – Munich, Germany:

While many of the same riders compete in the European Championship as the World Championship, perhaps the meaning of European Champion meant more to the youngster, Luc Ackermann, who wanted to build his confidence in the middle of the year with a new title. In Munich, Luc laid all of his cards out on the table, to take the win with a straight flush of best tricks and finishing with the Double Backflip. Most of the riders made a lot of unforced errors in the Top 6 Final, but Melero was able to hang on for 3rd position and Remi Bizouard in second place. The local German continued his dominance in his home nation and would need that going into the final round of European Championships in the following fortnight.

EU Round 2 – Mannheim, Germany:

**European Championship (Maikel Melero / Luc Ackermann / Remi Bizouard)**

Sitting two places higher on the leaderboard above Melero, Luc Ackermann was in control of the series. Melero would need to finish 3 places higher than Ackermann if he was to win the European Championship. While all of the riders from Munich did everything to avoid making the same mistakes again, it was Ackermann who schooled the entire group with his Double Flip to seal the victory. Melero finished in second place and David Rinaldo made his way back to 3rd place on the podium. A few good results for Rinaldo and he was starting to build confidence for the season. Luc Ackermann had sealed his first ever European Championship and a confidence boost for the World Championship title!

It was now time for the long Summer Break and return to the World Championship battle!

Round 5 – Wuhan, China:

The World Championship would return after the long Summer Break with the first round in Wuhan, China. This was the first time NIGHT of the JUMPs had ventured to Wuhan, and with a big outdoor event, there was the opportunity for other riders to shine who prefer the bigger arenas over the tight indoor arenas of Europe. One such rider was Rob Adelberg who looked to be having fun on the bigger course and utilising the course. However, it was again the battle between Melero and Ackermann. After a long summer break, it was Ackermann that appeared to have used his time wisely in learning a new Double Flip variation, the Double Backflip Nac-Nac. This catapulted him to first on the leaderboard while Melero admitted defeat and played it safe to secure at least a second place in front of Rob Adelberg in 3rd. Perhaps Melero was being more strategic about this round than any other, since the very next round was 3 days later in Cologne, Germany.

Round 6 – Cologne, Germany:

Maikel Melero

David Rinaldo / Tsunami Front Flip

Round 7 and 8 – Shenzhen, China:

The battle for the World Championship came down to the final two rounds of competition. The battle of the season between the super consistent Spaniard, Maikel Melero versus the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ German, Luc Ackermann. Either way, history would be written. If Melero wins, he is the first rider to win the World Championship 5 times, and in a row. If Luc Ackermann wins, he will become the youngest ever World Champion in history.

Things were looking only marginally better for Melero on paper. Maikel had to finish second on the podium on both nights in Shenzhen to guarantee his 5th World Championship title. However – Luc Ackermann who has dominated most of the events when he landed his Double Backflip was looking very strong in practise and was well rested this time. On the first night of competition, Melero decided to play it safe – put all of his normal tricks together perfectly into a run which the Judges couldn’t hesitate in giving him the best points for the tricks he delivered. Melero was hoping to at least pick up second position and see if he could force the error on the inexperienced German. The tactic paid off, with Luc starting out on fire with some huge tricks in his run, however on the Surfer Tsunami Flip, he almost crashed after the longer run up. He managed to wrestle the bike back and finished his run with the Double Flip Nac-Nac. It couldn’t get any closer! Melero and Ackermann tied on 376 points each. Melero took the win on countback of the 5 judges to take the top position of the podium on Night 1, in front of Ackermann in second and the ever consistent Podmol in 3rd.

The second night was the decider. The whole season of battles came down to the final night of competition. All the pressure was on Luc Ackermann to take the win and have a distance of 3 positions between him and Maikel Melero to seal his first ever World Championship. Luc’s qualifying run was again off to a great start with huge tricks. But it was again on the Surfer Tsunami Flip when he pulled so hard that his hand blew off the handlebars on take-off, which saw him flying majestically under his Husqvarna 450 to a huge crash. Fortunately, he was able to walk away from horrific crash with only some bruises and grazes. It also signalled the end of his battle to seal his first World Championship title. Melero on the other hand was able to make it into the Top 6 final, put together a great run to still win the final round of the season to seal his 5th World Championship in a row. Petr Pilat made his first step onto the podium for the year to give him a boost into 2019, while Libor Podmol took 3rd place on the night and also sealed a 3rd position overall for the 2018 Championship.

2018 was one of the most exciting seasons NIGHT of the JUMPs has ever seen. Luc Ackermann emerged as one of the riders to watch for 2019. Maikel Melero has a target on his back from all of the other riders in the field. And in 2019 we will see a completely revamped season of competition with new ramps being introduced, new riders with potentially new tricks arriving to completely mix up the 2019 Championship rankings. Medaille und Maikel / Podium WM Will Maikel Melero be able to adjust to all new ramps for 2019 and go for a 6th World Championship title? Will Luc Ackermann learn from his mistakes and become more consistent with the biggest tricks in the sport to become the youngest ever World Champion? Or will there be a new challenger for 2019?

NIGHT of the JUMPs 2018

This article is from:

NIGHT of the JUMPs Fan Magazin