Red Bull X-Fighters Mag - Giza 2010 by Red Bull X-Fighters

#2 giza may 14, 2010

in the air tonight ! WHO WILL RULE aT THE PyRamIDS?

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GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

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covER pHoToGRApHy: BALAZS GARDI FoR GLoBAL-NEwSRoom; pHoToGRApHy: ALEX ScHELBERT/RED BULL pHoToFILES

JuMp InTO history Over the past 10 years, Red Bull X-Fighters has thrown down tricks in some pretty special places, from Madrid’s amazing Plaza de Toros de las Ventanas to London’s stunning Battersea power station. Tonight, though, is truly special. Coupling the magic and mayhem of freestyle motocross with the mystery and majesty of perhaps the world’s most iconic buildings, the Giza Plateau represents the ultimate duelling ground. And after round one in Mexico, where torrential rain halted proceedings early, the Red Bull X-Fighters arrive here more fired up than ever. Norway’s Andre Villa will be keen to build on his amazing Mexico victory, while the chasing pack will be just as motivated to get their own taste of glory. It’s an epic setting for an epic competition. Let battle commence!

CONTENTs

04 LOOKBACK The best of round one in Mexico 10 news Updates from the world of Red Bull X-Fighters 13 RIDeR Nate Adams 14 AIR TIMes Origins of the World Tour 18 MOnuMenTAL peRfORMeR Robbie Maddison jumps the world 25 RIDeR Mat Rebeaud 26 AIR CRAfT How riders modify their bikes 28 seeKIng sATO The Japanese star profiled 33 RIDeR Robbie Maddison 34 TRICK BAg How do they do that? 38 RIDeR Levi Sherwood 39 wILD CARDs Nick de Wit and Adam Jones 40 The RIngMAsTeR Tour Director Tes Sewell on developing the series 41 RIDeR Eigo Sato 42 RAnKIng RIDeRs Five more who’ll go head-to-head tonight 44 The RuLes & Venue All you need to know 48 ResuLTs The chase for the Tour title 50 wORLD TOuR The season calendar 50 CReDITs

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

LOOK BACK

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

ROUND 1 / MEXICO CITY

PHOTOGRAPHY: Balazs Gardi for Global-Newsroom

villa victorious Andre Villa celebrates a surprise first Red Bull X-Fighters win in Mexico City after torrential rain forced organiser to call a halt to the competition after just a single round. Villa had earlier put in a stunning performance to win the qualifying round, but entering the main event still thought he had it all to do. However, with the course too wet to guarantee safety, the result went back to the qualifying standings and Villa took the win from Nate Adams second and third-placed Robbie Maddison. 06

MEXICO CITY / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

PHOTOGRAPHY: Daniel Kolodin for Global-Newsroom

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / MEXICO CITY

monumental mexico Over 42,000 FMX-crazy fans once again flocked to the world’s biggest bullring to see the Red Bull X-Fighters throw down some massive moves. And despite bad weather, they got their wish, as the riders treated then to a whole host of amazing new tricks. 08

010

PHOTOGRAPHY: Balazs Gardi for Global-Newsroom

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

PHOTOGRAPHY: Joerg Mitter for Global-Newsroom

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

levitating levi Rubber kid Levi Sherwood won on his Red Bull X-Fighters debut in Mexico in 2009 and was hoping for more of the same in this season’s opener. In the end, though, he had to settle for seventh place, despite showing off some impressive skills on the night, including a great Stripper Flip (left).

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GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

NEWS COUNTDOWN TO GIZA…

on a different plane Every year the riders attempt to bring something wilder, bigger and better out of the trick bag and in Mexico City it was Eigo Sato who debuted the sickest new move, a little something he’s calling ‘The Aeroplane’, in which the rider kicks the bike out and th e n extends his whole body away to the side, only keeping hold of the handlebars with one hand.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Flo Hagena for Global-Newsroom (2)

villa aims to stay top of the pyramid Norway’s Andre Villa is targeting another big points haul in Giza tonight to stay on top of the Red Bull X-Fighters title standings, after taking a surprise win in Mexico last month. Torrential rain at the Plaza de Toros Monumental forced organisers to cut short the main event, and with the result based on the standings from the qualifying session, Villa landed his first-ever Red Bull X-Fighters tour victory, revealing later that the top step of the podium is where he feels he belongs. “I’m so hungry, I want to do well in the events and I know I belong at the top,” he said. “The season I had last year – that’s not where I belong – but I never gave up and I’m looking forward to the future. This is my first Red Bull

X-Fighters win, but I know it’s not going to be the last.” Villa rides out tonight 20 points clear of 2009 champion Nate Adams and a further 15 ahead of Robbie Maddison, but admits that this event is going to be tough. “The round in Egypt [tonight] is a completely different set-up [to Mexico],” he said. “It’s going to be like a circle, ramp-to-ramp. That’s not my strongest area – I need some different obstacles – but I will give my best, I’ll ride my best and if I can get a top five result, I’ll be super-happy. Top three would be perfect. “But when we go to places such as Moscow, with bigger tracks, I’ll be stronger. There are so many good riders, you can’t predict anything, so right now, I’ll enjoy leading Red Bull X-Fighters!”

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

2001 valencia

AIR TIMES

MIKE JONES (also showN left)

From just a single battle to a world-spanning series featuring the best freestyle riders on the planet, Red Bull X-Fighters has come a long way. AND Here’s how…

on Jones. The Spaniard’s array of gravitydefying tricks relegated Jones to second, with Mike Metzger slotting into third place.

2002 Following the success of the Valencia event, Red Bull X-Fighters went for broke in 2002, migrating to Madrid’s legendary Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, for even wilder tricks. More than 23,000 fans crammed in, to see local hero Edgar Torronteras take his revenge 16

2004 There was a sole event in 2004, Madrid again getting the nod, FMX legend Travis Pastrana continuing US domination and taking his first title, ahead of Nate Adams and Ronnie Renner. “Red Bull X-Fighters is more fun than any other event, with a unique atmosphere,” said Pastrana of his win. Little did he know that it was about become even more special. 2005 With crowds increasing in the Red Bull X-Fighters’ heartland of Spain, it was decided to go international. Given its bullfighting heritage, Mexico’s vast Plaza de Toros in Mexico City presented the obvious destination and here Ronnie Renner dominated what was fast becoming freestyle’s most exciting series. 2006 After a glut of US wins, 2006 saw a new European star emerge, as Swiss maestro Mat Rebeaud beat Pastrana in Mexico. He

PHOTOGRAPHY: Bernhard Spoettel/Red Bull Photofiles (2)

2001 The origins of Red Bull X-Fighters stretch back to a single event. On a steaming July day in 2001, a few thousand dedicated FMX fans gathered in Valencia’s bullfighting arena to watch the world’s best freestylers defy logic, physics and, presumably, every health and safety regulation in the book by throwing themselves and their bikes through the baking air. With echoes of Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls – 100 white-clad volunteers were herded into the arena by the FMX stars – and screamed on to ever more dangerous feats by a fanatical crowd, Mike Jones took victory and the template was set.

2003 By the following year, the stakes had doubled, with two events in Spain and the start of US domination, Kenny Bartram ruling in both Valencia and Madrid, twice pushing fellow American Nate Adams to second position. However, the Antipodeans put up a good fight, with Australian Dayne Kinnaird finishing third in Madrid and New Zealand’s Nick Franklin third in Valencia, paving the way for current stars such as Robbie Maddison, Levi Sherwood and Cameron Sinclair.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

2002 madrid

Edgar torronteraS

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

2003 VALENCIA

2004 madrid

kenny bartram

travis pastrana

finished third behind Pastrana and Nate Adams in Madrid, but it was clear that a new era was beginning. It was time to go global.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Ludovic Franco (1), www.flohagena.com (3), Joerg Mitter (2), Jürgen Skarwan (1), alexschelbert.de (1) all red bull photofiles

2007 The first World Tour took off in 2007, with events in Mexico, Ireland and, once again its spiritual home, Madrid. Here Travis Pastrana took another title, winning the finale after also winning at Ireland’s historic Slane Castle, to wrest his title back from Rebeaud. But the Swiss star wasn’t to let it go for long. 2008 Across a season that took in Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Forth Worth in the US, Madrid, Oetelshofen in Germany and the season finale in Warsaw, Rebeaud took three wins from the first four events to seal title victory, even before the finale.

2009 london nate adams

2005 mexico city ronnie renner

2008 germany

mat rebeaud

2007 madrid

travis PASTRANA

2006 madrid

Pastrana,adams (left) and rebeaud 18

2009 But while everyone was talking about Rebeaud ruling the roost indefinitely, along came a skinny kid from New Zealand. Drafted into the ’09 opener in Mexico at the last minute, 17-year-old Levi Sherwood stunned everyone with a set of flawless tricks. He won on his debut, relegating Eigo Sato, almost twice his age, to second, with Rebeaud third. In Canada, Robbie Maddison staked his early claim to a first title, with Eigo Sato again second. In round three in Texas, Sato again picked up points, to extend his series lead. The stars of the show, though, were event winner Nate Adams, now finding form, and Australian Cameron Sinclair, who brought the crowd to its feet with an amazing double backflip. Back in the series’ heartland, local hero Dany Torres thrilled the Madrid crowd with a set of adrenaline-pumped runs that gave the injury-hampered rider a deserved win. But Adams was lurking in the wings, and second in Madrid put him in charge of the championship. It set up a thrilling four-way fight at the season finale in London’s Battersea power station. The title could have gone to any of Mat Rebeaud, Eigo Sato, Robbie Maddison or Nate Adams. It was Adams, though, who kept his focus and, after a fascinating duel with close friend Robbie Maddison in the semi-final and Levi Sherwood in the final runs, ‘The Destroyer’ took the win – and claimed victory in the overall standings, in the closest battle ever for the title.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

giza / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

MONUMENTAL PERFORMER

PPHOTOGRAPHY: Daniel Kolodin for Global-Newsroom, Lee Powers / Red Bull Photofiles

He leaps tall buildings with a single jump, backflips bridges and crosses canals 95m above the water. But tonight, daredevil Robbie Maddison takes on his biggest challenGe yet – the Pyramids

m e x i c a n wa v e

Maddison opened his 2010 campaign with third in Mexico

r RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

people said to me: ‘Oh, it was pretty easy for you because it wasn’t as big as your world record for the longest motorcycle jump,’ and that would be true if it was in an open field,” Maddison told freeridermx.com. “But with this, the run-in started in the swimming pool area of the hotel next door to the set-up and only the previous day, they’d drained all the water out of the pool, which left the surrounding grass area water-logged. So I started off on polished concrete, then moved on to grass – which wet my tyres – then on to carpet, then I hit concrete again and got major wheelspin. After that I had to ride between two gardens, on to a soccer pitch where I built up my speed, then make a left turn and jump over a fence, land in the property where the ramp was, go down a driveway onto a scaffold and then hit the ramp!” This was the point of no return, with the next stop the landing zone some 80m across the divide. “From the moment I took off, it was crucial not lose traction so that I could build up speed, and given the wet conditions and changes in surface, that was close to impossible,” he recalled. “A few kilometres under or over when taking off on the ramp would have meant I’d either case the landing, come up short and fall down the gorge, or overjump, all because the landing wasn’t big enough to allow for error. With all that to consider, the jump was very technical and difficult, and scared the absolute crap out of me!” In the end, it was outrageously successful and another milestone on a remarkable journey that has seen Maddison not only set records for distance jumps and for statement stunts such as the Tower Bridge and Corinth leaps, but also become a major player in freestyle motocross. The latter reclaimed his attention in the immediate aftermath of the Corinth spectacular, the opening round of the 2010 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour beckoning in Mexico City. It was a key moment for Maddison, who last year finished the Tour as runner-up to Nate Adams. While the defeat in London clearly wasn’t a source of bitter pain – Adams is, after all, a friend and neighbour in the California town of Temecula – it’s obvious that Maddison is ramping up his efforts for this year’s Tour. In the aftermath of the Corinth jump, the Australian was keen to get his preparations

CANA L H O P P IN G PHOTOGRAPHY: Balazs Gardi for Global-Newsroom, Joerg Mitter for global-newsroom

obbie Maddison is making something of a habit out of landmarks. Not content with taking on a massive 30m jump onto Las Vegas’s version of the Arc de Triomphe in 2008, followed by a 12m drop off the same building, the Australian daredevil last year staged a dead-of-night raid on London’s iconic Tower Bridge, vaulting the open bridge with a stunning backflip. And just last month, having declared he’d avoid statement jumps this year, Maddo couldn’t resist the prospect of a leap across Greece’s Corinth Canal, soaring some 95m above the surface of the water at a speed of 125km/h. Bridges, canals, buildings – there’s isn’t anything, it seems, that go-for-it Maddison won’t take on. “Jumping across the Corinth Canal became a challenge I just could not resist,” he said of the feat. “It involved the greatest degree of risk so far. I am thrilled about managing to pull it off, given that there’s only one opportunity to get it right. I was just stoked and everything went pretty smoothly.” The jump wasn’t without its hazards, though, with Maddison not having the ideal run-up to the ramp used for the jump. “Some

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

Daredevil Maddo vaulted the 85m-wide Corinth Canal

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

PHOTOGRAPHY: Lee Powers/Red Bull Photofiles (3)

ROBBIE MADDISON Addicted to record breaking: In 2008, he broke the world motorcycle jumping record twice in one night, leaping 107m in Melbourne All-time hero: Evel Knievel F1 Fever: Maddo not only jumped Corinth this year, in March he jumped 60 metres in the air over the main straight at his home F1 GP in Australia.

right, admitting that he’d had little time for freestyle work over the winter. “I’ve only ridden about 10 hours of freestyle in six months,” he said after the Greece jump. “But after this event I’ve left an open book to train with my trainer Ryan Hughes in the US, and practice some new tricks I’ve got up my sleeve. Hopefully, they’ll work out in my favour as the series goes on. “I’m also working hard on strengthening my knees, so I don’t have to wear braces, as they’re stopping me executing tricks such as Shaolin Flips, Cordova Flips and a bunch of others. Plus, I’m building a new foam pit, something I haven’t used for four years now, so with that to learn new tricks and my fresh approach for 2010, I believe I’ll get stronger as the season progresses.” The work paid off in Mexico. Despite the opening round being cut short by torrential rain, Maddison finished third in the qualifying session that determined the result behind Adams and event winner Andre Villa. Indeed, Maddison managed to get a run in during the main event and even here, on a wet and treacherous course, outmanoeuvred Japan’s Eigo Sato in the quarter-finals. It leaves Maddison on the cusp of another landmark event. Having taken on Las Vegas, London and the Corinth Canal, tonight he’s set to compete against the biggest backdrop of his career, the jaw-dropping Pyramids and Sphinx. And the fearless rider reckons the Greek jump has taught him a thing or two that might help out tonight. “When it comes to the crunch, in those stressful moments when I’ve got to perform, I should be able to deal with it more easily,” he said. “I’m stronger mentally, so I think I’ll be able to stay more focused and keep a clear head. “Most mistakes with tricks happen when you second-guess yourself right before leaving the ramp, but I’m not fearful of any tricks I’m doing at the moment. Of course, there are consequences if I screw up, but any fear those tricks might hold for me is far less than the Corinth jump, so to face that fear and come to Red Bull X-Fighters is almost like going to Sunday school for the weekend!” And that attitude should bode well for Maddison’s assault on the Red Bull X-Fighters

“ most mistakes with tricks happen when you try to second-guess yourself just before leaving the ramp”

World Tour this year. In 2009, he missed the opening round due to injury and still managed to stitch together a sequence that included one win in Calgary and third, fourth and fifthplaced finished at the remaining rounds. In the words of Radiohead, the 2010 version of Robbie Maddison is ‘fitter, happier’ and injury-free heading into the season. He has married fiancée Amy Sanders and recently learned that he will soon be a father. It all points to the possibility that this could be his year in Red Bull X-Fighters. He agrees that a new sense of calm, inspired by home life and his recent exploits in Greece, could help him attain that dream goal. “Last year I came into the series really prepared and psyched, and won the first round I competed in, but then I lost my mojo and couldn’t keep the momentum you need to win through to the end,” he says. “This year, I plan to be the tortoise instead of the hare, build steadily and then finish off with a bang!” To some degree, Maddison has already surpassed his own expectations with third in Mexico. On the evidence of that result, the bigger bangs should start tonight in Giza 

AIR CRAFT

3 > P OP -UP BARS

Freestyle asks a lot oF a motorcycle, so to cope with the trickery, riders make small but critical modiFications

These are flip-up bars that, when extended, sit perpendicular to the handlebars. During some tricks, these are crucial for the rider to balance his arms against. Essential, to carry out many tricks.

4 5 3

5 > HA N DLEBARS

4 > STE E R I NG STA BI LI S ER

FMX riders opt for widerthan-standard bars, making the bike easier to grab and manipulate. They prefer bars with a deeper bend and no top cross-brace, for tricks such as the Dead Body. With no crossbar, handlebars are often thicker and more rigid than usual.

The handlebars’ dial sets the rigidity of steering. For some tricks, it’s vital that steering stays in a straight line when hands are off the bars.

2 > FORKS/NUMB ERP L AT ES 2

A lot of riders cut the numberplates to fix on grip tape or simply add grip tape to the forks. This helps, during tricks such as the Cliffhanger, to clamp their feet to the forks.

7 6

8 1 > F RONT F ENDER

No major adaptation here,just a shorter front fender for purely aesthetic reasons.

6 > S EAT

Part of the foam beneath the seat’s covering is removed to give riders more room when performing tricks such as No-Foot Cans, and to reduce the danger of riders getting tangled up in mid-air.

9 10

7 > REAR FE N DER

Many riders shorten this for better control of the back end of the bike and to facilitate more tricks.

Most riders create handholds by cutting into the plastic coverings just beneath the seat. This may also mean the subframe needs cutting and re-welding to give space to perform seat-grab tricks such as the Superman Seat Grab, etc.

9 > FO OTPEGS

Most riders opt for wider footpegs so they have greater stability. They also help to distribute the force of impact across the foot, making landings less painful.

10 > UNDERCARRIAGE

Includes forks and shocks. These are specially adjusted to cope with bone-jarring landings, especially when riders miscalculate distances.

IllusTraTIoN: russEll bEll

8 > HA ND HO LD S

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

Eigo Sato’s in no mood to slow down. Although the Japanese rider is all Zen-like calm when you meet him, there appears to be an unlimited reserve of energy bubbling beneath the surface. At 32 years of age, most riders have backed off from a sport that invariably exacts a heavy physical toll on joints and limbs, and progressed to something a little less frenzied. Not Sato, though. Fuelled by a desire to stamp Japan’s mark on the world of FMX, Eigo keeps going: bigger, higher, wilder – and all with a trademark style that’s part laidback insouciance, and part punk iconoclasm. And it’s paying off. Last year, the rider born in Iwaki City (about three hours north of Tokyo), scored his best Red Bull X-Fighters results, taking second places in at the opening rounds in Mexico and Canada and ending the season on a high, finishing in third place overall, behind Robbie Maddison and eventual champion Nate Adams. This year too, Sato has been in similarly good form, taking sixth place in the opening, rain-curtailed round in Mexico. All of which is a little incongruous when you consider the environment from which Sato emerged. A fortress town built around the formidable presence of Aizuwakamatsu Castle, Iwaki City once flourished as a coal-mining town, but is now a relatively quiet city of 300,000, more notable for its temperate climate and tourist industry than anything else. Not exactly a wellspring of FMX mayhem. Sato, though, grew up in the household of a motocross-mad father and was lifted on to his first motorcycle aged three. His burgeoning interest in motocross coincided with a similar

PHOTOGRAPHY / Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elder statesman, FMX pioneer in his home country and innovator – Eigo Sato can BE SAID TO EMBODY all three – but for the Japanese star, it’s still just about having fun, writes Hitoshi Kajino

PHOTOGRAPHY: Christian Pondella/Red Bull Photofiles

SATO

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

Secret Sato Five things you didn’t know about Eigo 1. Have you got a phobia? I’m afraid of crashing. It shouldn’t be a phobia in this sport, but it is. 2. What are your hobbies? At the moment, I’m into skateboarding. 3. Which movie star would you like to date? Angelina Jolie. 4. If you weren’t an FMX rider, what would you have been? Homeless! 5. If you could jump anything, anywhere in the world, what would it be? Niagara Falls. Actually, I just want to visit there so... ask Robbie first! 30

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

small groundswell of curiosity across Japan, and at a formative age, Sato was taken to Japan’s first Supercross event in 1986. It was to be a turning point, as the motorcycle-mad Japanese kid got up close and personal with some of the legends of the US scene. “Since I was a kid, my hero was Rick Johnson,” Sato recalls of the legendary seven-time American Motorcyclist Association champion. “He was flamboyant and looked so cool. If he won, he would do an action jump without fail. I thought ‘I wanna be like that’.” It wasn’t until he was 18, however, that Sato obtained the competition licence that would enable him to take part in the All-Japan Championship. A year later and he was on the move, to the US, to train at the highest level. During his time in the States, absorbing the techniques needed to be a motocross racer, he had his FMX epiphany. At a small music festival in suburban southern California, Brian Deegan, Ronnie Faisst and others were giving an FMX show. The sport had just come into being and Sato, who had only watched FMX on video up to then, was bowled over by the no-holds-barred world of freestyle. “At that time,” he says, “I was backed by Yamaha, and although I had appeared in the All-Japan Motocross competition, Yamaha’s line was that they didn’t need action jumps. It was like they were saying, ‘just ride fast’. But my feeling was that I was a professional who had to excite the spectators. So I broke from Yamaha’s support and went it alone, in order to do what I wanted in the way I wanted.” It was the cue for a return to Japan and intense self-education. Video footage of tricks was viewed until the tapes wore out. Tricks were practised until the falls that plagued his early attempts ceased to be a factor. By 2000, he’d assimilated what he needed to know. Later that year Sato staged and produced the ‘Mosh Ride’, a show imitating what he’d seen in the US. It soon became a fixture of the travelling shows Sato took around Japan and, by 2001, the country had its own professional team, MX-Virus. The crew exists to this day and is comprised of riders who were involved in FMX from the very start, Eigo included. MX-Virus allowed Sato to give up racing and travel his homeland as a professional FMX

PHOTOGRAPHY: Christian Pondella/Red Bull Photofiles

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

TRICK BAG

DEAD BODY 

A Dead Body consists of the rider taking his feet off the pegs and extending his legs through the arms and up over the handlebars. Once in this position, the rider straightens his body completely.

The riders have a vasT caTalogue of graviTydefying Tricks aT Their disposal. here’s a quick quide To jusT a few To look ouT for TonighT…

H A R T A T TA C K 

WHIP 

A Whip is when the rider kicks the bike sideways in the air so that it flips out to at least a 90° angle to the rider before being straightened out for the landing.

S U P E R F L I P ( S U P E R M A N B A C K F L I P)  The rider does a Backflip, lets go of the bike with both feet and then kicks them straight back. Riders score bigger execution marks by getting further away from the bike. The biggest problem here is getting back onto your feet against the rotation. That’s why many riders mount special Flip-Levers in front of the handlebars in order to exert counter-pressure.

Named after Carey Hart, the first rider to perform the trick, the Hart Attack, is performed with both legs pointing straight up in the air. One hand is positioned as if performing a handstand on the seat, while the other holds on to it. If the rider’s face is facing backwards then the trick is called a Lookback Hart Attack. Some riders add an ‘Indy’ (as shown), where the rider kicks his legs in a cycling motion during the trick, to score extra points.

RULER 

The Ruler is one of the harder tricks on Tour, relying on a great deal of strength and balance to get just right. The rider comes off the ramp and, holding the bars, launches his body upwards, his feet pointing to the sky. simultaneously he must push down the back of the bike so that the rear fender points towards the circuit. With back and bike pointing to 12 o’clock and six o’clock respectively you get The Ruler.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / MEXICO CITY

MEXICO CITY / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

TSUNAMI 

CLIFFHANGER 

The rider leaves the bike, then catches the underside of the handlebars with his toes. Most riders nowadays perform the trick slightly differently to the original trick. They also catch the bike with the inside of their foot at the fork for better control. The hands are raised above the head and the rider tries to lift his body as far away from the bike as possible.

Similar to a handstand in the air performed over the front of the handlebars while trying to keep the bike horizontal and level.

LAZYBOY 

The Lazyboy is a variant of the Coffin trick (which is performed by extending the legs out in front of the bike and below the handlebars and leaning back on the seat as far as possible). For the Lazyboy the rider lets go of the handlebars and extends his arms back over his head. The further a rider extends his arms and legs, the more points he will score.

K I SS O F D E AT H 

The rider performs a handstand on the bike and eventually lowers his head to the front fender as if to kiss it while still upside down.

Similar to a Superman Double Grab, where the rider takes his feet off the bike and straightens his body away from it, just holding onto the handlebars, but this time the rider releases his hands sideways from the bars. For a moment he’s totally detached from the bike and flies above it. The rider then catches his bike using the grab-holes to pull himself back onto the saddle.

ILLUSTRATInOS: RUSSELL BELL

ROCK SOLID 

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

2010 riders

NICK DE WITT NickName / SICK NICK NatioNality / SOUTH AFRICAN Date of Birth / AUGUST 28, 1981 Bike / KTM 250 SX

wild card

‘Sick’ Nick is Africa’s premier FMX star. The 28-year-old Johannesburg-born rider started with motocross racing in the mid90s, but made his move to FMX in 2001. Last year, he won the Pro-X Games at the Waterfront in Cape Town and performed at the Ertzberg Rodeo in Austria, where he rode the race too, qualifying for the top 300 out of a starting line-up of 1700. He also took part in the Red Bull X-Fighters Jam in Cairo last April, even inventing a new j ump, ‘ The P haraoh’, f or t he e vent. 2009 results did not participate

LEVI SHERWOOD 2010 results Mexico City ( Mexico) 7TH

NickName / RUBBER KId NatioNality / NEW ZEALANd Date of Birth / OCTOBER 22, 1991 Bike / KTM 250 SX

2009 results Mexico City( Mexico)1sT Calgary (canada) 7TH Fort Worth (USA) dns Madrid (Spain) dns London (UK) 2nd

Prior to his Red Bulls X-Fighters debut in Mexico last year, Levi reckoned the call-up made him as happy as “a fat kid in a doughnut shop”. A year on from his spectacular first win there, the Rubber Kid has made a solid if unspectacular start to 2010 in a rain-stalled return to Mexico. But after finishing ’09 in sixth place overall, with an automatic entry to all of this year’s events, wonderkid Levi’s still perfectly poised to prove that he is indeed one of the sport’s brightest new stars.

FinaL OveraLL POsiTiOn: 6TH 38

PHOTOGRAPHY: GARTH MILAn/RED BULL PHOTOFILES; ILLUSTRATIOnS: ADAM cARBAjAL

wiladrd c

ADAM JONES NatioNality / USA Date of Birth / JULY 23, 1984 Bike / YAMAHA YZ250 The first rider to land a Cordova Flip in competition, Adam’s one of the top FMX riders in the world. An X-Games gold medallist in 2007, he accomplished another goal by becoming the 2008 AST Overall Tour Champion. Most recently he scored eighth place in this year’s Red Bull X-Fighters season opener in Mexico. 2010 results Mexico City ( Mexico) 8TH 2009 results Mexico City( Mexico)7TH Fort Worth (USA) 8TH Madrid (Spain) 7TH London (UK) 11TH FinaL OveraLL POsiTiOn: 6TH 39

2 0 1 0r s ride

GizA / Red Bull X-fiGHTeRs

 LANCE COURY

ranking file

ANDRÈ VILLA  NickName / nOne NatioNality / nOrWeGiAn DoB / ApriL 27, 1982 Bike / yAmAhA yz250

DAISUKE SUZUKI  NickName / DAice, Suzu-D NatioNality / JApAneSe DoB / FebruAry 25, 1981 Bike / yAmAhA yz250 Japan’s Daisuke Suzuki has been riding FmX since 2002 and has established a reputation as one of the sport’s most flamboyant performers. now the man from miyagi, who lists painting as one of his hobbies, will be looking to add some vibrant colour to tonight’s showdown in egypt. 42

Like most riders, Villa began his career in mX but had to quit in 2000 following an injury. it didn’t prevent what he calls ‘play-riding’ and in 2003 the norwegian began translating that into a full FmX career (as well as turning pro in freestyle skiing!). he last year rode the whole red bull X-Fighters World Tour, with encouraging results and then, to up his game this time out, he recently moved to Temecula, california, the home of FmX. The big re-location seems to have worked, with Andre taking a first red bull X-Fighters win in mexico last month. he arrives in cairo in charge of the title race and on the look out for more big points.

PHOTOGRAPHY: BAlAzs GARdi fOR GlOBAl-newsROOm, jOeRG miTTeR fOR GlOBAl-newsROOm (2), cHRis TedescO/Red Bull PHOTOfiles, imAGO/mYRiAm vOGel

say hello to the remaining riders who will tonight go wild on the giza plateau in pursuit of red bull x-fighters glory

NatioNality / uSA DoB / mArch 3, 1990 Bike / hOnDA crF250r Lance first clambered aboard a motorcycle at just four years of age and has been pushing the limits ever since. These days he’s focused on being one of the top Freestyle motocross riders in the world. now 20, he’s most recently spent time honing his skills in the company of mat rebeaud and other red bull X-Fighter regulars at the red bull compound in the uS, so arrives in Giza with plenty of new tricks to show off.

LIBOR PODMOL NickName / The cAT NatioNality / czech DoB / June 1, 1984 Bike / Suzuki rm250 Like so many others, Libor got his start racing mX but soon succumbed to the thrill of freestyle and he’s been racking up big air time since 2002. nicknamed the cat, due to his ability to walk away unscathed from some pretty big crashes, Libor’s also got plenty of the aerial agility associated with his nickname and has an enviable record behind him.

JIM MCNEIL  NickName / Jumpin’ Jimmy NatioNality / uSA DoB / December 29, 1979 Bike / Suzuki rm250 Arizona’s Jumpin’ Jimmy mcneil has been riding freestyle for almost a decade and in 2004 took fourth at the LG Action Sports championships and tied for third in the best Trick at the Gravity Games. At the Winter X Games in 2006 he took 10th. While the past couple of years have been plagued by injury, mcneil’s now back to his best and took an excellent fifth place in mexico city to earn a spot here in Giza.

Red Bull X-fIGHTeRs / GIZA

GIZA / Red Bull X-fIGHTeRs

THE RULES

follow THE fIGHT To BE RED BUllS X fIGHTER ToUR CHAMPIoN 2010!

QUARTER-FINALS

SEMI-FINALS

FINAL

Head to head

1 run of 90 sec

HEAT 1

WINNER

RIdER Q5

HEAT 1

SEMI-FINAL 1

RIdER Q2

RIdER Q4

HEAT 4

SEMI-FINAL 2

RIdER Q3

HEAT 2

WINNER

RIdER Q6

HEAT 2

RIdER Q3

HEAT 3

RIdER Q4 RIdER Q5 RIdER Q6 RIdER Q7

RIdER 1 R1

HEAT 4

RIdER Q8

RIdER 2 R1

RIdER Q9

RIdER 3 R1

Q9 RIdER Q10

RIdER 3 4 R1

RIdER Q12

RIdER 5 R1 RIdER 6 R1

HEAT 3

Top six qualifiers progress straight to Quarter-Finals

RIdER Q2

RIdER 2 R1

RIdER Q11

RIdER Q1

WORLd TOUR At each Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour stop, 100 points are awarded for first place, 80 for second, 65 for third, down to 5 points for 12th place. Riders have the chance to discard their lowest single Tour stop score under the Throw Out Rule, with the remaining stops totalled to give an adjusted points score prior to the start of the final competition. The overall winner of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 is the rider with the highest number of points after the final stop of the season.

POINTS SySTEM 1ST

100

5TH

9TH

2Nd

6TH

10TH

3Rd

7TH

11TH

4TH

8TH

12TH

Each World Tour stop comprises three days: Day One (rider briefing and training), Day Two (training and qualification), and Day Three (training and main competition). Following qualification, the riders compete in Round 1 in reverse ranking order, with the top six ranked riders from qualifying sitting out Round 1 and automatically progressing to the Quarter Finals. During Round 1, each competitor has one 90-second run to impress the panel of Judges led by the Head Judge. Only the top two riders from Round 1 progress to the Quarter Finals, where they are awarded seed #7 and #8 respectively and compete against the top six from qualifying. The Quarter Finals are head-to-head elimination rounds for the top-seeded eight riders. The riders are paired up in the heats (shown in the table). In each heat, the lowerranked rider will ride first. A panel of five Judges, led by the Head Judge, will award each rider a score and the winner of each heat progresses to the Semi Finals. The Semi Finals pit the winners from the Quarter Finals against each other.

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOeRG MITTeR/Red Bull PHOTOfIles

ROUNd 1 1 run of 90 sec (Quaifying ranks 7-12)

RIdER Q1

RULES

QUALIFyINg 2 runs of 90 sec (12 riders)

Red Bull X-fIGHTeRs / GIZA

GIZA / Red Bull X-fIGHTeRs

THE vEnUE

RULES continued RIdERS

CYCLES AREA ENTRANCE 2 LED SCREEN

SEATING AREA 03

JUdgINg

PE RA

LIGHT TOWER

TI ON FE NC E

LED SCREEN

ENTRANCE 1

THE gIZA COURSE

N FE NCE

PHOTOGRAPHY / XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

TIO

Welcome to Giza and the second stop on the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010. This course, in the one of the world’s most iconic locations, presents a particular challenge for the riders. Carving out space in front of these amazing structures was no easy task and tonight the riders have to contend with a tight course that will really test their skills to the limit, especially as they will not have much room to land, turn and set themselves up for the next big trick. It’s tight, thrilling and designed to bring out the best in the world’s biggest stars. Should be an amazing spectacle!

ERA

JUMP RAMPS

SEP

head Judge / Responsible for judging the overall impression of the run.

SEATING AREA 01 SE

assessing the level of difficulty of each trick and how well the tricks are performed.

rider’s ability to demonstrate the most energetic, exciting and entertaining run, impacts on the audience.

STANDING AREA 03

STANDING AREA 01

Judge 2 / Challenge and exeCution Has responsibility for

Judge 5 / Show and SpeCtator reaCtion This Judge rules on how the

LIGHT TOWER

LANDING RAMPS

Judge 1 / Variety

Judge 4 / uSe of CourSe

JU CO DG NT ES RO & L

SEATING AREA 02

This Judge is responsible for marking the riders on the range of tricks they bring to each run, based on a number of trick categories.

Here the rider is assessed on how he utilises the whole course in order to show off his skills.

FRIENDS OF THE BULL

JUMP RAMPS

There are five Judges on hand at each Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour event, with each one responsible for judging different criteria, and all are presided over by a Head Judge.

Judge 3 / Style Here the rider is judged on the rhythm of his run and synergy with the course and bike, both on the ground and in the air.

LIGHT TOWER

MEDIA

PHOTOGRAPHY: GeTTY IMAGes; IllusTARTIOn: MAndY fIscHeR

The number of starters at each Red Bull X-Fighters event is limited to 12. Six of the 12 are prequalified for each event, based on the final standings from 2009. Four of the remaining places are awarded based on the ranking from the previous round, so tonight’s will be based on how they stand from the opening round in Mexico, where the elements had an unexpected say in how things panned out. The final two spots are reserved for the wild cards – riders the organisers believe will bring something unique to each event.

STANDING AREA 02 CATERING

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / GIZA

RESULTS

GIZA / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

In the end, round one came down to who naIled It In qualIfyIng, and that man was andre vIlla – he now heads the table as gIza beckons...

MEXICO CITY Mexico City Result

Points

01 Andre Villa (NOR) 100 02 Nate Adams (USA) 80 03 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 65 04 Dany Torres (ESP) 55 05 Jim McNeil (USA) 45 06 Eigo Sato (JAP) 35 07 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 30 08 Adam Jones (USA) 25 09 Charles Pagès (FRA) 20 10 Blake Williams (AUS) 15 11 Cameron Sinclair (AUS) 10 12 Johan Nungaray (MEX) 5 13 Libor Podmol (CZE) 0 14 Taka Higashino (JAP) 0 Points

Blake Williams performs a Nine O’Clock Nac with Indy in round one in Mexico last month 49

PHOTOGRAPHY: DAnIEL KOLODIn FOR GLOBAL-nEwSROOm

Overall Standings

mexico city Mexico / April 16 giza egypt / MAy 14 moscow Russia / June 26 madrid spain / July 22 / 23 london england / August 14 rome italy / OctOber 1

ImprInt red bull x-fighters magazine # 1 / 2010 / mexico city Publisher Red Bull GmbH, Am Brunnen 1, A-5330 Fuschl am See Produced by Red Bulletin, Heinrich-Collin-Str. 1, A-1140 Vienna, www.redbulletin.com Printed by Offset 5020, A-5072 Siezenheim media contact media@redbullxfighters.com Visit www.redbullxfighters.com

KAJ ZACKRISSON / SWATCH PROTEAM MEMBER

PHOTOGRAPHY: SeRGei GuneYev/Time Life PicTuReS/GeTTY imAGeS

NEXT STOP: RED SQUARE!