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

£5

#5 LONDON AUGUST 14TH 2010

SHOCK AND AWE! REVVING UP FOR ANOTHER BATTLE OF BATTERSEA

cover for GLOBAL-NEWSROOM, global-newsroom, CHRISTIAN christian PONDELLA/RED ponDella/reD BULL bull PHOTOFILES; photofiles; PHOTOGRAPHY: photography: ANDREAS anDreas SCHAAD/RED schaaD/reD BULL bull PHOTOFILES photofiles COVER photography: PHOTOGRAPHY: Daniel DANIEL grunD GRUND FOR

ACTION STATION

Welcome to Battersea for Red Bull X-Fighters’ second visit to London and a battle that promises to generate excitement like no other. The championship battle is poised on a knife edge. Norway’s Andre Villa has been this season’s most consistent star, claiming podium ﬁnishes at every event. But that hasn’t stopped Tower Bridge jump hero Robbie Maddison chasing hard. If Maddo can repeat his Madrid win here in London then the title race will be wide open. Factor in New Zealand wonderkid Levi Sherwood, who ruled in Russia, plus last year’s champ and current third-placed rider Nate Adams, and you’ve got a showdown that’s too close to call. In the end it’ll simply come down to who can go biggest and baddest on the night and who can amp up the atmosphere until it crackles with the electric excitement London generates better than any other Tour stop. Time to power up and feel the energy!

CONTENTS

04 LOOK BACK The best of round four in Madrid 10 NEWS Updates from the world of Red Bull X-Fighters 13 RIDER Nate Adams 14 AIR TIMES Origins of the World Tour 18 BOUNCING BACK Levi Sherwood’s back and winning again 23 RIDER Mat Rebeaud 25 RIDER Robbie Maddison 26 AIR CRAFT How riders modify their bikes 28 TRUE BRIT Local hero Chris Birch is back in Battersea and reckons he’s riding better than ever 32 TRICK BAG How do they do that? 36 RIDER Levi Sherwood 37 WILD CARDS Chris Birch and Clinton Moore 38 RUNNING ROBBIE Meet the man who makes Robbie Maddison tick on track 41 RIDER Dany Torres 42 OTHER RIDERS The ranking riders 44 THE RULES & VENUE All you need to know 48 RESULTS 50 2010 TOUR STANDINGS

LOOK BACK ROUND 4 / MADRID

spain’s bullfighting arenas are the spiritual home of red bull x-fighters so the visit to madrid’s plaza de toros is always one of the most furiously contested rounds of the season. this year was no different... 04

lONDON / ReD bUll X-fiGHTeRs

maddo‘s moment Robbie Maddison has been threatening to bust the Red Bull X-Fighters championship battle wide open for some time and in Madrid the Aussie star finally did it. A sequence of almost flawless runs gave him his first event win since the round in Calgary, Canada at the start of the 2009 Tour. Maddo’s now second in the championship and just 45 points behind Andre Villa as the Tour comes to London. 05

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOeRG MiTTeR fOR GlObAl-NewsROOM

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

lOnDOn / ReD bull X-fiGHTeRs

After injury threatened to derail his season, Swiss star Mat Rebeaud made an amazing recovery to return for round three in Moscow, and stunned onlookers even more by taking second place in Madrid. The spotlight was also firmly on Andre Villa (left), who cemented his championship lead with third in Spain ahead of Moscow winner Levi Sherwood (right), who jumped to fifth at the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas.

PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL GRUND, JOERG ANDREAS scHAAD, ScHAAD, All ALL FOR DAniel GRunD, JOeRG MITTER, MiTTeR, AnDReAs fOR GLOBAL-NEwSROOM GlObAl-newsROOM

in the Spotlight

RED BULL BULL X-FIGHTERS X-FIGHTERS//LONDON MEXICO CITY

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

Villa Grande

PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL GRUND (2), PREDRAG VUckOVIc, BOTH FOR GLOBAL-NEwSROOm

PHOTOGRAPHY / XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Andre Villa’s been in sensational form this season and maintained his grip on first place in the Tour championship standings with third place in Madrid – his fourth podium finish after four events so far. The Norwegian star (left) took top spot in qualifying but while he thrilled the capacity crowd in the main event, he found himself pitted against an inspired Robbie Maddison (below) in the semi-final and had to settle for third as Maddo went through to the final where he beat the fit-again Mat Rebeaud.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

COUNTDOWN TO LONDON…

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY: JOERG MITTER FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROOM, ANDREAS SCHAAD FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROOM

MADDO‘S VOLT ELECTRIFIES TOUR Robbie Maddison sent shockwaves through the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour by adding an electric new trick, the Volt Body Varial, to his already overflowing arsenal of moves. It was a feat which undoubtedly helped him to victory at round four of the championship in Madrid last month. “I’ve been working on the trick since the Moscow round because I knew I had to bring something bigger if I wanted to win,” said the Aussie rider of the Volt, in which the rider dismounts and rotates his body through 360 degrees before clambering back on board the bike. “I’ve been mentally visualising it for a while, and I read a book about mental preparation on my way home from the Moscow round because I had to bring my mental awareness level up.” The Volt was previously used by Kyle Loza to land a gold medal at X Games 13 but had never figured in Red Bull X-Fighters competition until the double header at Madrid’s Plaza de Toros de las Ventas. Australian rookie Clinton Moore, who was taking part in the event’s wild card round, had also been prepping the move and the youngster became the first rider to land the trick in Red Bull X-Fighters competition when he nailed it in the qualifying rounds. Maddison, though, was aiming the new trick at the biggest stage, Friday night’s main event, and stunned the judges with the Volt to steal victory from Mat Rebeaud. “The Volt definitely helped me to the win,” said Robbie, who’ll surely be looking to showcase the supercharged new trick again tonight. 10

HIGH VOLTAGE: Maddison rotates through 360 degrees during his latest trick, the Volt 11

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

FREESTYLIN’

2010 RIDERS

If you wanted to define Red Bull X-Fighters in just a few words, the chances are that energy, excitement and fearlessness would feature in the mix, which is why finding the perfect soundtrack for tonight’s action led to just one band – My Passion. Winners of Red Bull Bedroom Jam two years ago, the Hertfordshire quartet have gone on to become one of Britain’s most critically acclaimed new bands. Mixing a punk-infused DIY ethic with a furious electro-metallic foundation, they’ve rocked festivals such as Download, and have also embarked on a series of sold-out UK and European tours. This year has seen the band grab their first Kerrang magazine cover, after which they took audiences by storm on the Kerrang Tour. They’ve also just played the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. “The name relates to what this is for us,” explains singer Laurence Rene. “When we formed My Passion we knew we had something special that would let us live out our dreams. It’s a great feeling.” A feeling that will definitely electrify Battersea tonight!

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN PONDELLA/RED BULL PHOTOFILES

THE POWER AND MY PASSION

1/ Second in Madrid was a stunning result in only your second event back from injury in pre-season? I was so happy with second. Maddo threw a perfect run with the Volt Body Varial and it was almost impossible to beat that. You know, I’m still not 100 per cent, so to take second place was just crazy! 2/ The comeback has been exceptional. Were you frustrated at not being able to compete? It was pretty hard not being there, especially for the ﬁrst one in Mexico when I was just sitting in front of the TV. But that’s the nature of this sport. 3/ Where did you do the preparation for the return? I was back in Switzerland. The weather’s good there. I started to ride in May and jumped a lot in the foam pit. Then I went back on to dirt at the beginning of June, just before Moscow. 4/ Who do you think are the guys to beat for the rest of the season? Andre Villa looks very good now. I was thinking Dany (Torres) would be the man to beat this year but he had a problem too. But Villa’s in good shape. 5/ And most recently you took part in X Games 16. Yeah, fourth place! It was very cool, but on my third run I had a big crash. I hurt my ankle but nothing was broken. I’m just going to rest and get ready for the Red Bull X-Fighters competition in London.

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOERG MITTER FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROOM

MAT REBEAUD

NATE ADAMS NICKNAME / THE DESTROYER NATIONALITY / USA DATE OF BIRTH / MARCH 29, 1984 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250 The Destroyer needs little introduction. The American rider sealed a dramatic championship win here in London last year after dominating the second half of the Tour and he’s carried that form through to this year. A string of excellent podium ﬁnishes have left him well placed to challenge for a second title – and if there’s one rider capable of delivering back-to-back championships it’s Nate Adams.

2010 RESULTS Mexico City( Mexico)2ND Giza(Egypt) 3RD Moscow(Russia) 2ND Madrid (Spain) DNS 2009 RESULTS Mexico City( Mexico)DNS Calgary (Canada) 5TH Fort Worth (USA) 1ST Madrid (Spain) 2ND London (UK) 1ST FINAL OVERALL POSITION: CHAMPION 13

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

AIR TIMES

2001 VALENCIA

MIKE JONES (ALSO SHOWN LEFT)

FROM JUST A SINGLE BATTLE TO A GLOBE�SPANNING SERIES FEATURING THE BEST FREESTYLE RIDERS ON THE PLANET, RED BULL X�FIGHTERS HAS COME A LONG WAY. 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 14

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 it was about to 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. There, 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 origin of Red Bull X-Fighters stretches back to a single event. One 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 / LOndOn

2002 madrid

edGAR TORROnTeRAS

LonDon / 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 USA, Madrid, Oetelshofen in Germany and the season finale in Warsaw, Rebeaud took three wins from the first four events to seal his title victory, even before the last round.

2009 london nATe AdAmS

2005 mexico city ronnie renner

2008 gErmany

mAT RebeAud

2007 madrid

TRAviS PASTRAnA

2006 madrid

Pastrana, adams (left) and rebeaud 16

2009 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 for the season finale at London’s Battersea Power Station. The title could have been won by Mat Rebeaud, Eigo Sato, Robbie Maddison or Nate Adams. It was Adams, though, who kept his focus and, after a fascinating duel with Robbie Maddison in the semi-final and Levi Sherwood in the final, ‘The Destroyer’ took the win – and triumphed in the overall standings – in the closest battle ever fought for the title. 17

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

AT FULL STRETCH

PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREAS SCHAAD FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROOM

WHEN LEVI SHERWOOD WON HIS DEBUT RED BULL X�FIGHTERS EVENT, BIG THINGS WERE FORECAST. AFTER 15 MONTHS DISRUPTED BY INJURY AND SURGERY, THE RIDER THEY CALL ‘THE RUBBER KID’ MIGHT BE ABOUT TO DELIVER ON THAT PROMISE

It’s almost 12 months since your last time in London. How much difference does a year make? What have you learned? What I’ve noticed the most is not so much my riding, which I think is as good, if not a little better, but how I feel at these competitions. I’m just a lot more relaxed in the sport. Now I’m having fun, whereas last year I was too worried about performing well. I still am, but now I think I can leave all that until the event. Last year I think I’d waste the whole week before a competition worrying about it. I’d worry about the course and how it would be set up and whether I’d be able to compete well. Now it’s different. Once I’ve done that qualifier, I’m pretty happy. You’ve got your first run out of the way and you can move forward. The big thing this year, though, is that you’ve managed to avoid injury So far! Last year was pretty messy for me – going from the biggest high (in Mexico) to some pretty low lows. I managed to finish the year on a good note in London, so was pretty happy with that. Before that, though, if I wasn’t 19

ReD bUll X-fIGHTeRs / lOnDOn

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

missing events through injury, I was going to them and picking up injuries. This year has been much, much better. Staying injury free just means you get to spend that much more time on the bike and that’s really important. You miss that when you’re recovering and then when you do ride you’re not as sharp, so you’re much more likely to get injured again. Straight after London I had to have knee surgery, which was a full six months off the bike. I reckon I got back to it in March this year. But despite that, within the first day of riding I was back at the same level I had been before the surgery, at least in terms of being able to do the tricks. But after that there’s just a feeling of not being as comfortable as you were before. You can’t really predict as much what’s going to happen with the bike. When you can find a routine, that’s the biggest thing – just being able to feel the bike and work with it. That’s the bonus of time on the bike. You feel nimble on it. You’re riding the bike, it’s not riding you.

You practise them more often now? Yeah. It sort of started last year, during the season. I just started spending time doing 20

The Trouble wiTh Tricks PHOTOGRAPHY: DAnIel KOlODIn fOR GlObAl-newsROOm

Has changing your bike contributed to your improved form? Indeed, do you think that riding a lower-powered four-stroke last year may have contributed in some way to some of your injuries? The bike for me, last year, sucked. It didn’t contribute to my injuries, they were all my own stupid fault, but as far as this year goes I’m much more comfortable with the bike I have now. For example, in Moscow, if I’d had my four-stroke I would definitely have had a hard time getting over some of the jumps. A short corner, going up to a steep jump, there’s just not enough power. Being on the KTM this year is so much more fun. A big thing for me was some of the jumps. I’d go out and see some of them and be a bit concerned, but having been on the two-stroke for a while, I know that I can go out and really attack them now. The other thing is that if I don’t do some of the backflips for a while, particularly after an injury, I’ll get scared. So now I make a point of going out and doing those.

LEVI SHERWOOD On... New Zealand: “I’d live there all year round if I could.I’ll never outgrow it.” Travelling:“I loved going to Moscow and Egypt.For a holiday, they wouldn’t have been high on my list, but they were amazing.” Fitness:“It’s not crucial. It’s more about technique. I swim and run but that’s just for me rather than the sport.”

Red Bull X-Fighters are constantly battling both nerves and gravity in a bid to land the biggest tricks. Levi takes us through the trick that makes him think twice.... the Seatgrab Flip 1. This is a back flip where you grab your seat with one hand and take your legs off, but you’re upside down, 15 metres in the air. The key is to keep your feet on the bike before you grab your seat, which you do as you’re coming off the ramp. If you don’t keep your feet on, you’ll lose the bike. I learned that the hard way. 2. You pull back on the handlebars – just a medium pull – and lean back. You take one hand off, put it between

your legs and grab hold of the seat. By this time you’re about a quarter way through the rotation, facing straight up. 3. Once you feel you’ve got a solid grip, you let your feet off. The bike drops away from you but the rotation will pull you round and you try to get the right extension with your body. 4. The rotation’s almost done, so you can spot your landing. You’ve got to put all your weight on the hand holding the seat. If you put any weight on the hand holding the handlebars you’ll turn the bars, which is not what you want on. You get your feet on, grab the bars with the seat hand and then you land it. Most of the time, if you get it right, you’ll land on both wheels. And that’s it, easy!

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

Does the pressure get to you when you start a run? Are you aware of the crowd? Not really. I’ve been doing this for so long now! I started riding in shows in front of a lot of people when I was 12, so I’ve kind of grown up with it. I think it’s one of my stronger points in competition. I don’t care who’s watching me, what the noise level is like, even who I’m up against. I won’t even watch the other rider’s run. I just go out there and do my own stuff. If you’re focusing on anything else then you’re focusing on the wrong thing. I go out, get that tunnel vision and just let it go from there. Do you plan the runs? Some riders have the tricks written on the handlebars I’ve always got a game plan. There’s always Plan A, which is what I’ve worked out in my head that day as the best use of the time and the jumps. And then there’s Plan B, which is just make it up as I go along – which, believe me, happens more often than not! I’ll either forget it or make a wrong turn, so I’ll have to work out a new plan on the ﬂy to suit the jumps. It happened in Mexico last year and also in London, where every run I did I made a wrong turn! But somehow it worked. 22

What about new tricks? Anything special you’re working on? You know, over the last month or so I’ve been thinking about new tricks a lot. When you ride, you get bored of doing the same old stuff. I’m always trying to come up with new things. So, yeah, I have got one idea, which I’ve seen a lot of BMX riders do but I’m really not sure if it’s possible on a motorcycle. It’s just an idea at the moment. I need to ride it in a foam pit. I’m 90% sure I can do it but think that it’s 10% impossible. I’ll get back to you about it… What about London? You ﬁnished second last year, which was a return to form Yeah, I think London was the ﬁrst time I really felt comfortable with the competition. Beforehand in Mexico last year – where I’d done the best – I wasn’t freaking out, but I was really nervous. I realised in London that this is quite a special thing for me. Not too many people get the opportunity to do the sport they love, ride all the time and travel a lot as a job. It’s pretty special. So what are you expecting this time? The course this time is a lot bigger, I believe. Honestly, I don’t know what to expect! I think it just depends on the night and how the judges are feeling and how I’m feeling. I can get around on a big course and hold my own on it but I’m more of a pure trick guy. I’m not as strong as a course rider but I do like to think that I can do both. But, having said that, London last year was my favourite event. It had it all, the atmosphere, the people – everything. It was just incredible.

AIR MAT MILAN/RED bull BULL PHOTOfiles PHOTOFILES PHOTOGRAPHY: GARTH MilAN/Red

Which tricks are you talking about? It was things like the Ruler Flip and the Seatgrab Flip, which was a really big one for me. I crashed doing it at the start of the year and I haven’t done it since. That was a big deal for me to do that.

2010 riders

“THERE WERE A LOT OF FLIP TRICKS I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH, SO I JUST WENT OUT AND DID TEN IN A ROW”

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOERG JOeRG MITTER MiTTeR FOR fOR GLOBAL-NEWSROOM GlObAl-NewsROOM

things I was scared of, a good two weeks of that every day and I think that’s why I did well in London. It happened again after Egypt this year. I just knuckled down and did them. There were a lot of ﬂip tricks that I was uncomfortable with so I just went out and did ten in a row, each one better than the last.

lONdON / Red bull X-fiGHTeRs

mat rebeaud NickName / air mat NatioNality / SwiSS Date of BiRth / july 29, 1982 Bike / Ktm 250SX after taking his first tour crown in 2008 and battling through to the title showdown in london last year before narrowly losing out, air mat looked set to be a podium fixture again this year. However a pre-season crash dented that hope and it looked like the Swiss rider would be sidelined for some time. Fortunately he made an amazing recovery to return in moscow and sealed the comeback, taking second place in madrid. Can he go one better in london? we wouldn’t bet against it!

2010 Results Mexico City ( Mexico) dNs Giza ( egypt) dNs Moscow ( Russia) 10th Madrid ( spain) 2Nd 2009 Results Mexico City( Mexico)3rd Calgary (Canada) 3rd Fort Worth (usA) 2Nd Madrid (spain) 6TH London (uK) 6TH FiNaL OveraLL POsiTiON: 4th 23

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2010 riders

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GARTH MilAn/Red Bull PHOTOfiles

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2010 results Mexico City( Mexico)3rd Giza(egypt) 4th Moscow(Russia) 5th Madrid (spain) 1st 2009 results Mexico City( Mexico)dNs Calgary (Canada) 1sT Fort Worth (usA) 5TH Madrid (spain) 3rd London (uK) 4TH FiNaL OveraLL POsiTiON: 2Nd

ROBBIE MADDISON NickName / Maddo NatioNality / australiaN Date of Birth / July 14, 1981 Bike / yaMaha yZ250 Famed for his stunning jumps at some of the world’s most iconic locations, including last year’s amazing backflip across tower Bridge, robbie’s also an FMX kingpin to thousands of fans across the globe. however, after jumping the Corinth Canal early this year robbie foreswore any more record attempts in a bid to go one better than his second place on tour last year. thanks to a stunning win in Madrid he’s already hit second spot and the Wizard of oz looks like he’s finding form at just the right time. With some new tricks, including the Volt, up his sleeve, tonight could be Maddo’s moment. 25

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 DLE BARS

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 adaptations 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

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

lONDON / ReD BUll X-FIGHTeRS

POWER PLAYER After impressing in his first red Bull X-fighters outing lAst yeAr, Chris BirCh is BAck for A second shot in the Big leAgue, And he reckons he’s in his Best shApe yet…

So, what have you been up to since last year in London? A lot! Tons of things have changed for me personally. The biggest change is that I’m no longer part of a team, I’m now riding for myself. I was riding for FMX4Ever in Belgium but I’ve left that now and moved down to Spain where I’ve been riding a lot with Andre Villa. It’s been a major bonus. I think I’m riding better than I ever have. Spain is great. I have a nice little apartment that overlooks the Mediterranean. I wake up every morning with the sun shining through. It’s a great way to start your day. I moved there permanently in January and just got everything sorted out – new place, new bike, everything.

was a gamble to leave the team I was with but thankfully it’s really paid off.

So that’s home now? Yeah, but because Andre is away at the moment I’m riding a lot in the south of France – I do get about a bit! I’ll ride with Thomas and Charles Pagès while I’m there. I’ll ride with them near Biarritz for about two and half weeks before London, which will be really helpful. It’s been a crazy period but honestly, everything is so positive and heading in the right direction. I’m riding better than ever. It

Did you find the level of competition tough? Everyone wants to have fun but the level these guys are at is awesome. You have to bring the best out of yourself and the course and whatever happens in that 90 seconds. The standard is so high it’s often the smallest thing that will decide which way the judges go. Every one of those guys could win. It’s a really fine line. Actually there isn’t a line – everyone’s on the same playing field here. It’s simply down

PHOTOGRAPHY: NATHAN GALLAGEHR GAllAGeHR

Was it a big step up for you to ride in London last year? I’d never done anything as big as that before. This is Red Bull X-Fighters, it’s the biggest tour in the world with the biggest and best riders. I’d done big events but they were demos, which is completely different – normally just one jump. I think the course was a good one to come into. I was comfortable at the level I was at then. But I think I’ve got better and at the moment I’m very comfortable with my riding, so whatever they throw at it this year I think I’ll be able to handle it.

chris birch On... Riding with Andre Villa: His course is great. If you can go round and trick there then you’re doing really well! Training with the Pagès brothers: You feel anything’s possible, from front flips to double back flips, to stuff that may not have been done before. Battersea Power Station: Just the biggest and best in the world!

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

lONDON / ReD BUll X-FIGHTeRS

to who puts it together best on the night. And that’s what’s so great about the sport, it’s impossible to call most of the time.

PHOTOGRAPHY: NATHAN GALLAGEHR GAllAGeHR

If the level is the same, is it purely down to confidence then? A lot comes down to mental strength. You can always tell when a rider is not feeling comfortable, just in the way they pull their tricks. You can tell when someone’s on it. For example, Andre recently said to me: “no matter what they build, I can ride it”. That’s a confident rider. Since he won in Mexico, he has just sparked and there’s no stopping him.

Did riding at Red Bull X-Fighters push you “BATTeRSeA wIll INvOlve to a new level? It did push me. And it will do the same this SOme TRIckS THAT ARe year. I’ll go to Battersea and I’ll do the best run RISkY. BUT All I wANT TO I can possibly do. That will involve some tricks DO IS STIck THAT RUN” that are difficult and risky, but all I want to do is stick that run. If I do that, we’ll just see what happens with the judges. learn for London. Some I’ve already done, What Red Bull X-Fighters did was give me a some I need to work on. I’ll have the two weeks goal to aim for. I never had that before, it was in the south of France to get it right. Part of it just demos and shows. You didn’t have to push is that I got to see a lot of footage of myself yourself. But ever since I saw that Red Bull riding in London last year and there were X-Fighters is coming back to Battersea, I was things from my run I knew I could do better. like: “OK, I’m not going to jump up and down And there were some things where I definitely but I am pencilling it in and I will do anything I thought ‘I’m not doing that again!’ I think I was can to get there”. Then once I got the official trying to be inventive and innovative but when invitation I was like: “Right, we’re on!” I saw it, it just doesn’t look good at all. There’s one new thing I’m going to try, which With that as the goal, did you then set other is very rare, I’m working on it at the moment. goals – of learning new tricks, improving Whether it will be ready for London I don’t certain areas? know but I’m going to go for it. But I really Yes, I did, but mostly it was just a case of want to try and do a unique run with tricks riding as much as possible. I’m now riding with you may not see every day. top guys like Andre and that certainly helps. He’s got a saying, which really makes sense to What do you expect then from the event me: “Stop being a pussy and get out of your this time round? comfort zone”. That’s what it’s all about. It just A bigger course, a lot more people there – doesn’t happen if you don’t put the effort in. 28,000. It should be amazing. But you know There is an element of the ‘rock star’ about the when the helmet goes on it’s my time and sport that’s great but what the public don’t see you’re totally focused on what you’re going to is all the hours in the days and weeks before do. I hear the crowd, but when it comes to the a competition that go into making it look easy. run I’m totally committed. After that I’ll just go for it, bust big and see Did you have a wish list for this year in what happens with the judges. Whatever Battersea in terms of tricks? happens I’ll do the best I can do and just try Yeah, definitely. I know exactly what I want to to stick that run. 31

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / 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 guide To jusT a few To look ouT for TonighT…

H A R T A T TA C K 

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.

WHIP 

For this trick, 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) 

RULER 

ILLUSTRaTINOS: ILLUSTRATINOS: RUSSELL BELL

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.

The Ruler is one of the harder tricks on the Tour, relying on a great deal of strength and balance to perform correctly. The rider comes off the ramp and, holding the handlebars, 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, the rider completes The Ruler.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

lonDon / 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 Cliffhanger. 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, only 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 

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

CHRIS BIRCH

2010 RIDERS

NICKNAME / SWAMPY NATIONALITY / GBR DATE OF BIRTH / JULY 29, 1984 BIKE / KTM 250SX

WILD CARD

Having stepped up to the plate to defend his national honour at last year’s London event, Swampy’s back to show the world’s ﬁnest that the local boys can compete on their exalted level. The Norfolk rider reckons he’s upped his game massively since last year and that time training with the best in the business has given him a whole new game to bring to Battersea Power Station this time out. 2009 RESULTS London ( UK)12TH

WILADRD C

2010 RESULTS Mexico City ( Mexico) 7TH Giza (Eygpt) 5TH Moscow (Russia) 1ST Madrid (Spain) 5TH 2009 RESULTS Mexico City( Mexico)1ST Calgary (Canada) 7TH Fort Worth (USA) DNS Madrid (Spain) DNS London (UK) 2ND FINAL OVERALL POSITION:6TH 36

LEVI SHERWOOD NICKNAME / RUBBER KID NATIONALITY / NEW ZEALAND DATE OF BIRTH / OCTOBER 22, 1991 BIKE / KTM 250 SX The Rubber Kid is the rising star of Red Bull X-Fighters. After scoring a stunning victory on his debut in Mexico in ’09, Levi’s mid-season was blighted by niggling injuries. Second place in London at the end of the Tour restored the balance though, and Sherwood has managed to maintain the momentum, landing his second ever win in Moscow to put him right into title contention. He reckons that London last year was where he began to shine as a Red Bull X-Fighter, so who knows what’s in store this time!

PHOTOGRAPHY: PREDRAG VUCKOVIC FOR GLOBAL NEWSROOM

CLINTON MOORE NICKNAME / NONE NATIONALITY / AUSTRALIA DATE OF BIRTH / APRIL 26, 1988 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250 One of the most exciting new riders to emerge on the FMX scene, 22-yearold Clinton Moore wowed Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid when he became the ﬁrst rider to land a Volt body varial in Red Bull X-Fighters competiton when he took part in the special Wild Cards competition in Spain. The feat earned the ever-improving Clinton an invitation to London where his signature Volt is certain to send another load of shock waves through Battersea. 37

ReD bUll X-fiGHTeRs / lONDON

lONDON / ReD bUll X-fiGHTeRs

Running Robbie From Fixing Forks to being a Friend and analyst, a red bull x-Fighters mechanic has to cover many bases, explains hoody – the man who makes robbie maddison tick on track

Is there a recipe for a perfect Red Bull X-Fighters weekend? It all pretty much comes down to your rider being happy. In any aspect of the sport, they have to be happy – with the track, the bike, the tricks, getting out of bed on the right side in the morning – everything. We’re always in different countries and sometimes that can be good and sometimes bad, so anything you can do to make the weekend a good one confidence-wise is important. It’s all down to mental preparation then? With these guys, when they go out and feel the track and feel comfortable on it – that they can execute their tricks well – that’s all you

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOeRG MiTTeR fOR GlObAl-NewsROOM

maddo’s mech First competition with Robbie: egypt 2010, Hoody took over from Maddison’s previous mechanic, Vernon ‘buddy’ Morgan Previous form: Kawasaki works teams, KTM works teams, suzuki Off-Road team His real name is: He’ll kill us for revealing it, but his actual name is... Jonathan lower!

want. That’s a good weekend. It’s also important that they feel safe. In Moscow we had a puncture which disrupted a session, so a new run was created for Robbie. The guys are really putting themselves on the line out there so keeping it safe is massively important. How much can you help with boosting that confidence level? It’s all down to your relationship with the rider. I think Robbie and I have a pretty good working partnership. He’s a great guy and way smarter than people give him credit for. He acts like a mad dog half the time but he’s very calculating about what he does. We have good fun. That’s the key thing, just developing that working

relationship, knowing when to give him time to prepare, study his runs, but then have a laugh. And if there’s anything on the bike he’s not comfortable with you change it, boost that confidence level. I think I’ve always had very good relationships with my riders and that is the key to getting the best out them. You learn what they’re about, and you’re not just a bunch of guys who work on the bike and let him get on with it. How much can you do to the bike? I’ve worked Supercross riders, Motocross riders, works racing and grand prix riders in Europe and I will be honest: being an FMX mechanic is an easier job! There’s not that much wear on the bike internally in terms of engines because the runs are so short, but you do need to look after things like foot pegs, wheel hubs, shocks, forks, foot peg pins and spokes. Tyre pressures are also crucially important, because a lot of what they do involves the bounce, spring and return and it’s down to whether you’re going off the dirt jumps or the metal ramps, what the landing areas are like, etc. This is a new experience for you, isn’t it? Yeah. My first competition was the round in Egypt, so I’ve been working for Robbie for about three months. Prior to that I worked for the factory Kawasaki teams for five years, KTM for three, Suzuki Off-Road for two and I’m still doing Kawasaki Off-Road as well as working with Robbie this year. I feel pretty wellrounded as a mechanic. That kind of track record must help too? It does if you have a bad result. For example, fourth in Egypt was not what we expected. If it were motocross you wait for the sun to come up and pound out laps and when it gets dark, you go home. FMX isn’t like that, it’s more of a feel thing. The rider needs to be feeling it and have confidence. The wind is a big factor. But it’s a lot of fun. It’s a tight-knit community. Our group really is just Robbie, Amy and me. Amy’s a huge part of keeping him happy and on an even keel. Working with Robbie has been good. I think me and him have a big future – we’ve got some good adventures ahead of us. 39

2010 riDer S

Agustin Munoz © Red Bull Photofiles

A�PERFECT�DAY� AT�THE�BEACH

lONDON / RED bUll X-fiGHTERS

Red Bulletin is available here at Red Bull X�Fighters!

Grab your free copy at the exit

BEYOND THE ORDINARY THE RED BULLETIN The The Red Red Bulletin Bulletin –– the the new new lifestyle lifestyle magazine magazine from from the the world world of of Red Red Bull Bull First First Sunday Sunday of of every every month month free free inside inside

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOeRG JOERG MiTTeR MiTTER fOR GlObAl-NewsROOM GlObAl-NEwSROOM

and see inside the World of Red Bull!

DANY TORRES 2010 Results Mexico City( Mexico)4th Giza(Egypt) DNS Moscow(Russia) 6th Madrid(Spain) 4th 2009 Results Mexico City /Mexico 9th Calgary / Canada DNS Fort Worth / USA 8th Madrid / Spain 1st London / UK 3rd Final Overall Position 5th

NickName / DT NatioNality / SpaNISH Date of BiRth / MarcH 10, 1987 Bike / KTM 250SX after returning to winning ways with victory at his home event in Madrid last year, a nagging pre-season wrist injury meant that Dany was unable to perform at his best in the opening rounds of the 2010 Tour and was even forced to miss out on round two in Egypt to have surgery. But the Spanish flyer is rapidly coming back to form and when DT does hit the mark again, watch out. With an amazing arsenal of tricks at his disposal and an effortlessly languid style, there no finer rider out there. 41

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

RANKING FILE

MIKE MASON ANDRE VILLA NICKNAME / NONE NATIONALITY / NORWAY DOB / APRIL 27, 1982 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250

SAY HELLO TO THE REMAINING RIDERS WHO WILL TONIGHT GO WILD IN LONDON IN PURSUIT OF RED BULL X�FIGHTERS GLORY

NICKNAME / SINCS NATIONALITY /AUSTRALIA DOB / APRIL 12, 1984 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250 Cam’s shown true Aussie grit in returning from a life-threatening injury in Madrid last year, where his signature Double Backflip went badly wrong. He made his comeback in Mexico this year and has been improving ever since. So much so that he recently took Best Trick gold at X-Games 16 with, you guessed it, his first Double Backflip since Madrid.

ADAM JONES NICKNAME / NONE NATIONALITY / USA DOB / JULY 23, 1984 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250 The ﬁrst rider to land a Cordova Flip in competition, Adam is one of the top FMX riders in the world. An X-Games gold medallist in 2007, he’s won pretty much every major event he’s competed in at least once. The only trophy missing from his cabinet was a Red Bull X-Fighters win and he scored that in Giza. They say the ﬁrst one’s the hardest so expect Jones to now become a major contender.

PHOTOGRAPHY: FLOHAGENA.COM (1), GEPA PICTURES (1), GLOBAL-NEWSROOM (1), RED BULL PHOTOFILES (2)

CAMERON SINCLAIR

Andre had, by own admission, a “terrible 2009” but a winter spent training in the US has changed everything and the Norwegian is now hot favourite to take the Tour title. A win in Mexico kicked off his campaign in the best possible style and Villa has followed up with three more podiums and now holds a 45-point lead over Robbie Maddison in the title standings. He was beaten by Maddo in Madrid so will be dead set on avenging the loss in London tonight.

NICKNAME / MASE NATIONALITY / USA DOB / AUGUST 27, 1981 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250 Two bronze freestyle medals from X-Games ’06 and ’08 and fifth last year tell you that Nevada rider Mike Mason’s got what it takes to compete with the world’s finest. After finishing eighth in London last year, he’ll be looking for an improvement. His last Red Bull X-Fighters outing was in Madrid last month where he finished seventh, so the progress has begun!

ROBBIE ADELBERG NICKNAME / ALDY, ADELS NATIONALITY / AUSTRALIA DOB / NOVEMBER 7, 1988 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250 Robbie Adelberg has been setting the FMX scene alight since graduating from his native Australia, where he beat the likes of his hero Robbie Maddison in the Red Bull X-Ray natural terrain event in 2007. This year he’s already taken a couple of IFMX wins and cemented his place on the world stage with ﬁfth in the Freestyle event at X-Games 16. Expect some truly special FMX from him tonight.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

THE RULES

FOLLOW THE FIGHT TO BE THE RED BULL X�FIGHTERS TOUR CHAMPION 2010!

QUARTER-FINALS

SEMI-FINALS

FINAL

Head to head

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 One in reverse ranking order, with the top six ranked riders from qualifying sitting out Round One and automatically progressing to the Quarter Finals. During Round One, each rider has one 90-second run to impress the panel of Judges led by the Head Judge. The top two riders from Round One 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 (Qualifying ranks 7-12)

RIDER Q1

RULES

QUALIFYING 2 runs of 90 sec (12 riders)

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

THE vEnuE

riVer thaMeS

The Red Bull X-Fighters London course contains 9000 tonnes of dirt and is twice the size of the 2009 course.

RIDERS The number of starters at each Red Bull X-Fighters event is limited to 12. Six of the 12 are pre-qualified 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 action is bound to be just as intense as at the last round in Moscow, where New Zealander Levi Sherwood scored his first win of the year. The final two spots are reserved for the wild cards – riders the organisers believe will bring something unique to each event.

Red Bull X-Fighters will become the eighth largest arena in London once complete.

GATE gate 1

GATE 4

To Vauxhall Station

To Victoria Station

RULES continued

There are 7 kickers and 3 dirt take-offs planned for what will be the biggest course on the Tour.

gate 2

To Vauxhall Station

JUDGING

8 2 5

1 TOILETS 2 FIRST AID / LOST CHILDREN 3 FOOD 4 BAR

11 SWATCH LOUNGE CONTAINER 12 RED BULL X-FIGHTERS MERCHANDISE 46

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

2 12

1 7

7 ATM

10 ETNIES

6 DISABLED VIEWING PLATFORM

9 NISSAN HUB

5 HOSPITALITY

8 MEDIA CENTRE

Judge 2 / Challenge and exeCution Has responsibility for

3 4

Riders travel through a specially built ramp from the riders area through the hospitality area, above peoples heads before they arrive on to the course itself.

10 3 1

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.

eMergenCy exit

Judge 4 / uSe of CourSe

The South grandstand is the largest temporary seating structure ever built in the UK with capacity for over 10,000 spectators!

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

WHATS WHERE

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.

Judge 1 / Variety

PHOTOGRAPHY / XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

1 4

Z7 Z1

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

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

head Judge / Responsible for judging the overall impression of the run. 47

lOnDOn / ReD bull X-fiGHTeRs

PHOTOGRAPHY: DAniel GRunD fOR GlObAl-newsROOm, RicH VAn eVeRY/ReD bull PHOTOfiles,

CHAMPAGNE MOMENT: Robbie maddison drinks in victory in madrid last month

2010 TOUR RESULTS

1 MEXICO CITY Mexico City Result 01 Andre Villa (NOR) 02 Nate Adams (USA) 03 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 04 Dany Torres (ESP) 05 Jim McNeil (USA) 06 Eigo Sato (JAP) 07 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 08 Adam Jones (USA) 09 Charles PagĂ¨s (FRA) 10 Blake Williams (AUS)

Robbie maddison Rocketed into title contention with victoRy in madRid but yet anotheR podium foR andRe villa means the noRwegian still leads...

2 GIZA Giza Result 01 Adam Jones (USA) 02 Andre Villa (NOR) 03 Nate Adams (USA) 04 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 05 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 06 Eigo Sato (JAP) 07 Jim McNeil (USA) 08 Libor Podmol (CZE) 09 Lance Coury (USA) 10 Daice Suzuki (JAP)

3 MOSCOW Pts 100 80 65 55 45 35 30 25 20 15

Moscow Result 01 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 02 Nate Adams (USA) 03 Andre Villa (NOR) 04 Eigo Sato (JAP) 05 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 06 Dany Torres (ESP) 07 Adam Jones (USA) 08 Cameron Sinclair (AUS) 09 Jim McNeil (USA) 10 Mat Rebeaud (SUI)

Pts 100 80 65 55 45 35 30 25 20 15

4 MADRID Pts 100 80 65 55 45 35 30 25 20 15

Madrid Result 01 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 02 Mat Rebeaud (SUI) 03 Andre Villa (NOR) 04 Dany Torres (ESP) 05 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 06 Adam Jones (USA) 07 Mike Mason (USA) 08 Maikel Melero (ESP) 09 Jackson Strong (AUS) 10 Cameron Sinclair (AUS)

Pts 100 80 65 55 45 35 30 25 20 15 49

Red bull X-fiGHTeRs / lONdON

gets your motor running, keeps your engine revved.

2010 tour standinGs Pts 310 265 225 220 190 145 130 95 95 50

fits i n

leathyour ers

ImprInt red bull x-fighters magazine #5 / 2010 / lOndOn Publisher Red Bull GmbH, Am Brunnen 1, A-5330 Fuschl am See Produced by Red Bulletin, Heinrich-CollinStr.1, A-1140 Vienna, www.redbulletin.com Printed by Offset 5020, A-5072 Siezenheim media contact media@redbullxfighters.com Visit www.redbullxfighters.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: PRedRAG VuckOVic fOR GlObAl-NewsROOm

Overall Standings 01 Andre Villa (NOR) 02 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 03 Nate Adams (USA) 04 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 05 Adam Jones (USA) 06 Dany Torres (ESP) 07 Eigo Sato (JAP) 08 Mat Rebeaud (SUI) – Jim McNeil (USA) 10 Cameron Sinclair (AUS)

Sometimes, even the keenest biker can do with a kickstart. And when you’re exposed to the elements, and other road users, it’s important to stay sharp. Which is where a Red Bull Energy Shot comes in. At only 60ml our shot is small enough for the pocket of even the most

tight-fitting leathers. And, as it doesn’t need to be chilled, it can easily be stored in a saddle bag or satchel. Red Bull Energy Shots provide energy in just a few sips, helping you to head out on the highway ready for anything the road can throw at you. It’s concentrated energy from Red Bull.

the only shot that gives you wings. 51

KAJ ZACKRISSON / SWATCH PROTEAM MEMBER