PICTORIAL X-FIGHTERS GRANT “GOBA” O’BRIEN
RED BULL CONTENT POOL
MR UNPOPULAR One day, he’s living in the hills and off-the-grid near the northern NSW hippy township of Nimbin. The next, he’s travelling the globe to watch freestyle MX riders risk their lives. Welcome to the curious life-mix of Red Bull X-Fighters judge, Grant “Goba” O’Brien.
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’m one of five judges who sit in separate cubicles overlooking a huge FMX course that’s been built on Moscow’s infamous Red Square. About 40,000 Russians dot the iconic landscape, eagerly awaiting the action to begin. Film crews are set to beam live footage all over the planet. FMX gladiators Nate Adams, Robbie Madison, Levi Sherwood and Andre Villa are introduced to the frothing crowd. It’s 2010; my first time judging a round of Red Bull X-Fighters, and in the world of Freestyle Motocross, it doesn’t get any bigger than this. Which is exactly why I’m shitting myself. In 10 minutes’ time, after each head-to-head round,
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I’ll be deciding which rider deserves to advance; riders whose careers I’ve followed closely for more than a decade. Many of them I consider friends, and now their fate is about to be decided by me. A hectic 40 seconds is all the time I’ll have to enter my score after each completes their run, and once the button is pressed and the head-judge sends the scores through, there’s no turning back. I’ll be accountable for my numbers for good! Fear takes its grip. Doubt creeps into my mind. ‘What the hell have I gotten myself into?,’ I think to myself. These guys are the best riders in the world, so who am I to judge whether one is better than the other?
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MY START A year earlier, I’d received an email from a good German mate and FMX rider/judge, Sebastian “Busty” Wolter, who introduced me to Red Bull X-Fighters Sports Director, Tes Sewell. At the time, Tes was in the process of revamping the judging system and looking for an Aussie judge to join their expanding team. He asked if I was interested in flying to Red Bull’s headquarters in Santa Monica, America, to attend a judging clinic, all expenses paid. It took me all of one second to say ‘Shit yeah!’ I’d first met Busty when he competed in the 2002 Planet X Games in Sydney. I was editor of Freerider MX at the time and we’ve remained good friends to this day. But the X-Fighters gig wasn’t just a cosy case of jobs for the boys. In 2007, I’d toured through Europe with Busty to unearth each country’s best riders and their compounds for Freerider. And according to Busty, it was my knowledge of the sport and years spent analysing riders’ tricks – in footage and in all the photos I’d taken – that convinced him I had what it took to judge FMX at the highest level. The judging clinic, led by Tes and Red Bull’s Performance Manager Andy Walshe, focused on an overview of judging. It highlighted things such as how easy it is to let something slip under the radar when judging if you’re not specifically looking for it, and the effect that patriotism and relationships with riders can have on judging. We also talked about things like the ‘Pastrana Effect’ – just how did Travis win all those FMX battles?; was he really unbeatable or did the judging criteria in place simply over-reward the wow-factor a rider like Pastrana has? Nothing was left to chance. Riders and managers gave their feedback, ideas came from all angles, and it was clear to me the X-Fighters team aimed to produce the fairest, most transparent judging system ever seen in the sport of FMX. I know now though that, as fair as you try to make it, there’s really only one happy person at the end of the day, and that’s the winner. At the end of that clinic, I remember FMX legend and long-time judge, Drake McElroy, trying to explain to me what judging an X-Fighters event is like. The best description he came up with was, “I don’t know if you’re familiar with the old Looney Toons cartoons, Goba, but there used to be one with the coyote (sans Road Runner) and the sheepdog. In the episode, they would show up under a tree and punch in on a time clock, greeting each other with a friendly, ‘Hello, Sam’ and ‘Good morning, Ralph.’ Then they would beat the piss out of each other over the safety of the sheep in the field. At the end 32
Sydney Harbour’s Cockatoo Island hosted an X-Fighters round in 2011 and 2012. Sadly, the series hasn’t been back to Oz since.
It was soon clear to me the X-Fighters team aimed to produce the fairest, most transparent judging system ever seen in the sport of FMX.
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What’s the most appropriate venue for a Red Bull event? An unused bullfighting arena will do just nicely.
of the day, they would meet back under the tree with the time clock, giving each other a polite farewell and the cartoon would end. This is exactly what it will be like to judge an RBXF comp!,” he said. Right then?!
FROM THE BUSH TO THE BIG SMOKE For five years, I’ve been building a timber pole home on five acres set in the hills of northern NSW. It’s got solar-powered electricity/hot water, tank water that’s gravity fed and filtered, compost toilet, fruit trees, vege garden ... y’know, the whole alternative lifestyle deal. During this time, I’ve worked as a journo, Athlete Manager at Unit, and ventured off four to five times a year to incredible locations around the globe as a Red Bull X-Fighters judge. And every time, the routine’s the same: down the tools, ditch the grubby work clothes, pack a bag of my fav tees, caps and shoes, and leave the peace and serenity of the world I choose to live in to travel 20,000km to meet up with a family of like-minded souls; people who have spent their lives, in one way or another, absorbed in the 34
energy that’s fuelled by action sports. Thirty-odd hours of flying and transits always takes its toll on these trips, especially when landing in a different time zone with next to no time to recover. I’m not going to lie. It’s an intense in-and-out job, running on adrenalin and a can of Red Bull now and then to keep the eyelids open. But from the moment we arrive in a new city we’ve never experienced before, we’re looked after. There’s an X-Fighters chauffeur to greet you and take you to the hotel, which is always close to the venue. In Pretoria, South Africa, I could even see the course outside my window. And a welcome pack is always given to riders and judges by each host country. They always vary, too. In Italy, it was an X-Fighters robe with our names across the back. In Poland, a bottle of primo Vodka. Turkey, a traditional coffee cup set. Its always something that represents the local culture, which is very cool. On the night of arrival, judges join the riders for a welcome dinner, where we get to hang out in a nice restaurant, have a few beers and catch up on where everyone’s at. I think my favourite pre-event catchups have been in Madrid, where we all
“After qualifying, riders can request a meeting with the judges to ask for feedback about their score, and this has to be by far the hardest part of our job.”
PICTORIAL X-FIGHTERS
race go-karts at the complex owned by legendary rally driver, Carlos Sainz (and, yes, the rider’s always win). In Turkey, we spent the afternoon motoring around the coast on a huge luxury boat. In England, we cruised up the Thames River in a ferry with beers and a DJ cranking the tunes, and big cheers went up for Robbie Maddison as we coasted under London’s Tower Bridge that he’d Backflipped over only a few weeks earlier. The coolest thing for me about hanging with the riders is they never bottle up any hard feelings from a previous round where they might have felt hard done by on the scorecards. I can’t say the same for their managers, but then again, I guess that’s why riders pay them.
DOWN TO BUSINESS Since that first eye-opening gig in Moscow five years ago, I’ve learned a hell of a lot about judging. It’s not for everyone. You need a tough skin, the ability to be calm under pressure, and be confident to make the tough calls quickly. For us, qualifying is always harder than the head-to-head rounds because we have to rank 12 riders in order over two runs. The first X-Fighters in Japan was an emotional rollercoaster as it took place shortly after Eigo Sato’s tragic death in 2013.
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The first rider out sets the benchmark, after which we have to slot everyone else – higher or lower, depending on their run. By the time you get to the last few scores, they can be bunched very closely, and fitting a rider in the correct order is always a juggling act. This is complicated by the fact riders know how important it is to get a good qualifying score; because if the main event is rained out, qualifying decides the final outcome. And this has occurred at several events. After qualifying, riders can request a meeting with the judges to ask for feedback about their score, and this has to be by far the hardest part of our job. It’s impossible to clearly remember 24 runs, and who did what where, which is why we have to make notes as we go. Those notes are so important in the meetings because when the likes of Levi Sherwood, Josh Sheehan, Adam Jones and Robbie Adelberg ask you why they scored the way they did, you can’t come across as a dumb-arse, waffling some crap about not executing their tricks well enough, or their style not looking so great. You have to be so on-point or they’ll call you out in a heartbeat. They need cold, hard facts so they know how to improve
X-Fighters in the UAE’s Dubai? Yep, the Arabs sure love their motorsport, in whatever form it comes.
“To ensure I remain neutral, I always take a moment to set my intentions right before the action begins. I visualise all riders as equals; as if they’re all wearing the same-coloured gear.” Taka Higashino sends it for a mesmerised German crowd in downtown Munich.
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next time out on the course. There’ve been quite a few heated moments when a rider just won’t accept what you’re telling them. Even worse is when their one-sided manager is in the room and trying to dissect everything you say to swing things in favour of their rider. Once again, it’s what they get paid for and all part of the complex judging equation. Nonetheless, I love the job and I love the feeling of sitting high above the course before showtime as the nerves take hold. Taking in the massive production of Red Bull X-Fighters as it starts to crank into gear is just incredible. The energy builds as the crowd anticipates the first sound of an engine revving. And honestly, X-Fighters fans are hardcore. Some bring chainsaws (without chains) and rev them till they pop. Others bring horns or whatever they can find that makes noise, and it all adds to the incredible atmosphere. To avoid getting swept up in it all and to ensure I remain neutral, I always take a moment to set my intentions right before the action begins. I visualise all riders as equals; as if they’re all wearing the same-coloured gear and I’m judging them
Red Bull’s course designers aren’t afraid to integrate pop art and patriotism into the X-Fighters’ eclectic mix. Munich’s course was a step or two up from the local quarry’s ramp-to-hip jump!
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like I’m seeing them ride for the first time. Too many events over the years, particularly at X Games, I’ve seen riders win a gold medal because of who they are, not how they rode on the night, and I try really hard not to let a rider’s status cloud my judgment. My neutrality was really tested during the 18 months I worked as Unit’s Athlete Manager because Tom Pages and Maikel Melero were on the team. But if anything, I look back now and think I was harder on them because I never wanted to appear biased. Every judge has connections with riders or sponsors; it’s just part of being involved in a tight-knit industry. At the end of the day, I go to each round just wanting to be the best judge I can be. I’m grateful for the opportunity and the experience, and I’m just as grateful to be able to return home safely to a sustainable lifestyle where people are none the wiser about what I do and where. Down at the local, when I tell old mate with a bushy beard down to his gut what I’ve been up to, he just shakes his head and says, “X-Fighters? They ride bulls, yeah?”
Frenchman, Tom Pages, sets Osaka’s night skies alight with an insane Flair No-Footer Can.
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2014 RED BULL X-FIGHTERS CHAMP W
est Oz ripper, Josh Sheehan, is one of the sport’s most dedicated professionals and he became the first Australian to win an X-Fighters series after dominating the final round of the 2014 series in Pretoria, South Africa. We gave Sheeny some time to let the series win sink in, and then pressed him about a few issues: how he compares his gnarly Double Flip to the more innovative tricks now appearing, his thoughts about judging, and how he plans to defend his title in 2015… How are you feeling now the X-Fighters title has sunk in? JS: My series win is in the past, so it’s normal days again. I mean, it was awesome and I
definitely felt on top of the world during the weeks following my win, but now I’m really enjoying some time at home relaxing and hanging out with friends and family. Does the series win give you a lot more confidence? As far as riding is concerned, not really. I noticed my confidence level drop a little after having a few weeks off the bike. I know in myself that if I put the practice in and focus on my tricks leading into a competition, I feel confident I can win. Now I’ve won a championship, it’s not like I’m heading into 2015 over-confident; like I’m the man or anything like that. I know what works for me and I’ll keep that same step-by-step approach as each event unfolds.
Looking back on the 2014 series, what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned? That preparation is key. The year before, things didn’t work out quite as well for me because I didn’t allow enough time to practice leading up to competitions. Allowing more time this year between events and commitments enabled me to feel a lot more comfortable, both on the bike and with dialling in my tricks. I didn’t feel stressed if the weather turned bad and I missed a day of riding. It felt good arriving at each round, knowing I was prepared and ready to go. Looking at the high level of tricks performed at X-Fighters in 2014, how do you compare your Double Flip to say a Flair or Body Varial?
They all vary on different levels. The motion of a Double Flip is basic because it’s ‘just’ a flip. But in saying that, you have to be very precise to execute it cleanly. It’s a very scary trick. The Flair is a technical trick to learn, but it is reasonably safe because you’re only a couple of metres off the ground and if you bail from it, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be fine. The Body Varial is very technical and you definitely don’t want to stuff one up because, at best, you might be lucky enough to grab back on the bike and half save it, or you might miss the bike and fall disorientated to the hard ground. And that wouldn’t be pretty! I’d like to get one of these in my bag of tricks for 2015. There mustn’t be a lot of room for error in the rotation of the Double Flip.
“A Double Flip is basic because it’s ‘just’ a flip, but it’s scary and you have to be very precise to execute it cleanly. The Body Varial is very technical, and you definitely don’t want to stuff one up because that wouldn’t be pretty.”
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PICTORIAL X-FIGHTERS No, not at all. I tested the limits in 2013 at the Dubai round of X-Fighters when I slightly under-rotated and landed heavily over the front of the bike, supermanstyle, and luckily only slid out on the landing. Any shorter than that and I would have been headfirst into the ground and in a lot of trouble. So have you learned to be able to slow down or speed up the rotation to help safely execute the trick? I can slow it down a lot, but can’t really speed it up. It’s all about getting a nice pop off the lip, and once I’m spinning I can just tuck in and stay with the bike and tap the rear brake to slow the rotation if needed. Revving the engine and spinning the rear wheel can speed up the rotation, but only slightly.
What are your thoughts about the X-Fighters series itself? The series has pretty much made our sport what it is today. If we didn’t have it, there’d just be shows and a few competitions; nothing on the level that X-Fighters is on. It has helped us riders with motivation and the desire to learn new tricks. Without this high level of competition, the sport would not have evolved as fast as it has over the past decade. The judging of X-Fighters plays a pivotal role in determining a rider’s result. Do you think it’s a tough job? I don’t envy the judges’ job at all. At half of the events this year, many of the riders were saying, ‘Damn, I would hate to be a judge here!’
Because the tricks were of such a high level – so diverse, technical, very few mistakes, and many new things going on – we knew it must be super-hard to separate riders. It’s difficult to know what tricks score higher than others, let alone know what the judges think of them. X-Fighters does its best to make the judging system as transparent as possible. Do you think it’s heading in the right direction? Yes, I do. I think the idea of having five judging categories is a good idea because there’s no chance one judge can possibly take in all aspects of a rider’s run and give an accurate score. So for a judge to only focus on one area of a rider’s run is much better. I also feel the
balance of scoring within each category – in regards to rewarding innovation and riders’ executing harder tricks – is better than it has been in the past. As long as it keeps evolving with the progression of the sport and they continue to be open to riders’ feedback, the system will remain on track. What’s your plan of attack to ensure the X-Fighters title stays in your hands in 2015? Keep working on perfecting the tricks I have now, plus learn new types of combinations and a couple of new unique tricks if possible. I also want to try and master some form of Body Varial. If I can achieve this, stay injury-free and be consistent, then I feel I’ll be in with a good shot at the title again.
“The X-Fighters series has pretty much made our sport what it is today. Without its high level of competition, the sport would not have evolved as fast as it has over the past decade.”
Wilderness? Check. Wildlife? Check. Sunset? Check. And an FMX rider on a South African safari? WTF?
THE LIGHT SIDE X
-Fighters afterparties are where you really get to see the riders let their hair down. You just never know what kind of night will unfold; especially in different countries and with the people you meet. One of the more interesting nights for me was after the first Japanese round in Osaka in 2013. I’d been at the afterparty for a few hours when Drake McElroy invited me to join him to check out a few local bars with UK TV host, Ed Leigh, and a local friend who knew the best places to visit. We were all feeling the effects of free Vodka as we left the party, and no more than 100 metres down a side street, Ed pulls us all up and says, “So who’s up for a game of shoe golf?” We looked at him with a ‘what the?’ Ed’s a real character and before we had a chance to object, he had us playing the game, which he explained went something like this: “The object of the game, right,” he says in his
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amusing Pommy accent, “is for us to choose a target about 300 metres ahead. Could be a street sign, a garbage bin, a streetlight, whatever. Then we decide what par it is, and use one of our shoes as the ball. Whoever hits the target first by flinging the shoe of their foot wins.” So here we are, half-pissed with our shoes flying down these back streets, when one of my shoes goes way out of bounds on to a roof of a restaurant. I surrendered right away to the fact I’ll be walking around the rest of the night with one shoe, but Drake wouldn’t have any part of it and scaled this wall like a cat to reach the roof. How he found it, let alone retrieved it, still baffles me to this day. Ed had us doing all types of crazy games that night, and after walking out of a Karaoke bar with the sun coming up, I knew it would be hard to top the Osaka after-afterparty! 43
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THE DARK SIDE P
eople often ask me if the riders crash a lot because what they do seems impossible. I explain that they crash surprisingly little, but that when they do, it’s often in a big way. This is the side of the sport I struggle with most. You build relationships with the riders, you watch them rise, and at times watch them fall. When Japanese rider Eigo Sato died while training for the 2013 X-Fighters tour, it rocked the FMX community, and especially the tight-knit X-Fighters family, which Eigo was a big part of. He was the nicest guy and loved by all. Later that year, when Eigo’s wife, kids and parents came to the first Japan round of X-Fighters, it was incredibly emotional because they put on such a brave face being there without him. I had never felt so much heartache over the loss of a rider, which says a lot for the man he was, and I know many others felt exactly the same way. He is one of many we have lost over the years. Another tough and emotional moment for me came in Poland, 2011. Norwegian rider, Andre Villa, was leading the series with two rounds to go. He’d previously won many rounds but
One of X-Fighters’ favourite sons, Eigo Sato, died in the lead-up to the 2013 season. The jovial little man from Japan was an entertainer.
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never an Overall championship, and deep down I think many of us thought this would be his year to finally clinch the title. During qualifying, he messed up the first jump in the double line, which rattled him as he then pulled back late in his rotation off the next hit and ejected off the bike, from 30 feet in the air, while halfway around the Flip. We all watched it like it was happening in slow motion. He hit the dirt so hard, it was sickening, and he broke his femur in the process. When I visited him at the hospital after the event, I really felt for Andre and his girlfriend, who were braving the conditions in a hospital that looked far from welcoming. Cam Sinclair’s life-threatening crash in Madrid was also one of the worst, but because I missed the broadcast and didn’t see it live, it didn’t affect me in the same way as being there in the moment. I know my fellow judges who were there found that one really tough to deal with, and obviously we were all stoked Cam pulled through. It’s at these moments I feel happy to be a judge and not one of the riders out on the course. They are truly modern-day gladiators.