red bull x-fighters mag - london 2010

SHOCK AND AWE!REVVING UP FOR ANOTHER BATTLE OF BATTERSEA

#5LONDON

AUGUST 14TH 2010

£5

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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

ACTIONSTATIONWelcome 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 fi nishes 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!

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL GRUND FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROOM, CHRISTIAN PONDELLA/RED BULL PHOTOFILES; PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREAS SCHA

AD/RED BULL PHOTOFILES

ACTIONSTATION

03-RBXF_02-03_LONDON_Nissan_Welcome 3 05.08.2010 20:11:52 Uhr

cover photography: Daniel grunD for global-newsroom, christian ponDella/reD bull photofiles; photography: anDreas scha

aD/reD bull photofiles

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maddo‘s momentRobbie 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.

lONDON / ReD bUll X-fiGHTeRs

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RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

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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...

LOOK BACKROUND 4 / MADRID


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PHOTOGRAPHY: DAniel GRunD, JOeRG MiTTeR, AnDReAs scHAAD, All fOR GlObAl-newsROO

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lOnDOn / ReD bull X-fiGHTeRs


in the SpotlightAfter 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 MITTER, ANDREAS ScHAAD, ALL FOR GLOBAL-NEwSROO

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LONDON / RED BULL X-FIGHTERS

Villa Grande 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.

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

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RED BULL X-FIGHTERS / MEXICO CITY

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HIGH VOLTAGE: Maddison rotates through

360 degrees during his latest trick, the Volt


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11-RBXF_10-12_LONDON_News 11 05.08.2010 19:02:36 Uhr


MADDO‘S VOLTELECTRIFIES TOUR

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NEWSCOUNTDOWN TO LONDON…

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 overfl owing 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 fi gured 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 fi rst 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 defi nitely helped me to the win,” said Robbie, who’ll surely be looking to showcase the supercharged new trick again tonight.PH

OTOGRAPHY: JOERG MITTER FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROO

M, ANDREAS SCHAAD FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROOM

“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

The Volt was previously used by Kyle Loza to land a gold medal at X Games 13 but had never fi gured 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 fi rst 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 defi nitely helped me to the win,” said Robbie, who’ll surely be looking to showcase the supercharged new trick again tonight.


NATE ADAMSNICKNAME / 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 fi nishes 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.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN PONDELLA/RED BULL PHOTOFILES

2010RIDERS


2010 RESULTSMexico City( Mexico)2NDGiza(Egypt) 3RDMoscow(Russia) 2NDMadrid (Spain) DNS

2009 RESULTSMexico City( Mexico)DNSCalgary(Canada) 5THFort Worth (USA) 1STMadrid (Spain) 2NDLondon (UK) 1ST

FINAL OVERALL POSITION: CHAMPION

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13-RBXF_13_LONDON_ProfileNA 13 05.08.2010 19:12:06 Uhr

MATREBEAUD

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 fi rst 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.

FREESTYLIN’

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOERG MITTER FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROO

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If you wanted to defi ne 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 fi nding 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 fi rst 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 defi nitely electrify Battersea tonight!


THE POWER AND MY PASSION

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. 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.

to what this is for us,” explains singer Laurence Rene. “When we formed

something special that would let us live out our dreams. It’s a great feeling.” A feeling that will defi nitely electrify

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2001 VALENCIA MIKE JONES (ALSO

SHOWN LEFT)

PHOTOGRAPHY: BERNHARD SPOETTEL/RED BULL PHOTOFILES (2)


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15-RBXF_14-17_LONDON_History 15 05.08.2010 19:18:03 Uhr

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…

PHOTOGRAPHY: BERNHARD SPOETTEL/RED BULL PHOTOFILES (2)

AIR TIMES

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 bullfi ghting 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.

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

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

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 fi ght, with Australian Dayne Kinnaird fi nishing 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.

2004 There was a sole event in 2004, Madrid again getting the nod, FMX legend Travis Pastrana continuing US domination and taking his fi rst 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 bullfi ghting 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


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2004 madridtravis pastrana

2006 madrid Pastrana, adams

(left) and rebeaud

2005 mexico city ronnie renner

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.

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 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.

LonDon / reD BULL X-FiGHters

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PHOTOGRAPHY: LudOvic FRAn

cO (1), www.FLOHAGenA.cOm (3), JOeRG miTTeR (2), JüRGen Sk

ARwA

n (1), ALexScHeLbeRT.de (1) ALL Red buLL PHOTOFiLeS

2002 madridedGAR TORROnTeRAS

2009 londonnATe AdAmS

2003 ValEnCiakennY bARTRAm

2007 madrid TRAviS PASTRAnA

2008 gErmany mAT RebeAud

Red buLL x-FiGHTeRS / LOndOn

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PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREAS SCHA

AD FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROOM

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 qualifi er, I’m pretty happy. You’ve got your fi rst run out of the way and you can move forward.

The big thing this year, though, is that you’ve managed to avoid injurySo far! Last year was pretty messy for me – going from the biggest high (in Mexico) to some pretty low lows. I managed to fi nish the year on a good note in London, so was pretty happy with that. Before that, though, if I wasn’t

AT FULLSTRETCHWHEN 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

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19-RBXF_18-23_LONDON_Levi_ProfileMR 19 05.08.2010 19:25:56 Uhr

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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!

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.”

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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.

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.

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

The Trouble wiTh TricksRed 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 Flip1. 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

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ReD bUll X-fIGHTeRs / lOnDOn



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2010riders

AIRMAT

2010 Results Mexico City ( Mexico)dNsGiza ( egypt)dNs Moscow ( Russia)10th Madrid ( spain)2Nd

2009 ResultsMexico City( Mexico)3rdCalgary(Canada) 3rdFort Worth (usA) 2NdMadrid (spain) 6THLondon (uK) 6TH

FiNaL OveraLL POsiTiON: 4th

mat rebeaudNickName / 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!

lONdON / Red bull X-fiGHTeRs

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PHOTOGRAPHY: JOERG MITTER FOR GLOBAL-NEWSROO

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RTH MILA

N/RED BULL PHOTOFILES

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 fl ip tricks that I was uncomfortable with so I just went out and did ten in a row, each one better than the last.

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.

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 handlebarsI’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 fl y 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.

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 fi nished second last year, which was a return to form Yeah, I think London was the fi rst 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.

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

that tunnel vision and just let it go from there.

Do you plan the runs? Some riders have the tricks written on the

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 fl y to

happened in Mexico last year and also in London, where every

somehow it worked.

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.

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Your contribution makes a difference.

www.wingsforlife.com

WFL071_100623_AnzeigeRBX-FightersMagazin_RR_ENG.indd 1 23.06.2010 13:23:23 UhrProcess CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black

PHOTOGRAPHY: GA

RTH MilA

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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.

2010riders

2010 resultsMexico City( Mexico)3rdGiza(egypt) 4thMoscow(Russia) 5thMadrid(spain) 1st

2009 resultsMexico City( Mexico)dNsCalgary(Canada) 1sTFort Worth (usA) 5THMadrid (spain) 3rdLondon (uK) 4TH

FiNaL OveraLL POsiTiON: 2Nd

25-RBXF_24-25_LONDON_Ad_RiderProfileRM 25 05.08.2010 19:36:03 Uhr

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WFL071_100623_AnzeigeRBX-FightersMagazin_RR_ENG.indd 1 23.06.2010 13:23:23 UhrProcess CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black

PHOTOGRAPHY: GA

RTH MilA

n/Red Bull PHOTOfiles

24-RBXF_24-25_LONDON_Ad_RiderProfileRM 24 05.08.2010 19:34:57 Uhr

1 > FRONT FENDER

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

2 > FORKS/NUMBERPLATES

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.

3 > POP-UP BARS 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.

9 > FOOTPEGS

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.

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2

3

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IllusTraTIon: russEll bEll

27-RBXF_26-27_LONDON_TheBike 27 05.08.2010 19:42:07 Uhr

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

4 > STEERING STABILISER

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.

5 > HANDLEBARS

FMX riders opt for wider-than-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.

6 > SEAT

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.

7 > REAR FENDER

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

8 > HANDHOLDS

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.

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26-RBXF_26-27_LONDON_TheBike 26 05.08.2010 19:40:55 Uhr

PHOTOGRAPHY: NATHAN GAllAGeHR

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!

lONDON / ReD BUll X-FIGHTeRS

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POWERPLAYER

29-RBXF_28-31_LONDON_Chris Birch 29 05.08.2010 19:47:27 Uhr

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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.

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


PHOTOGRAPHY: NATHAN GALLAGEHR

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

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.

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

POWERPLAYERAfter 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…


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.

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 to a new level?It did push me. And it will do the same this year. I’ll go to Battersea and I’ll do the best run I can possibly do. That will involve some tricks 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. What Red Bull X-Fighters did was give me a goal to aim for. I never had that before, it was just demos and shows. You didn’t have to push yourself. But ever since I saw that Red Bull X-Fighters is coming back to Battersea, I was like: “OK, I’m not going to jump up and down but I am pencilling it in and I will do anything I can to get there”. Then once I got the official invitation I was like: “Right, we’re on!”

With that as the goal, did you then set other goals – of learning new tricks, improving certain areas?Yes, I did, but mostly it was just a case of riding as much as possible. I’m now riding with top guys like Andre and that certainly helps. He’s got a saying, which really makes sense to me: “Stop being a pussy and get out of your comfort zone”. That’s what it’s all about. It just doesn’t happen if you don’t put the effort in. There is an element of the ‘rock star’ about the sport that’s great but what the public don’t see is all the hours in the days and weeks before a competition that go into making it look easy.

Did you have a wish list for this year in Battersea in terms of tricks?Yeah, definitely. I know exactly what I want to PH

OTOGRAPHY: NATHAN GAllAGeHR

learn for London. Some I’ve already done, some I need to work on. I’ll have the two weeks in the south of France to get it right. Part of it is that I got to see a lot of footage of myself riding in London last year and there were things from my run I knew I could do better. And there were some things where I definitely thought ‘I’m not doing that again!’ I think I was trying to be inventive and innovative but when I saw it, it just doesn’t look good at all. There’s one new thing I’m going to try, which is very rare, I’m working on it at the moment. Whether it will be ready for London I don’t know but I’m going to go for it. But I really want to try and do a unique run with tricks you may not see every day.

What do you expect then from the event this time round?A bigger course, a lot more people there – 28,000. It should be amazing. But you know when the helmet goes on it’s my time and you’re totally focused on what you’re going to do. I hear the crowd, but when it comes to the run I’m totally committed. After that I’ll just go for it, bust big and see what happens with the judges. Whatever happens I’ll do the best I can do and just try to stick that run.

lONDON / ReD BUll X-FIGHTeRS

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“ BATTeRSeA wIll INvOlve SOme TRIckS THAT ARe RISkY. BUT All I wANT TO DO IS STIck THAT RUN”


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PHOTOGRAPHY: NATHAN GALLAGEHR


RU L E R

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.

H A RT AT TACK 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.

DE A D 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.


ILLUSTRATINOS: RUSSELL BELL

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33-RBXF_32-35_LONDON_tricks 33 05.08.2010 19:53:45 Uhr

TRICK BAG

W H I P 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.

SU P E R F L I P (SU P E R M A N BACK 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.

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


ILLUSTRaTINOS: RUSSELL BELL

32


IllustratInos: russell bell

TSU NA M I similar to a handstand in the air performed over the front of the handlebars while trying to keep the bike horizontal and level.

CL I F F H A NGE R 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.

lonDon / reD bull X-FIGHters

35


IllustratInos: russell bell

L A Z Y BOY 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 ISS OF DE 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.

ROCK SOL I D 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.


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CLINTON MOORE NICKNAME / NONENATIONALITY / AUSTRALIADATE OF BIRTH / APRIL 26, 1988BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250

One of the most exciting new riders to emerge on the FMX scene, 22-year-old Clinton Moore wowed Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid when he became the fi rst 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.

CHRIS BIRCH NICKNAME / SWAMPYNATIONALITY / GBRDATE OF BIRTH / JULY 29, 1984BIKE / KTM 250SX

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 fi nest 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 RESULTSLondon ( UK)12TH

PHOTOGRAPHY: PREDRAG VUCKOVIC FOR GLOBAL NEWSROO

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WILDCARD

WILDCARD

41-RBXF_36_37_LONDON_ProfileLS_WildCards 41 05.08.2010 20:00:00 Uhr

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LEVI SHERWOODNICKNAME / RUBBER KID NATIONALITY/ NEW ZEALANDDATE 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!

2010 RESULTSMexico City ( Mexico)7THGiza (Eygpt)5THMoscow (Russia) 1STMadrid (Spain) 5TH

2009 RESULTSMexico City( Mexico)1STCalgary(Canada) 7THFort Worth (USA) DNSMadrid (Spain) DNSLondon (UK) 2ND

FINAL OVERALL POSITION: 6TH PHOTOGRAPHY: PREDRAG VUCKOVIC FOR GLOBAL NEWSROO

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2010RIDERS


40-RBXF_36_37_LONDON_ProfileLS_WildCards 40 05.08.2010 19:59:56 Uhr


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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 well-rounded 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.

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

maddo’s mechFirst 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!

lONDON / ReD bUll X-fiGHTeRs

39-RBXF_38-39_LONDON_Mechanic 39 05.08.2010 19:59:41 Uhr


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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

RunningRobbieFrom 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

ReD bUll X-fiGHTeRs / lONDON

38-RBXF_38-39_LONDON_Mechanic 38 05.08.2010 19:59:39 Uhr

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2010 ResultsMexico City( Mexico)4thGiza(Egypt) DNSMoscow(Russia) 6th Madrid(Spain) 4th

2009 ResultsMexico City/Mexico 9th Calgary/Canada DNSFort Worth /USA 8thMadrid /Spain 1stLondon /UK 3rdFinal Overall Position 5th

DANY TORRESNickName / 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.PH

OTOGRAPHY: JOERG MiTTER fOR GlObAl-NEwSROO

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lONDON / RED bUll X-fiGHTERS

2010riDerS

BEYOND THE ORDINARYTHE RED BULLETIN

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© R

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Ph

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Red Bulletinis available here

at Red Bull X�Fighters!

Grab your free copy at the exit

and see inside the World of Red Bull!

A�PERFECT�DAY�AT�THE�BEACH

The Red Bulletin – the new lifestyle magazine from the world of Red BullFirst Sunday of every month free inside

RBU010_1008_148x210_X-Fighters.indd 1 05.08.10 14:03 41-RBXF_40-41_LONDON_ad_ProfileDT 41 05.08.2010 20:00:15 Uhr


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BEYOND THE ORDINARYTHE RED BULLETIN

Ag

ust

in M

un

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© R

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Ph

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files

Red Bulletinis available here

at Red Bull X�Fighters!

Grab your free copy at the exit

and see inside the World of Red Bull!

A�PERFECT�DAY�AT�THE�BEACH

The Red Bulletin – the new lifestyle magazine from the world of Red BullFirst Sunday of every month free inside

RBU010_1008_148x210_X-Fighters.indd 1 05.08.10 14:0340-RBXF_40-41_LONDON_ad_ProfileDT 40 05.08.2010 20:00:09 Uhr

ANDRE VILLA

NICKNAME / NONE NATIONALITY / NORWAY DOB / APRIL 27, 1982 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250

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.


PHOTOGRAPHY: FLOHAGENA.COM (1), GEPA PICTURES (1), GLOBAL-NEWSROO

M (1), RED BULL PHOTOFILES (2)

RANKING FILE MIKE MASON

NICKNAME / MASE NATIONALITY / USADOB / AUGUST 27, 1981 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250

Two bronze freestyle medals from X-Games ’06 and ’08 and fi fth last year tell you that Nevada rider Mike Mason’s got what it takes to compete with the world’s fi nest. After fi nishing 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 fi nished 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 fi fth in the Freestyle event at X-Games 16. Expect some truly special FMX from him tonight.

43-RBXF_42-43_LONDON_OtherRiders 43 05.08.2010 20:01:18 Uhr




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



CAMERONSINCLAIR

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 Backfl ip 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 fi rst Double Backfl ip since Madrid.

ADAM JONES

NICKNAME / NONE NATIONALITY / USA DOB / JULY 23, 1984 BIKE / YAMAHA YZ250

The fi rst 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 fi rst one’s the hardest so expect Jones to now become a major contender. Backfl ip since Madrid.

signature Double Backfl ip 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 fi rst Double

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 Bull X-Fighters win and he scored that in Giza. They say scored that in Giza. They say the fi rst one’s the hardest so the fi rst one’s the hardest so expect Jones to now become expect Jones to now become a major contender. Backfl ip since Madrid.

42

42-RBXF_42-43_LONDON_OtherRiders 42 05.08.2010 20:00:50 Uhr

SEMI-FINALSHead to head

HEAT 1vs

HEAT 4

HEAT 2vs

HEAT 3

WINNER

WINNER

FINALHead to head

SEMI-FINAL 1vs

SEMI-FINAL 2

WINNER

WORLD TOURAt each Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour stop, 100 points are awarded for fi rst 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 fi nal competition. The overall winner of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 is the rider with the highest number of points after the fi nal stop of the season.

45

35

30

25

7TH

8TH

5TH

6TH

20

15

10

5

9TH

10TH

11TH

12TH

1ST 100

2ND

3RD

4TH

80

65

55

POINTS SYSTEM

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOERG MITTER/RED BULL PHOTOFILES

RULESEach World Tour stop comprises three days: Day One (rider briefi ng and training), Day Two (training and qualifi cation), and Day Three (training and main competition). Following qualifi cation, 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 lower-ranked rider will ride fi rst. A panel of fi ve 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.


45

45-RBXF_44-47_LONDON_TheRules_Venue 45 05.08.2010 20:01:54 Uhr

THE RULES

RIDER Q9 RIDER 3 R1

ROUND 11 run of 90 sec

(Qualifying ranks 7-12)

QUALIFYING QUARTER-FINALS2 runs of 90 sec

(12 riders)Head to head

RIDER Q1

RIDER Q2

RIDER Q3

RIDER Q4

RIDER Q5

RIDER Q6

RIDER Q7

RIDER Q8

RIDER Q10

RIDER Q11

RIDER Q12

RIDER 1 R1

RIDER 2 R1

RIDER 4 R1

RIDER 5 R1

RIDER 6 R1

RIDER Q5vs

RIDER Q4

RIDER Q6vs

RIDER Q3

RIDER 1 R1vs

RIDER Q2

RIDER 2 R1vs

RIDER Q1

HEAT 1

HEAT 2

HEAT 3

HEAT 4

RIDER Q9 RIDER 3 R1

Top six qualifiers progress straight to Quarter-Finals

RIDER Q1

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


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RULES continued

RIDERSThe 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.

JUDGINGThere 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 1 / Variety 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 2 / Challenge and exeCution Has responsibility for assessing the level of difficulty of each trick and how well the tricks are performed.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.Judge 4 / uSe of CourSe Here the rider is assessed on how he utilises the whole course in order to show off his skills. 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.


ILLUSTARTION: NIck ELLRIcH

riVer thaMeS

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eMergenCy exit

gate 1To Vauxhall Station

Red Bull X-Fighters will become the eighth

largest arena in London once complete.

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

course on the Tour.

The South grandstand is the largest temporary

seating structure ever built in the UK with capacity for over 10,000 spectators!

47



THE vEnuERED BULL X-FIGHTERS / LONDON

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GATE 1To Vauxhall Station

GATE 4 To Victoria Station

WHATS WHERE1 TOILETS2 FIRST AID / LOST CHILDREN3 FOOD4 BAR5 HOSPITALITY6 DISABLED VIEWING PLATFORM7 ATM8 MEDIA CENTRE9 NISSAN HUB10 ETNIES11 SWATCH LOUNGE CONTAINER12 RED BULL X-FIGHTERS MERCHANDISE

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.

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

2009 course.

46


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

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

2010 TOUR RESULTS

1 MEXICO CITY Mexico City Result Pts01 Andre Villa (NOR) 10002 Nate Adams (USA) 8003 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 6504 Dany Torres (ESP) 5505 Jim McNeil (USA) 4506 Eigo Sato (JAP) 3507 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 3008 Adam Jones (USA) 2509 Charles Pagès (FRA) 2010 Blake Williams (AUS) 15

2 GIZA Giza Result Pts01 Adam Jones (USA) 10002 Andre Villa (NOR) 8003 Nate Adams (USA) 6504 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 5505 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 4506 Eigo Sato (JAP) 3507 Jim McNeil (USA) 3008 Libor Podmol (CZE) 2509 Lance Coury (USA) 2010 Daice Suzuki (JAP) 15

3 MOSCOW Moscow Result Pts01 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 10002 Nate Adams (USA) 8003 Andre Villa (NOR) 6504 Eigo Sato (JAP) 5505 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 4506 Dany Torres (ESP) 3507 Adam Jones (USA) 3008 Cameron Sinclair (AUS) 2509 Jim McNeil (USA) 2010 Mat Rebeaud (SUI) 15

4 MADRIDMadrid Result Pts01 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 10002 Mat Rebeaud (SUI) 8003 Andre Villa (NOR) 6504 Dany Torres (ESP) 5505 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 4506 Adam Jones (USA) 3507 Mike Mason (USA) 3008 Maikel Melero (ESP) 2509 Jackson Strong (AUS) 2010 Cameron Sinclair (AUS) 15

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

49

lOnDOn / ReD bull X-fiGHTeRs

49-RBXF_48-49_LONDON_Results 49 05.08.2010 20:02:21 Uhr

48

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

48-RBXF_48-49_LONDON_Results 48 05.08.2010 20:02:09 Uhr

the only shot that gives you wings.

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.

gets your motor running, keeps your

engine revved. fits in your leathers

PHOTOGRAPHY: PRedRAG VuckOVic fOR GlObAl-NewsROO

m

51

51-RBXF_50-51_LONDON_The_Season_Cola ad 51 05.08.2010 20:02:49 Uhr

the only shot that gives you wings.

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.

gets your motor running, keeps your

engine revved. fits in your leathers

PHOTOGRAPHY: PRedRAG VuckOVic fOR GlObAl-NewsROO

m

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-Collin-Str.1, A-1140 Vienna, www.redbulletin.com

Printed by Offset 5020, A-5072 Siezenheim

media contact [email protected]

Visit www.redbullxfighters.com

Overall Standings Pts01 Andre Villa (NOR) 31002 Robbie Maddison (AUS) 26503 Nate Adams (USA) 22504 Levi Sherwood (NZ) 22005 Adam Jones (USA) 19006 Dany Torres (ESP) 14507 Eigo Sato (JAP) 13008 Mat Rebeaud (SUI) 95 – Jim McNeil (USA) 9510 Cameron Sinclair (AUS) 50

2010 tour standinGs

50

Red bull X-fiGHTeRs / lONdON

50

50-RBXF_50-51_LONDON_The_Season_Cola ad 50 05.08.2010 20:02:40 Uhr

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ATC

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591189_XFighters_DNA_148x210_e.i1 1 29.3.2010 10:43:27 Uhr52-RBXF_52_Swatch_Ad 52 05.08.2010 20:02:55 Uhr

red bull x-fighters mag - london 2010

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