Just ten years after the first ever Red Bull X-Fighters event in Valencia’s famous bullfighting ring, the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour is today one of the biggest international freestyle series on the planet. At the four stops of the World Tour 2010 completed so far, almost 120,000 fans across three continents defied wind, rain and scorching temperatures to see the best freestyle motocross riders in the flesh. With two stops remaining, the battle for the overall title is more open than ever before.
Everybody knows that it takes dedication, courage and a healthy portion of craziness to become a professional freestyle motocross athlete. However, being an FMX fan is also often harder than it seems: the 118,000 fans who have followed the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 so far have had to endure biblical downpours, sandstorms, tropical humidity and temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius in order to cheer on the world FMX elite as they go head-to-head.
The 2010 season got off to a less than perfect start as the traditional curtain-raiser in Mexico City (MEX) had to be cancelled mid-event after the heavens opened over the biggest bullfighting ring in the world. Yet, when the riders returned to the Plaza de Toros Monumental to crown Norway’s Andrè Villa the winner of the event, the capacity crowd of 42,000 rose to their feet as one to show the riders their respect. The riders then barely had time to recover from their Mexican wash-out before they headed off to Africa for the second stop of the season in Giza (EGY), where industrial-scale fans and not raincoats were the order of the day as temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius and sandstorms pushed riders, fans and bikes to the limit. Despite the tricky conditions no fewer than 10,000 fans made the journey into the desert to see Adam Jones (USA) take the win at the first ever Red Bull X-Fighters event in Africa.
(c) F. Hagena - redbullxfighters.com
Next event, next debut. The third stop of the year saw yet another country join the illustrious list of locations to have hosted the Red Bull X-Fighters as Robbie Maddison and Co. touched down in Russia for the first time. On Moscow’s famous Red Square, just metres from the Kremlin, Levi "Rubberkid" Sherwood (NZE) was powered to victory by a huge crowd, as 40,000 fans defied the humid heat of the Russian summer to get up close and personal with the best riders in the world.
(c) J. Mitter - redbullxfighters.com
Only one thing could follow such an insane event: el clásico! The fourth stop of season saw the fmx-heroes go back to the roots of the Red Bull X-Fighters as they returned to Spain for the legendary event in Madrid’s Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. With the Madrilènes still in party mood after their national team’s victory at the World Cup in South Africa, the huge bullfighting ring was sold out for the ninth (!) year running as 25,000 fans lived up to their reputation and cheered Robbie Maddison (AUS) on to his first victory of the season after local hero Dany Torres (ESP) had been eliminated in the Semi-Finals.
(c) J. Mitter - redbullxfighters.com
Four events, three continents, 118,000 fans. However, the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 is by no means over: this weekend will see over 30,000 British fans fill London’s iconic Battersea Power Station south of the River Thames, and the Italian capital of Rome will host the final showdown of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 in early October. Current overall leader and winner of the Mexico stop, Andrè Villa (NOR), knows all about the importance of the World Tour for both fans and riders in the FMX community: “The Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour is definitely the major tour in every FMX athlete’s diary. Just take a look at the riders competing – it really is the world elite. The fans at every stop of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour are amazing, and that’s a huge motivation for us. There is nothing better than having the crowd behind you cheering you on. That is exactly the sort of thing that makes you step it up another level and do tricks that have never been tried.”
(c) flohagena.com/Red Bull Photofiles
After four of the six stops making up the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 no fewer than six riders are in with a chance of winning the overall title. Norway’s Andrè Villa still holds a slim lead over his rivals in the Overall World Standings, but Robbie “Maddo” Maddison (AUS), reigning 2009 champion Nate Adams (USA) and young gun Levi Sherwood (NZE) are hot on his heels. The penultimate stop of the season takes place this weekend (14 August 2010) in London, with the end-of-year showdown scheduled to be held in Rome (ITA) in October 2010.
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