In a blaze of flashing lights and a deafening roar of engines, Battersea welcomed its first real action in qualifying last night. But the mood was rather quieter as the riders prepared on Saturday.
Battersea Power Station may have been closed since 1983, but there was plenty of industry on its outskirts as huge earthmovers lumbered about on the former station site.
Within the Red Bull X-Fighters compound, more heavy machinery worked on the arena as last-minute preparations continued around the huge heaps of spoil between the power station building and the cranes by the River Thames. Even the buggies ferrying production crew here and there seemed a bit beefed up for the rough ground – this isn’t your average motorsports venue.
Inside the hulk of the power station, you could almost sense the old girl wondering what on earth was going on down below. There was a strangely quiet, tense atmosphere around the Media Mix area, set up for meeting and greeting. Except for the occasional echoing thrash of an engine as one of the riders practised on the ramp in the heart of the station, there was little indication that the gripping final of the 2009 Red Bull X-Fighters Championship would be taking place in just a few hours.
But Battersea is a paradox – ornate Art Deco brickwork sits alongside shattered windows and pieces of blasted masonry as the daylight creeps in through the missing roof areas. It’s a unique setting for a unique occasion, as lead qualifier Nate Adams looks to drive home his slender advantage and take the title of X-Fighters champion.
Elsewhere, other icons of London welcomed the cream of world moto X, not least the judges, who take pride of place in a converted London Routemaster bus during the event.
And the visiting journos get the best modern telecommunications with a traditional red phone box, also designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, architect of the power station, outside the media centre.
'I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’d really love a championship' - Robbie Maddison
The fans are so close to the action, they’ll almost feel like they can touch the riders. A sign warns bystanders of flying grit from the jumps – another, further out from the arena and possibly with a tongue-in-cheek application, warns of flying overhead bikes…There is a sense of anticipation, and many of the riders are feeling it, not least Robbie Maddison, who is perhaps better-known to Londoners than some of the other competitors.
“It definitely does add a bit of pressure,” said Maddison, who did a spectacular jump over London’s Tower Bridge recently. “I know a lot of people are familiar with my name, so are coming out here to see me do something.” But the 28-year-old added: “Hopefully we can get a little Aussie boy on top. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’d really love a championship…”
While it might have been quiet this afternoon, you can be pretty sure that the media will be calling home with quite a story after tonight’s action…
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