X Games: participants in bullish mood

A brief overview of the performances of the Red Bull athletes at the X Games 12.

It was the major highlight of the games: "Wunderkind" Travis Pastrana became the first ever FMX rider to perform a double backflip in competition. The trick, which if truth be told he didn't really want to try again, brought Travis his first Moto Best Trick gold medal, with silver going to Mat Rebeaud - which means the score is now 1:1 in the battle between the US superstar and the Swiss whizz kid. Rebeaud won the Red Bull X-Fighters in March. The pair will face each other for the third time in one month when they come face to face at the Red Bull X-Fighters in Madrid on September 14.

Rally Car Racing made its debut at the X Games - and the 1995 World Rally champion, Scotland's Colin McRae, was hot favorite to win. But just a few moments after his double backflip, Travis Pastrana followed up with another sensation, the Wunderkind taking the gold. Travis beat the Scotsman by exactly 0.52 seconds, with bronze going to Ken Block. "It's an honor to be next to Colin McRae," said Pastrana. "I'm very surprised. No words can describe it."

And on the last day of the 12th X Games as well, Travis Pastrana did what he loves to do most: he won. His FMX win was less surprising than his rally car racing victory, having already won in the discipline in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005. Nevertheless, Travis Pastrana got a special kick out of his eighth X Games win: he was voted the most outstanding athlete of the event and will be allowed to drive home in the new Saturn Sky Roadster.

21 feet: Jeremy McGrath missed out on an X Games gold in the Moto X Step-Up finals by just two feet, victory being taken by Matt Buyten. He fell short of his personal best by a slightly bigger margin and there was no sign of a repeat performance of the legendary battle of 2004: McGrath (making his X Games debut) and Buyten were locked in the longest Moto X battle in X Games history. "All the stars have to line up for this event to be as dramatic as 2004, and I was disappointed because I know we can all go 10 feet higher," McGrath said.

"I love the judges!" said a gallant Sandro Dias. The Brazilian's fondness of the judges was not without reason, considering they had just awarded him his first Skateboard Vert gold at the X Games. Sandro's winning performance, which beat Bob Burnquist and Bucky Lasek, was also quite something: a run which included a backside 540 McTwist to tail, a gnar jar 540, heelflip to frontside slider and ollie to fakie.

Gold in the BMX Freestyle Vert Best Trick contest went to Kevin Robinson. He impressed the judges with a double flair (a backflip into a corkscrew) - a trick he had been working on for three years. "This was three years in the making, it's the end of a three-year-long day," said Robinson. "I took off and it felt light the whole way through until I hit the bottom."

But it wasn't the last time he rode a wave of good feeling in Los Angeles. "I’m psyched. That's the biggest no-handed flair I’ve ever done in my life. I'm just glad I landed rubber-side down," said Kevin Robinson after his win in the inaugural BMX Big Air Event. It was the 34-year-old American's second gold medal of the 12th X Games. "I hope the event will be staged again next year. I'd love to repeat my win."

Ryan Sheckler took silver in the Skateboard Street competition. The Californian, who at 13 years old became the youngest ever X Games winner in 2003 with his Skate Park gold, won his first Skateboard Street medal. Being beaten by Chris Cole wasn't really a problem for Ryan: "If I was going to follow anybody, I'm glad it was Chris. He's one of my favorite skaters."