VALENTINO SINGH
Sports Editor,
who covered the Red Bull X-FightersInternational Freestyle Motocrossin Los Angeles last week.
Kiss of Death, Dead Body Flip, Hart Attack, Double Hart Attack. Just some of the names of the acts performed by motocross riders. And why not? If you are lucky enough, like I was, to witness the second leg of the $1 million 2012 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour, which took place in the hills of Southern California recently, you are unlikely to disagree with any of those choices. Add to that Whip, Lazy Flip, Tsunami, Superman Indian and you are likely to conclude that something daring is in the air. And you'd be perfectly correct. Freestyle motocross riders are often asked to define what they do in a single word. In a sport that rewards bravery, focus and showmanship, the word most used is adventure. These riders flip through the air on bikes at astonishing heights, letting go, unhinging and then reconnecting with their machines, after contorting into all kinds of spectacular and often, crazy positions. Small wonder it's a Red Bull sponsored event. These guys have wings. American Todd Potter was the king of the hill at Glen Helen Raceway, in San Bernardino, California, USA, last week, which thanks to Red Bull, I had the pleasure of witnessing.
All 12 riders agreed that the Glen Helen course was the most intimidating on which they had to compete. It was specially chiselled in the middle of desert land for the occasion with climbs of 60-feet. But American Potter was at home. In front of an enthusiastic Southern California crowd, he mastered what the experts described as the biggest, most challenging and frightening course in the history of the sport. His foreign rivals were clearly reluctant to experiment or attempt new tricks. But Potter conquered the 60-foot high step up that scared half of the field away. In the final, he beat Frenchman Thomas Pagès in a thrilling duel of fearless aerial specialists. Home advantage clearly paid off, as another American Wes Agee also thrived on the hill-filled California-style track, placing third in his first-ever competition and winning the prize for the "Best Move." Potter, Pagès and Ages dazzled the afternoon crowd of 15,000. Their breathtaking flips were daring in every sense and one could hear the oohs and aahs which preceded the spontaneous outbursts of applause that filled the valley as they soared
into the air and landed on the mountain tops.
The Frenchman was alone among the nine foreign participants who challenged the two Americans in the field. Many of the favourites, including defending champion Dany Torres of Spain and 2012 championship leader Levi Sherwood of New Zealand, skipped the awe-inspiring 60-foot step-up and paid a heavy price, getting knocked out in early rounds. It was a risky leap to the top of a cliff-and anyone falling mere inches short of the landing on the rim could end up tumbling straight back down the steep hill.
For charismatic Potter, the result was a dream-come-true. He knew the terrain much better than his competitors and clearly had the crowd on his side throughout the three knock-out rounds. His flashy riding style, his constant "playing to the crowd" and his daring approach, made him a darling and he soon had the crowd warming to the roar of his engine. Later at a press conference, Potter said he always felt he held an advantage since he knew the terrain and had practised on it much more than his opponents. "It was the biggest course we have faced, the most challenging and I knew it better than all the others so this was definitely a chance for me to come out on top."
He was emphatic that courage paid off and challenged his rivals to learn how to jump on big step-ups if they want to win on tracks like Glen Helen. "I think they need to suck it up and do it, that's the bottom line. You can't just circle and hit a ramp and come back and hit another ramp. This takes you out of your element and puts you into the real world of FMX and its roots." Frenchman Pagès won the crowd with body varial moves in the quarterfinals and semifinals but made a mistake in the final and had to abort his jump. "I was getting tired and just missed it," he said. Reigning champion Dany Torres finished eighth and Sherwood was seventh after the two pre-event favorites bowed out in early rounds without attempting the step-up. Potter now leads the tour with 135 points ahead of Sherwood (120), who won the opening round in Dubai. Chile's Javier Villegas, riding with a separated shoulder, just missed the podium with fourth place and is in third overall with 120 points heading into the third 2012 stop in Istanbul, Turkey on June 16. The tour continues with stops in Madrid on July 20, Munich on August 11 and Sydney, Australia on October 6.
