Red Bull X-Fighters
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Sport | Freestyle Motocross |
---|---|
Founded | 2001 |
First season | 2001 |
Ceased | 2017 |
Owner(s) | Red Bull GmbH |
Singles entrants | 12 |
Country | Spain |
Venue(s) | Las Ventas |
Confederation | Europe |
Last champion(s) | Levi Sherwood (9th title) |
Most titles | Levi Sherwood (9 titles) |
Sponsor(s) | Red Bull GmbH |
Official website | RedBullX-Fighters.com |
Red Bull X-Fighters was a
History
X-Fighters: 2001–06
X-Fighters was founded in 2001, and became the most famous
2003 was to bring about some major developments to the event. It introduced the line up of events to increase from one to two that year with both Valencia and Madrid staging competitions in their bullrings. But Red Bull X-Fighters and the entire sport of FMX witnessed one of its first major tricks. At Las Ventas in Madrid, a new rider to the competition, the 18-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, Nate Adams created freestyle motocross history after performing the first ever back flip at the event.[3]
The riders then returned to compete in the bullring of Madrid for the only X-Fighters event of 2004. Having a major impact on the pace of progression in the sport that year that the back flip had gone from what most people didn't think was possible to an almost standard feature in most riders runs. Riders were not only performing back flips with ease, they were laying down back flip combinations.[3] Joining the event was a new face on the Red Bull X-Fighters scene, the well-known Travis Pastrana. It saw him and Adams stage the first of their head-to-head battles, going all in a battle against each other and pulling off spectacular 360's in front of huge crowds. Pastrana took first and Adams second. Ronnie Renner did his first competitive backflip in Madrid that year.[1] The following year, after continuous success in Spain, X-Fighters staged its first event outside of Europe. Bringing the riders in FMX to compete at the biggest bullring on the planet, the Plaza de Toros México in Mexico City. The growing popularity of the sport was proved by the capacity crowd of over 40,000 fans. Once again the riders proved why FMX was becoming one of the most incredible spectator sports in the world by putting on another massive watched competition that was eventually won by Ronnie Renner. After Mexico, Madrid hosted yet another event, which Nate Adams won. Lastly, in 2006, Mexico City and Madrid were to repeat the following year and host the last two events before the World Tour format began.[2]
World Tour: 2007–15
In 2007, X-Fighters was becoming a global phenomenon. But the year had a special significance as X-Fighters moved from the exclusive bullring locations into new inspirational arenas. It reached double figures, celebrating its tenth competition in
2008 will always be remembered amongst FMX fans as the year Red Bull X-Fighters truly became a fully fledged international tour. That was the year it went global. Expanding its line up of stops from three in 2007 to six. Taking in
In 2010 Red Bull X-Fighters were granted permission to stage an event in
2011 saw Red Bull X-Fighters reach its 10th anniversary and stadiums and arenas across the world were selling out to a huge international fan base. It brought up its 30th event on
Grand Slam: 2016–present
After eight spectacular years of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour, 2016 concentrated on one season highlight event at the legendary Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid on June 24. The Red Bull X-Fighters stop in Madrid marked the 15th straight year that the famous bullring hosted the event of Freestyle Motocross, where the world's best riders have been showcasing new and exciting tricks since 2002.[17] France's Tom Pagès became the first rider in history to win Madrid three consecutive times with his stirring victory in 2015 in front of another sold-out house of 23,000 spectators. Travis Pastrana of the USA had also won Madrid three times but not consecutively while Spanish rider Dany Torres had won the most important stop of the season twice.[18]
It was Tom Pagès who carved his name into the record books with a spectacular fourth straight Red Bull X-Fighters win in Madrid, the spiritual home of freestyle motocross that celebrated its 15th anniversary in style in front of a full house. At the Las Ventas bullring Pagès treated the crowd to his new Front Flip Flair, the first time ever the trick was performed in competition. In an epic three-way battle featuring the world's best FMX riders, Clinton Moore, the 2015 World Tour champion, came in a close second after a flawless run in the final with his Bundy jump recorded to be 14 meters high by a new Intel high-tech device. Josh Sheehan had to settle for third despite nailing his signature double back flip. Levi Sherwood of New Zealand finished fourth on an unforgettable night at the FMX extravaganza in the Spanish capital.[19]
2017 would begin with Las Ventas hosting an epic X-Fighters contest. Levi Sherwood took 1st place with Josh Sheehan taking 2nd and Taka Higashino coming in 3rd. 2017 would end up being the final year of Red Bull X-Fighters.
Format
Event
Each day of every event, riders get opportunities to train. Day one starts off with a briefing. Day two is qualification and day three is competition. In qualification, there is one 90-second qualifying run. All twelve riders ride in their start order. Any rider who misses a qualifying session will be scored in the last place position. Should more than one rider miss the qualifying session then previous year's Tour rank will determine placing, with the lowest ranked rider being scored as the last place. Should no Tour rank exists, and then a draw will take place to establish rank for the purpose of qualifying. The results of the qualification will define the three groups of four riders that will compete in the Cuadrillas Elimination.[20]
The Cuadrillas Elimination is where each group of four riders will spin a roulette of tricks one time (old-school tricks that are barely shown in competition). All riders have to pull out this trick within their 50-second run. The best two riders of each group qualify for the semi-final. At the completion of each rider's run, the judges award a score. When all riders in this round have completed a scored run, the scores are announced and the top scored rider advances through to the semi-final. Six riders are then qualified in pairs and battle head-to-head in the semi-final, in which there is no mandatory trick. Each rider takes his own run with a pre-determined time limit (75 seconds). The lower seeded rider in each pair ride first. Time starts when the rider takes his first jump. After each run, the rider goes a pre-designated position to watch his replays on the big screen. The second rider in the pair, who is not riding, will wait at the Hot Spot, remove his helmet and watch the other rider's run. After the second rider's run, both wait at a pre-designated position for the judges' decision of whom of the two is in the Final round. The winner from each battle would advance to the final.[20]
The final consists of three winners from the semi-final that meet in a head-to-head run-off. Each rider takes his own run with a pre-determined time limit (75 seconds). The rider from the semi-final A will ride first followed by the winner of the semi-final B and C. Time will start when the rider takes his first jump. After the 75 seconds each rider can perform a Bonus Trick which is not affected by the time limit. After each run, the rider goes a pre-designated position to watch his replay on the big screen. The second and third riders, who are not riding, will wait at the Hot Spot, remove their helmet and watch the other rider's run. After the third rider's run, all three wait at a pre-designated position for the judges' decision of whom of the three will be celebrated as the winner of the Red Bull X-Fighters competition. Overall the riders can win five helmets. If there is a tie (e.g. two riders win two helmets and one rider 1 helmet) the Bonus Tricks decides on the winner.[20]
Judging
Judging in all rounds consist of five judges, each one judging the overall impression based on the following criteria:
- Variety
- Execution
- Form and flow
- Use of course
- Challenge
- Energy
- Excitement
- Entertainment
There are two separate judging systems for the Red Bull X-Fighters competition. Round one judging panel comprises five judges, plus one Head Judge. These judges will award each rider a score from 1-100 points. Final score will be represented as a number from 0–100 based on an average of all five judges' scores (From a total of 0 - 500 ÷ 5 judges) In the semi-finals and final, each judge award each of the riders in the heat a score on a scale of 1–100 points. The rider with the highest score from a single judge will win that judge's vote. The rider who gets three or more judges' votes out of five will win the match-up. The Head Judge is solely responsible for indicating when time expires on a run. If, in the mind of the Head Judge, a rider is considered to be 'on approach' to a jump when the time clock reaches zero, then that jump (or series of jumps in a double-double or 6-pack) will count in the rider's final score. The Head Judge will also have the ability to change any single score or group of scores and makes the final decision in any tiebreaker situations. Should two or more riders in Round one have a scoring tie out of 100 points, then the high and low scores for each rider will be eliminated and the remaining three scores averaged to give a score of 100 points. Should this method still result in a tie then the highest single score will break the tie(s). In the event that none of these methods breaks the tie(s) then the Head Judge will break the tie(s)[20]
Venues
Overall there has been 25 different locations that have hosted an X-Fighters event. Below shows a list of former and current venues, along with their location and number of times taken part.
Results and statistics
Records
Record | Rider | T |
---|---|---|
Most starts | Dany Torres | 48 |
Most head to heads | Dany Torres | 69 |
Most head to heads won | Dany Torres | 41 |
Most head to heads lost | Dany Torres | 28 |
Most quarterfinals | Dany Torres | 33 |
Most semi-finals | Dany Torres | 21 |
Most finals | Levi Sherwood | 12 |
Most wins | Levi Sherwood | 8 |
Most top three appearances | Dany Torres | 20 |
Most World Tour wins | Nate Adams | 2 |
Most World Tour top three appearances | Dany Torres | 7 |
Total points earned | Dany Torres | 2340 |
Most points in a single season | Mat Rebeaud | 465 |
Dany Torres of Spain is the all-time top points holder on the World Tour, with 7 wins and 1 title. Torres also holds the following records; Most starts, Most head to heads, Most head to heads won, Most head to heads lost, Most quarterfinals, Most semi-finals, Most top three appearances and, Most World Tour top three appearances. He is the most successful rider to hold a total of 9 X-Fighters records. New Zealander Levi Sherwood holds two (Most finals and Most wins), with Nate Adams and Mat Rebeaud both holding one each.
World Tour champions
Year | Rider | P |
---|---|---|
2007 | Travis Pastrana | 250 |
2008 | Mat Rebeaud | 465 |
2009 | Nate Adams | 325 |
2010 | Nate Adams | 370 |
2011 | Dany Torres | 390 |
2012 | Levi Sherwood | 335 |
2013 | Thomas Pagès |
360 |
2014 | Josh Sheehan | 360 |
2015 | Clinton Moore | 380 |
2016 | Thomas Pagès |
12 |
In all, 86 top riders have competed in at least one X-Fighters event. Of these, eight riders have won the World Tour. With two titles, American Nate Adams is the most successful World Tour rider. Adams (2009 and 2010) is also the only rider to have won two consecutive titles.
Wall of Fame
- 1 Mike Jones
- 2 Nate Adams
- 3 Travis Pastrana
- 4 Mat Rebeaud
- 5 Robbie Maddison
- 6 Dany Torres
- 7 Levi Sherwood
- 8 Eigo Satō
- 9 Thomas Pagès
- 10 Josh Sheehan
Red Bull X-Fighters released their very own Wall of Fame in a video about the history of the competition.
Race results
World Tours
Year | # | Mexico City VI |
Cairo I |
Moscow I |
Madrid IX |
London II |
Rome I |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | André Villa (NOR) | Adam Jones (USA) | Levi Sherwood (NZL) | Robbie Maddison (AUS) | Levi Sherwood (NZL) | Dany Torres (ESP) | |
Nate Adams (USA) | André Villa (NOR) | Nate Adams (USA) | Mat Rebeaud (SWI) | Nate Adams (USA) | Adam Jones (USA) | ||
Robbie Maddison (AUS) | Nate Adams (USA) | André Villa (NOR) | André Villa (NOR) | Dany Torres (ESP) | Nate Adams (USA) | ||
Dubai I |
Brasilia I |
Rome II |
Madrid X |
Poznań I |
Sydney I | ||
2011 | Dany Torres (ESP) | Nate Adams (USA) | Nate Adams (USA) | Dany Torres (ESP) | Nate Adams (USA) | Josh Sheehan (AUS) | |
André Villa (NOR) | Robbie Maddison (AUS) | André Villa (NOR) | Blake Williams (AUS) | Dany Torres (ESP) | Levi Sherwood (NZL) | ||
Nate Adams (USA) | André Villa (NOR) | Josh Sheehan (AUS) | Josh Sheehan (AUS) | Eigo Satō (JPN) | Dany Torres (ESP) | ||
Dubai II |
California I |
Madrid XI |
Munich I |
Sydney II |
Istanbul (cancelled)[30] | ||
2012 | Levi Sherwood (NZL) | Todd Potter (USA) | Levi Sherwood (NZL) | Thomas Pagès (FRA) |
Levi Sherwood (NZL) | – | |
Rob Adelberg (AUS) | Thomas Pagès (FRA) |
Dany Torres (ESP) | Dany Torres (ESP) | Thomas Pagès (FRA) |
– | ||
Javier Villegas (CHI) | Wes Agee (USA) | Maikel Melero (ESP) | Eigo Satō (JPN) | Josh Sheehan (AUS) | – | ||
Mexico City VII |
Dubai III |
California II |
Osaka I |
Madrid XII |
Pretoria (cancelled)[31] | ||
2013 | Thomas Pagès (FRA) |
Dany Torres (ESP) | Rob Adelberg (AUS) | Taka Higashino (JPN) | Thomas Pagès (FRA) |
– | |
Dany Torres (ESP) | Levi Sherwood (NZL) | Thomas Pagès (FRA) |
Thomas Pagès (FRA) |
Taka Higashino (JPN) | – | ||
Levi Sherwood (NZL) | Thomas Pagès (FRA) |
Taka Higashino (JPN) | Adam Jones (USA) | Javier Villegas (CHI) | – |
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States (USA) | 17 | 16 | 13 | 46 |
2 | Spain (ESP) | 8 | 6 | 8 | 22 |
3 | Australia (AUS) | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 |
4 | New Zealand (NZL) | 7 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
5 | Switzerland (SUI) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
6 | France (FRA) | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
7 | Japan (JPN) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
Totals (7 entries) | 48 | 45 | 45 | 138 |
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References
- ^ a b "15 Years Madrid Highlights". Red Bull X-Fighters. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Video: Red Bull X-Fighters History". Red Bull X-Fighters. 3 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Become Part Of History!". Red Bull X-Fighters. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters - Mexico 2007". Banderas News. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters, Slane Castle". Vital MX. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters: Madrid". Vital MX. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "2008 RED BULL X-FIGHTERS SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED". Motocross Action Magazine. 30 September 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "Red Bull X Fighters Mexico City Results". Transworld Motocross. 30 March 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters Texas Results". Moto USA. 29 June 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "Cam Sinclair to star at X Games a year after near-fatal crash". Pete Thomas Outdoors. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "2010 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour Italy". Racer X. 26 June 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ "Robbie Maddison wins Red bull x-fighters in Spain". Action Recal. 24 July 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ "2010 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour Italy". Moto USA. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ "RED BULL X FIGHTERS WORLD TOUR – BRASILIA". Behind Magazine.com. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ "Dany Torres claims X-Fighters title". ESPN. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ "SHERWOOD WINS RED BULL X-FIGHTERS WORLD TOUR". Red Bull X-Fighters. 6 October 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ "2016 Red Bull X-Fighters Details". Your Adrenaline Fix. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ "FOCUS IN 2016 ON ONE HIGHLIGHT EVENT IN MADRID". Red Bull X-Fighters. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ "PAGÈS WINS RED BULL X-FIGHTERS MADRID AGAIN!". Red Bull X-Fighters. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d "X-Fighters About". Red Bull X-Fighters. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ "HALL OF FAME THE ULTIMATE GOAL FOR FMX STARS". Red Bull X-Fighters. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ "RED BULL X-FIGHTERS MOSCOW CANCELLED". Red Bull X-Fighters. 26 June 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters Mexico City Results 2014". Motorcycle USA. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters Osaka Results 2014". Motorcycle USA. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid Results 2014". Motorcycle USA. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters Munich Results 2014". Motorcycle USA. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters South Africa Results 2014". Motorcycle USA. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid Results". Dirt Rider. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Levi Sherwood backflips his way to X-Fighters crown in Madrid". Stuff. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ "Red Bull X-Fighters Istanbul canceled". ESPN. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ^ "2013 World Tour Final In Madrid - Pretoria Cancelled". FMW World. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2017.