Robbie "Maddo" Maddison deservedly took FMX honours at the weekends Red Bull XRAY freeride event Down Under, but for many who were there to witness the action it was a new breed of youngsters who stole the show. Tye Simmonds, Cody Mackie and Jarryd McNeil, remember them, as you'll be hearing a lot more about these freaks in the near future as they stepped up big-time against some of the world's best dirt bike riders and tore apart the Maddo inspired freeride course like they were possessed.
I can't remember the last time I walked away from an event feeling so inspired. An event where riders had smiles on there dials 24/7. A blend of FMX and racers going head to head on a dirt course that had it all from monster-sized hits to tech hips, and no steel ramps to be seen.
Red Bull XRAY, presented by Maddo, will go down as one of the greatest moto events the country has ever seen. Held at Razorback Ranch, Picton, a one hour drive south west of Sydney it attracted close to 10,000 moto fans, largely thanks to Maddo's legendary status and the recent exposure he's received from his death defying stunts that have made him a house-hold name in Oz.
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It also had a lot to do with the riders he invited. Big names like freeride style master Drake McElroy, Japan's Taka Higashino, Aussie rippers Robbie Adelberg, Jacko Strong, and OG's Matt "Schuie" Schubring and Joel Balchin. And not forgetting pro racers Mitch "Hoady" Hoad, Ryan Marmont, and Craig Anderson to name a few, who all rode until their hands bled over the two-day format.
A stand-out for me was how much respect the riders from both disciplines had for each other. The racers had the speed, incredible bike skills, and the fattest Whips in town, while the freestyle lads showed their skill when Combo Flipping 120-foot hits, or throwing down big tricks over the massive 150-plus-foot dirt double. The course was gnarly and every rider knew just how hard it was to link it together smoothly so when any rider pulled something big out of the bag it didn't go unnoticed.
The format saw the freestyle riders go head-to-head in the finals on Sunday over two two minute runs making best use of the course as possible. This is where Maddo's experience from events like X-Fighters and X Games stood out as when it came down to it he had that bit extra to out-class Japanese rider Taka and motocross racer come freestyle sensation Jarryd McNeil. Jarryd reminds me a little of Levi Sherwood, he is electric to watch, super flexible, and boy when he learns to Flip he's going to be deadly. McElroy was all style with big Flatliners, his signature Dead Body, and big Nacs, but missed out on points with the Flips being thrown down over the 120-footer.
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Speed and Style was introduced to XRAY for the first time and it proved to be a big success for the riders and crowd as it really highlighted the skills of both disciplines. Each race saw a freestyler line up next to a racer over a two-lap race. The racers aim; to sprint away hard while throwing in Whips and whatever tricks they could do, while the freestyle riders holding ground and making up points for tricking as many of the hits as possible during the two laps. There were some real ding-dong battles with the likes of Maddo, McElroy and Taka surprising the racers with their speed linking the course while at the same time executing big tricks. Mackie, who killed it in the Whip-Off earlier in the day narrowly beating Simmonds, was lightning fast on the course and a crowd favorite with his insane Whips, but when he faced Jarryd McNeil in the final he couldn't match McNeil's all-round flair for tricking hits while also maintaining a killer pace. Simmonds came in third with Maddo close behind.
I'm a big sucker for big old skool Whips, and although Maddo and the FMX brigade blew me away with upside-down antics over insane gaps, I couldn't get enough of Simmonds, Mackie, McNeil and Hoady Whipping off against each other every chance they got.
XRAY produced some of the best dirt-bike riding I've ever seen and here's hoping that Maddo and Red Bull can pull it off again in 12-months time.
Check out an upcoming issue of Freerider MX for the full-blown feature. www.freeridermx.com
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Contributors
Ryan Leyba
Leyba is a bitter, retired FMX rider that likes to sit in his cubicle and call the professionals of the sport wussies for not pulling 360s and double backflips. He claims he quit riding FMX before flips were even invented... yeah, right.
Cliff Talley
Making FMX videos exciting is easy. Making them look good is not. Cliff Talley does both of these well and still manages to find enough time to piss off his neighbors with his Travis Barker-esque drum skills.
Chris Tedesco
You've seen his photos on the covers of Transworld, Racer X and more. You've also seen his tequila shooting skills at your local dive bar. Ladies, Chris is single and looking to mingle.
Grant "Goba" O'brien
FMX in Australia wouldn't exist if it weren't for Goba. Well, maybe it would, but it wouldn't be nearly as cool. I don't know why, but we can't quit calling him gobalobadingdong — it just rolls off the tongue.
Tes Sewell
Tes is the dude that's always involved in everything that's going on in FMX. How he does it, we don't know, but that's the reason we hired him to share his plethora of FMX wisdom in the form of a monthly column.
