Twitch Wins X-Fighters Rio de Janeiro
May 4, 2008 – 1:14 pm PT by GregTags: Dany Torres, Jeremy Stenberg, Red Bull, Robbie Maddison, Twitch, X-Fighters —
Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg has won the second stop of the Red Bull X-Fighters tour after defeating Mat Rebeaud in a close final Saturday in Rio de Janeiro. Aussie Robbie Maddison closed out the podium.
Stenberg was happy with his win though he acknowledged his ride didn’t go as planned.
“Unbelievably difficult. Some of the riders here were really afraid of the course. This victory means a great deal to me. I have never seen such a challenging course. One trick went completely wrong and I thought that it was all over, but Rebeaud made a mistake too.”
It’s hard to believe that it was only two years ago that Stenberg suffered a massive crash that shattered both his ankles and relegated him to a wheelchair for months. He’s definitely returned to form and should be a big factor in this summer’s AST Tour and X Games. He also had a strong showing at last month’s inaugural Moto X World Championships, taking second to Nate Adams in the Moto X Freestyle category.
In the overall X-Fighters rankings, Stenberg (155 pts.) now ranks second to Rebeaud (180 pts.), who won the first stop in Mexico City last month. Dany Torres from Spain, who finished fourth on Saturday and second in Mexico, is third in the rankings with 135 pts.
A webcast of the action from Brazil will be available Tuesday, May 6, on the official X-Fighters site. We’d post more photos from the event, but for some reason Red Bull hasn’t made many pictures of Monster-sponsored Stenberg available. Yet, plenty of photos of the Red Bull-sponsored Rebeaud (including the haunting portrait after the jump) exist. Hmmmm…
The next stop in the X-Fighters five-city tour is Ft. Worth, TX on June 14, followed by stops in Germany and Spain in July.
The official press release follows.
Samba on Two Wheels - Stenberg Grabs Win in Rio
Jeremy Stenberg (USA) soared to victory last Saturday 3rd of May, with a spectacular performance at the second event of Red Bull X-Fighters 2008. Mat Rebeaud from Switzerland had to settle for second place after a hard-fought final round, with Australian Robbie “Maddo” Maddison claiming third in the former capital city’s legendary Sambadrome. Andre Villa (NOR) remained unhurt after crashing out.
A total of nine kickers spread out along a 96-metre course proved a real challenge for the world’s FMX elite, a fact confirmed by winner Stenberg shortly after an emotional victory ceremony: “Unbelievably difficult. Some of the riders here were really afraid of the course. This victory means a great deal to me. I have never seen such a challenging course. One trick went completely wrong and I thought that it was all over, but Rebeaud made a mistake too.” Despite his disappointment, Swiss high flyer Rebeaud was stoic after the final: “That’s sport for you. I had a big mistake in the final and that probably cost me victory. But it could have been a lot worse. I’m glad I didn’t crash.”
A heavy fall by Andre Villa (NOR) at the quarter final stage brought the vibrant crowd to a hushed silence, but the Norwegian walked away unhurt. “I go to the gym five times a week and the muscles paid off today. I landed on my stomach, but I’ll be back on the bike,” commented Villa shortly after his fall.
Backflips, heelcrackers and superman seatgrabs were among the incredible tricks on show to a capacity crowd in the city’s legendary Sambadrome, where two large dirt jumps and a ‘six pack’ (three jumps in a row) catapulted the riders to dizzying heights.
The 30,000 FMX fans were on their feet as four local riders and eight members of the international FMX elite, including Aussie Robbie Maddison, fought it out for victory. “I can’t imagine it was even louder here during the Carnival in February,” beamed winner Stenberg after stealing the show.
After two rounds Mat Rebeaud (180 points) heads the overall riders’ classification, with a narrow lead of just 25 points over Jeremy Stenberg (155 points).
After Rio de Janeiro the Red Bull X-Fighters move stateside to Texas, USA. On July 14 the rodeo arena in Fort Worth will host the third of the tour’s five stops before the most breathtaking freestyle motocross series in the world returns to Europe with a stop in Wuppertal (GER) before the traditional grand finale in Madrid (ESP).
Final Results of Red Bull X-Fighters Rio de Janeiro:
1. Jeremy Stenberg (USA/Yamaha),
2. Mat Rebeaud (CH/KTM),
3. Robbie Maddison (AUS/Honda),
4. Dany Torres (ESP/KTM),
5. Andre Villa (NOR/Suzuki),
6. Eigo Sato (JPA/Yamaha),
7. Ronnie Faisst (USA/Honda),
8. Brice Izzo (FRA/Yamaha),
9. Gilmar Flores (BRA/Yamaha),
10. Gian Bergamini (BRA/Yamaha)
Mat Rebeaud at X-Fighters Rio. cr. Balázs Gárdi /Red Bull Photo-Files
