Twitch after winning the 2007 FMX Championships.  cr. Adam Nelson

If you’re in Pomona, CA next Saturday try and stop by the L.A. Fairgrounds to catch the 2008 LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross.  Last year, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg won the final after Nate Adams apparently had some equipment issues and was unable to finish the finals.  Mat Rebeaud ended up in second.  Twitch and Adams, both of whom are nursing injuries, are back for another round, along with riders like Rebeaud, Jeremy Lusk, Blake Williams, Adam Jones and Mike Mason.

The contest breaks down over three head-to-head rounds and whittle down to a final group of the top three that battles for the title.  Ten riders have been prequalified, while eight riders will fight for two open slots.

Read the full release below.
Top Ten Qualifiers Announced for 2008 LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross
L.A. County Fair Hosts the $100,000 Season-Ending Event on September 27th

LOS ANGELES (September 22, 2008) – Freestyle motocross will name the best athlete of the year when ASA Entertainment (ASA) brings the LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross to the L.A. County Fair on Saturday, September 27th, at Fairplex Pomona.  Today, ASA officially announced the top 10 men of the 2008 freestyle motocross season who have qualified to compete for the honored title of 2008 LG World Champion of Freestyle Motocross.  The qualified athletes are:

Name – Age – Hometown
Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg – 26 – Santee, California
Mat Rebeaud – 26 – Payerne, Switzerland
Nate Adams  – 24 – Glendale, Arizona
Jeremy Lusk – 23 – San Diego, California
Robbie Maddison – 27 – Kiama Downs, Australia
Mike Mason – 27 – Minden, Nevada
Blake Williams – 23 – Baxter, Australia
Adam Jones – 24 – Warrendale, Pennsylvania
Beau Bamburg – 30 – Gresham, Oregon
Todd Porter – 24 – Anza, California

In addition to these top men, eight athletes have been invited to participate in the event’s open qualifying round for the remaining two spots in the 12-man world championship roster.  On Saturday afternoon, Derek Garland (San Clemente, CA), Jeff Fehr (Salt Lake City, UT), Ronnie Faisst (Mays Landing, NJ), Dustin Miller (Garnville, NV), Wiley Fullmer (Chino, CA) Miles Richmond (Cherry Valley,CA), Cameron Sinclair (Southport, Australia), Brian Foster (Minden, NV) and Jeff Kargola (San Clemente, CA) will take to the track for one run in hopes of advancing to the evening’s championship competition.

In three rounds of head-to-head competition the 12 competitors will need to consistently perform their greatest, high-flying tricks in order to last throughout the evening’s contest to claim the World Championship title.   The format celebrates the most steadfast overall athletic performance, not just one spectacular run; therefore these men will need to repeatedly nail the most daring stunts with extraordinary precision.

No one man has monopolized the competition this season; Jeremy Lusk won the 2008 X Games and X Games Mexico gold medals, Adam Jones captured the AST Dew Cup this season, and Mat Rebeaud excelled at the X Fighters events.  But, as last year’s contest illustrated, season domination is not the key.  Nate Adams won virtually every AST Dew Tour event in 2007, but Jeremy Stenberg’s consistency and technique during the championships lead him to the title in 2007.

Will Lusk or Jones add this title to their 2008 accomplishments, or will Mat Rebeaud turn out one of the spectacular exhibitions that he is so widely known for?  After an uncharacteristic season filled with second and third place finishes, will Nate Adams be able to reclaim his number one status?  Twitch won the title in 2007 with a broken ankle, will he be able to persevere through this year’s injuries and keep the title? Be there for all the action!  Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets or at the Fairplex Pomona box office.

The LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross is an ASA Entertainment production.

Aussie Robbie Maddison finished second in the contest (third overall) while Metal Mulisha rider Jeremy Lusk crashed twice on his way to a fourth-place finish (same overall).

There was also a Super Session contest featuring four teams of three riders each battling it out in Step Up, Speed & Style, Quarterpipe Jam and Classic FMX.  Ronnie Renner’s “Team Renner” finished in first, featuring Renner, Travis Pastrana (competing in his only contest of the series) and Thomas Pages.  Pages was riding in place of Andre Villa, who broke his leg during practice on Friday.

The contest took place in the historic Stadion X-Lecia in Warsaw, Poland, with 35,000 fans on hand.  The stadium is scheduled to be demolished and replaced by a new arena.

For more about the contest check out the official X-Fighters site.

Mathieu Rebeaud in Poland | cr.Vitek Ludvik / red bull photo files

Lusk, Rebeaud, Torres.   Cr. Flo Hagena/ Red Bull Photo Files

Swiss FMX rider Mat Rebeaud continued his dominance of the Red Bull X-Fighters tour Saturday as he edged X Games champ Jeremy Lusk in Germany.  Rebeaud has won four of the five X-Fighters event, with Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg taking the Brazillian stop.  Twitch finished in second in the U.S. stop but has missed the last two events because of a nagging thumb injury.

Read on for the official release about the event.  The last X-Fighters contest of the season takes place in Poland on Sept. 6.  For more about the contest, check out the official site.

Rebeaud wins “Rumble in the Ruhr”
Red Bull X-Fighters champion beats rival Lusk

Switzerland’s Mat Rebeaud cemented his dominance of the 2008 Red Bull X-Fighters in Wuppertal on Saturday, notching up his fourth victory of the season in the explosive Oetelshofen Quarry. The Swiss freestyle motocross star defeated rival Jeremy Lusk (USA) in the finals on the penultimate stop of this season’s Red Bull X-Fighters tour which drew 15,000 spectators.

Spain’s Dany Torres and Australian Robbie Maddison were third and fourth at the course, located at the bottom of a limestone quarry in Germany’s industrial heartland where earth-movers and diggers made way for 100-kg motorbikes and their fearless riders.

Rebeaud’s win settled the score with Lusk who beat him at the X-Games in California earlier this month and means the Swiss rider is well on his way to lifting the trophy at the end of the Series. “You only have one chance here so there is a lot of pressure,” said Rebeaud. “I am very happy though. I have had a great season this year: four wins plus second in the X-Games.”

German giants Busty Wolter, who reached Round 2, and Fabian Bauersachs, who was knocked out in Round 1, helped whip the Wuppertal crowd into a frenzy during a night of spectacular riding on a tricky, tightly-arranged track that riders said was the toughest so far this year.

Rebeaud’s victory in the Red Bull X-Fighters’ maiden visit to Germany means the Swiss rider now looks unbeatable in the overall series, reinforcing his likely role as successor to retired American whiz kid Travis Pastrana who won in 2007.

After visiting Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Fort Worth in Texas, Madrid and now Wuppertal, the Red Bull X-Fighters’ next and final stop of the season is scheduled for September 6th at the Stadion X-lecia in Warsaw, Poland.

With Japan’s Taka Higashino sidelined after a brutal crash in training on Thursday, the “dirty dozen” were reduced to just 11 riders by Satruday who battled to impress the panel of five judges on a course built 75 metres down in the bottom of the Oetelshofen Quarry. German Touring Car Masters driver Martin Tomczyk added a dab of four-wheeled expertise to the proceedings with his appearance in an off-road Race Touareg.

Tonight’s results put Lusk, Maddison and Torres in close competition in the overall classification behind Rebeaud. A nagging thumb injury forced the other possible contender, America’s Jeremy ‘Twitch’ Stenberg, to sit out the rest of the season.

After visiting Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Forth Worth in Texas, Madrid and now Wuppertal, the Red Bull X-Figthers’ next stop is scheduled for September 6th at the Stadion X-lecia in Warsaw, Poland.

Final Result of Red Bull X-Fighters in Wuppertal

1. Mat Rebeaud (SUI)
2. Jeremy Lusk (USA)
3. Dany Torres (ESP)
4. Robbie Maddison (AUS)
5. Petr Pilat (CZE)
6. Sebastian Wolter (GER)
7. Ronnie Renner (USA)
8. Fredrik Johansson (SWE)
9. Dustin Miller (USA)
10. Fabian Bauersachs (GER)
11. Nick DeWit (RSA)

Rebeaud’s journey to the finals started with top qualifier Andre Villa followed by Mike Mason.

Mason ended up with the bronze medal after defeating Twitch for the honor.

Adam Jones, the defending champ, could not participate after getting injured during practice on Wednesday.

Keep reading for the full release.

Lusk Usurps Mat Rebeaud to Claim His First Moto X Freestyle Gold
“No Such Thing As Luck In This Sport” – Jeremy Lusk

LOS ANGELES – 23-year-old Lusk puts together a mind-boggling final run as he goes head-to head against Mat Rebeaud in the final round of the Moto X Freestyle.

“There’s no such thing as luck in our sport. It’s just one rider that rode better at the end of the day,” Lusk stated matter of fact after he donned the gold medal.

Lusk’s run consisted of an Indian air, a superman seat-grab backflip, a cliffhanger, an under-flip, a rock solid Indian air and a knack-knack flip that brought the sellout crowd to its feet.

Rebeaud put good effort in trying to knock out Lusk with his final run attempt. He stuck a one-handed can-can, a suicide flip and a no handed flip but was unable to top Lusk’s score.

“It was very close. Jeremy was running very good,” Rebeaud said. “A silver medal is good for me at the X Games. I’m happy.”

Taking the bronze for the night was Mike Mason who was pleased with the new “Knockout” format introduced this year at the Moto X Freestyle Final. He took out Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg to claim the third place spot.

“I brought my A game. The new format was awesome. It adds a new element to it,” Mason said.

Saturday night’s Moto X Freestyle final wraps up the third day of X Games 14. Check back tomorrow for more action from the Skateboard SuperPark final and the Rally Car Racing Super Special final.

MOTO X FREESTYLE FINAL RESULTS
Results from ESPN X GAMES 14 at The Home Center in Carson, Calf. on Saturday, August 2, 2008. (Final Standings)

Final
1    Jeremy Lusk    89.0
2    Mat Rebeaud

Semifinals

Bracket 2A
1    Mat Rebeaud    86.2
2    Mike Mason

Bracket 2B
1    Jeremy Lusk    80.4
2    Jeremy Stenberg

Quarterfinals

Bracket 1A
1    Mike Mason    83.0
2    Nate Adams

Bracket 1B
1    Mat Rebeaud    85.8
2    Andre Villa

Bracket 1C
1    Jeremy Lusk    84.6
2    Blake Williams

Bracket 1D
1    Jeremy Stenberg    85.6
2    Robbie Maddison

Rebeaud defeated Andre Villa in the final match.  Aussie Robbie Maddison came in third while Jeremy Lusk came in fourth.  Lusk got there by edging local favorite Dany Torres, who ended up in fifth.  Torres did win Thursday’s best trick contest in a questionable finish over Rebeaud.

Fredrik Johansson failed to move to the quarter-finals but did pull the first-ever 540 for the quarter-pipe (see the video below).

The next stop in the X-Fighters tour will be in Germany on August 16.  For more about the event, check out the official X-Fighters website.

Final Results: Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid – July 18, 2008
1. Mat Rebeaud
2. Andre Villa
3. Robbie Maddison
4. Jeremy Lusk
5. Dany Torres
6. Thomas Pages
7. Charles Pages
8. Petr Pilat
9. Buster Wolter
10. Nick de Wit
11. Ronnie Renner
12. Fredrik Johansson

Blake Williams – cr. AST

Aussie Blake “Bilko” Williams took first place Sunday at the Panasonic Open in Baltimore, edging defending champ Nate Adams in a trick-stuffed final, scoring 90.33 to 89.33. Mathieu Rebeaud rounded out the top three close behind with an 89.00.

Bilko’s two runs were actually both higher-scoring than Adams (90.33, 89.83), and with Adams having the final run, Bilko couldn’t take it easy. Bilko’s tricks included Superman backflips, a backflip cordova and a flat spin 360 heel clicker while Adams threw his signature La-Z-Boy backflip.

The influx of new talent like Thomas Pagès (4th) and Nixey Danielson (9th) seemed to have an impact on some of the returning favorites, with Mike Mason (10th) and Adam Jones (6th) both performing under expectations. Of course, both men, along with Adams, received a bye going into the contest so this was their first look at the course outside of practice.

The success of Bilko is not really that surprising given he gave Adams a run for his money at Baltimore last year before crashing at the end of a run. That crash knocked him out for the rest of the season but before that, he was considered the rider to watch in ’07. Even with the crash, Bilko finished second in Baltimore and it was only a matter of time before he would prove himself ready.

For Adams, who went four of five in AST Dew Tour events last year, the pressure is on the three-peat as Dew Cup Champ. With the AST cutting the number of FMX events this season to just three, every win counts more than ever and fans will have to wait until September in Salt Lake City before the next competition (though Best Trick contests will be held in Cleveland and Portland).

Check out some video of the FMX finals below…

2008 Panasonic Open
FMX Finals
June 22, 2008 / Baltimore, MD

1st – Williams, Blake – 90.33
2nd – Adams, Nate – 89.33
3rd – Rebeaud, Mathieu – 89.00
4th – Pagès, Thomas – 86.83
5th – McNeil, Jim – 86.67
6th – Jones, Adam – 85.77
7th – Lusk, Jeremy – 84.67
8th – Maddison, Robbie – 83.73
9th – Danielson, Nixey – 83.50
10th – Mason, Mike – 82.97

The prelims were run later in the evening, helping make sure wind would be less of an issue. Still, some familiar faces missed the cut including Metal Mulisha riders Takayuki Higashino, Ronnie Faisst, Todd Potter and Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg. The Mulisha will still be represented by Maddison and Jeremy Lusk, who placed fourth in the prelims.

The FMX finals will take place on Sunday from 1-3 p.m. ET and will air on NBC.

Here’s the lineup for Sunday’s final (in order)

10. Thomas Pagès
9. Jim McNeil
8. Nixy Danielson
7. Jeremy Lusk
6. Blake Williams
5. Mathieu Rebeaud
4. Robbie Maddison
3. Mike Mason
2. Adam Jones
1. Nate Adams

FMX Prelim Results
June 19, 2008 – Top Seven Advance

1st — Maddison, Robbie — 88.67
2nd — Rebeaud, Mathieu — 88.33
3rd — Williams, Blake — 86.33
4th — Lusk, Jeremy — 85.5
5th — Danielson, Nixey — 86.37
6th — McNeil, Jim — 86.17
7th — Pagès, Thomas — 82.67
—————————————
8th — Bamburg, Beau — 80.67
9th — Fullmer, Wiley — 80
10th — Pages, Charles — 79.7
11th — Garland, Derek — 78.67
12th — Fehr, Jeff — 79.93
13th — Faisst, Ronnie — 76.83
14th — Higashino, Takayuki — 76.67
15th — Richmond, Myles — 76.67
16th — Potter, Todd — 69.33
17th — Stenberg, Jeremy — —

Mat Rebeaud continued his winning ways on the Red Bull X-Fighters tour, winning the Saturday night contest in Fort Worth, Texas. Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg looked strong as he took second followed by Jeremy Lusk in third.

While the field was strong, Spain’s Dany Torres was forced to miss the contest after injuring himself during practice on Friday. Also, Aussie Robbie Maddison suffered a big crash during Saturday’s action but was not injured and still managed to finish fourth.

France’s Thomas Pages took fifth place, followed by Japanese rider Taka Higashino.

Rebeaud leads the overal tour rankings with 280 points, followed by Twitch and Maddison. The next tour stop is in Germany on July 4.

Both photos: Mat Rebeaud cr. Rich Van Every | Red Bull Photo Files

MORE COWBELL: MAT REBEAUD RIDES TO RODEO-STYLE WIN
AT RED BULL X-FIGHTERS TEXAS IN FRONT OF MORE THAN 40,000 FANS

Fort Worth, Tex. (June 15, 2008) – Swiss superstar Mat Rebeaud flew to victory at Red Bull X-Fighters Texas on Saturday night. Twelve of the world’s best freestyle motocross riders turned the historic Stockyards district into their own personal playground, and the action was as hot as Texas baked beans. The combination of freestyle motocross and rodeo was witnessed by more than 20,000 fans, plus an additional 20,000-plus people outside of the venue, turning the area into a standstill, marking the first-ever Red Bull X-Fighters in America. The event featured rodeo queens, cowboys, and a rodeo chute, where the riders blasted out of to start their runs. Rounding out the top-three finishers were Americans Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg and Jeremy Lusk, who claimed second and third place respectively.

Rebeaud, who won the season opener in Mexico City, could barely believe his victory. “This is my first win in America,” he said. “I gave it everything on my last jump and if anything had gone wrong, I would have paid heavily.”

The Swiss star knew he had to go big and pulled a Backflip Superman Indie over the 20-foot-high quarterpipe on his last run of the evening. “That was absolutely decisive for the win. I was under massive pressure, but the feeling of relief now is indescribable,” said Rebeaud.

After being forced to concede defeat in the final, Stenberg paid respect to his Swiss colleague. “I am disappointed because I made a mistake, but I have to congratulate Mat,” Stenberg said. “He risked everything and deserved to win. The motto ‘Everything’s bigger in Texas’ was omnipresent here and this hard course has left its marks on all the riders.”

The riders competed on a Texas-sized course created by esteemed designer Dane Herron, which featured 13,000 cubic yards of dirt sculpted onto a 300-foot by 400-foot pad of land. Among the features were seven competition ramps with gaps ranging from 75-feet to 120-feet, two custom metal quarterpipes and several multi-directional dirt hits for the riders to choose from in their 90-second runs. The centerpiece of the course was the dirt quarterpipe, where the riders went for big air.

Robbie Maddison of Australia had to learn the dangers of extreme rodeo riding the hard way in his semifinal against Stenberg. The Australian star fell heavily during his second run. “I landed hard after pulling a Backflip Cordova and my kneecap popped out,” said Maddo. “I couldn’t bend the joint anymore so I was forced to quit the competition straight away.

On the way back to the riders’ camp it popped back in on its own. Now I’m really going to go for it at the next Red Bull X-Fighters event.”

Freestyle legend and multi-time Red Bull X-Fighters winner Travis Pastrana made a grand entrance in his rally car, much to the delight of the crowd.

Pastrana is focusing on his burgeoning rally career this year and served as the event’s grand marshal.

Following the event in Texas, Rebeaud now leads the riders’ overall series classification with 280 points, followed by Stenberg (235) and Maddison (165). This was the third of five global Red Bull X-Fighters competitions in 2008. The series began in 2001, and this year, in addition to Ft.

Worth, has visited Mexico City and Rio, with stops in Germany and Spain to follow.

Final Result – Red Bull X-Fighters Texas
1. Mat Rebeaud (SUI)
2. Jeremy Stenberg (USA)
3. Jeremy Lusk (USA)
4. Robbie Maddison (AUS)
5. Thomas Pages (FRA)
6. Taka Higashino (JAP))
7. Andre Villa (NOR)
8. Myles Richmond (USA))
9. Chuck Carothers (USA)
10. Charles Pages (FRA))
11. Ronnie Renner (USA))
12. Todd Potter (USA)

Red Bull X-Fighters Texas will be aired on ABC next Sunday, June 22 at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT, immediately following the IndyCar Series race.

After winning, Rebeaud said, “I’m over the moon!” said Rebeaud. Yep, I guess people talk like that.

The next X-Fighters event takes place in Brazil on May 3.

The men’s podium – cr. Flo Hagen/Red Bull