In the Skateboard Street, Greg Lutzka defended his gold from last year with a score of 92.07 while recent Dew Tour winner Chaz Ortiz came in second.  Tyler Hendley took third.

In the Moto X Best Trick contest Jeremy Lush won first with Adam Jones and Todd Potter following.  Ronnie Renner scored the gold in Moto X Step Up.

Keep reading for the full breakdown of action from Saturday.

Americans Sweep Day One in Skateboard Street, Moto X Best Trick and Moto X Step Up in Day One at X Games Mexico
Palacio de los Deportes and Sold-Out Skateboard Street Venue Filled with Roaring Crowd

Mexico City, Mexico – The first day of competition at X Games Mexico kicked off in Mexico City today as an enthusiastic crowd of 10,730 greeted the world-class group of international athletes. Fans celebrated the second year of the event as they watched final competitions in Skateboard Street, Moto X Best Trick and Moto X Step Up at the Palacio de los Deportes.

“We are very pleased to bring X Games Mexico back to our city for a second consecutive year,” said Gerardo Casanova, managing director, ESPN Mexico. “The success of today’s events is proof of the ever-growing action sports fan-base in the city and I am looking forward to even more energy and excitement tomorrow.”

Skateboard Street Final
A sold out venue drew crowds of enthusiastic, cheering fans who filled the stands as skate competitors dazzled with spins, kickflips and gravity-defying tricks. The international lineup included athletes from Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and the US. However, it was the Americans that swept the podium in the competition. Greg Lutzka defended his 2007 X Games Mexico gold medal by stomping tricks on virtually every course feature. His front side 270 noseblunt was what wowed the judges and earned him a winning score of 92.07.

“It’s really good to be back here in Mexico. I couldn’t believe how many people were out there cheering us on,” said Lutzka. “All these guys killed it, but Chaz Ortiz is the new kid to check out – you’ll be seeing more of him. Everyone treats us so well around the world at these different competitions and it’s just a pleasure to be here. I’m psyched.”

Silver medal went to 14-year-old Ortiz who showcased his smooth and aggressive style in an impressive run that included an ollie big spin over bump-to-bump and kickflip back lip over handrail.

“It’s my first time in Mexico City and my first X Games ever, so I couldn’t ask for anything more. It is an honor for me to be here,” said Ortiz on his podium finish. He finished with a score of 91.60.

First-time X Games Mexico competitor Tyler Hendley earned the bronze medal with a score of 85.47.

Moto X Best Trick
The sea of spectators shifted their focus to the arena as X Games 14 Best Trick silver medalist Jeremy Lusk dominated the Best Trick field with a kiss of death back flip. In his second X Games Mexico appearance, Lusk responded to the crowd’s cheers and earned a score of 92.00.

“It feels really good to win. The fans here are pumped up and appreciate that we’re here. I watched my opponents in practice today and stuck with tricks I knew I could land,” said Lusk on what gave him the advantage in today’s competition.

Adam Jones took home the silver medal with his second jump, a dead body backflip that earned him a score of 90.67, but also stunned the crowd with his first jump, his signature Shaolin backflip.

Todd Potter rounded out the competition with the bronze medal and a score of 90.00.

Moto X Step Up
Ronnie Renner edged out his competitors in his X Games Mexico debut as he successfully launched himself 9.14 meters (29.99 feet) into the air and over the bar.

“I came here to take the gold and wasn’t leaving Mexico City without it. People here are amazing, and it’s an honor to come here and ride for the people. To hear them cheering is a real inspiration to win,” said Renner.

X Games Mexico will wrap up tomorrow with BMX Freestyle Street, Moto X Freestyle and Best Whip finals.

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

To you youngins today I ask you a question.  How would you feel if you had a chance to drive Speed Racer’s car at triple digit speeds?  Or for you old timers, how would you feel if you had the opportunity to drive around with Herby The Love Bug?  Pretty awesome huh?  Well for my generation, one lucky Moto X guy got the once if in lifetime offer to drive KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) at the Gumball 3000.

Ronnie Renner who regularly flaunts his skills on a bike was given the opportunity to drive a good portion of the race while David Hasselhoff took a break.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with KITT, check out the video below.  And don’t let the music fool you; it’s not Busta Rhymes.

Luckily Ronnie blogged his experience driving KITT around for EXPN.

Well, my little buddy Georgie Fetcher from Masters of Dirt in Austria called me and mentioned that he was putting together a car to drive the Gumball 3000 Rally and asked if I wanted to drive for a portion of it. Before I even found out I would be driving KITT from Knight Rider, I said yes. Then he mentioned that he was going to do it in one of the original Knight Rider cars, I told myself I HAD to do it. Unfortunately, I was only able to drive one day due to my crazy schedule, but let me tell you, I made the most of it!

The MOD crew allowed me to drive the 2nd days leg from LA to San Diego. I showed up in Hollywood the night before the big drive and coincidentally ran into the MOD/Fuel Girls crew just 200 feet from the 101 and Hollywood Blvd split, where KIT decided to take a siesta while they were driving him. I was treated to helping push the 1982 Trans Am almost 2.5 miles to the rendezvous point near all the tourist crap.

Read the rest of the post at EXPN.

Read more about the contest in the official press release and get the full list of results.

Against All Odds; Kevin Johnson Wins Moto X Speed & Style
Johnson Takes Gold at the Debut of Event

LOS ANGELES- The Moto X Speed & Style competition kicked off its debut in front of a packed crowd at The Home Depot Center. In a major twist of events it was the underdog Kevin Johnson who came out on the top of the field to beat out Ronnie Renner, earning the first-ever gold in the discipline.

“I’m blown away right now – I don’t even know what to say,” Johnson said as he accepted the gold.

Kevin has been a prominent Arenacross racer in the moto world, and claimed himself a long shot in the Speed & Style event. While favored to dominate the speed portion of the competition, Johnson had spent the past couple of months to also perfect his tricks for the style portion.

Renner, who went head-to-head with Johnson in the last bracket of the Speed & Style competition, gave Johnson a run for his money with back-to-back back flips but was unable to out perform Johnson’s extreme whip.

“He’s an unbelievable racer and it’s cool to see him step up the freestyle to balance it out in the Speed & Style,” Renner said of Johnson.

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

Name / Hometown  / Score

1. Kevin Johnson / Albuquerque, N.M. / 90.70
2. Ronnie Renner / Fallbrook, Calif. / 87.75
3. Jeremy Stenberg / Winchester, Calif. / 92.40
4. Mike Mason / Carson City, Nev. / 91.99
5. Edgar Torronteras / Barcelona, Spain / 90.70
6. Travis Pastrana / Annapolis, Md. / 88.95
7. Mat Rebeaud / Payerne, Switzerland / 43.80

cr. Garth Milan / Red Bull Photo Files

Well, the latest Red Bull Experiment went down Friday night at the Santa Monica Pier in California and when it was all said and done Ronnie Renner had set a new record for motorcycle quarterpipe “Highest Air.” I’d like to say it was as exciting as K-Rob’s big jump in Central Park last month or Robbie Maddison’s New Year’s Eve motorcycle jump but, well, it wasn’t. I wasn’t there in person to check it out, but watched it semi-live on Fox Sports Prime Ticket. The audience seemed to have a collective “was that it?” after Renner’s first jump, forcing the PA to go ballistic and threaten everyone that he and Renner would go over and kick everyone’s ass unless they woke up (it worked, sort of).

To be honest, I fast-forwarded through it on my Tivo (it’s still on there) but I don’t think I saw the eventual record-setting jump of 59 feet, 2 inches. Renner was only scheduled to do five runs and apparently the sixth was a surprise. Ah well.

You gotta hand it to Red Bull for putting on a great event most of the time, but maybe this time it missed the mark. Anyway, you can see the video for yourself below and see if it was good for you and the official, much more exciting, press release follows.  Also,  feel free to visit the Red Bull Experiment website for more…

Robbie Maddison, Ronnie Renner & Kevin Robinson – cr. Garth Milan/ Red Bull Photo Files

NO “PIER”
RONNIE RENNER SETS MOTORCYCLE QUARTERPIPE “HIGHEST AIR” WORLD RECORD AT RED BULL EXPERIMENT IN SANTA MONICA

Jump of 59 feet 2 inches caps Red Bull Experiment’s Record-Setting Evening on Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica, Calif. (July 11, 2008) – Motocross superstar Ronnie Renner established a new Guinness World Record – highest air ever on a motorcycle quarterpipe – on the world famous Santa Monica Pier, jumping his motorcycle 59 feet 2 inches into the night sky in the third edition of the Red Bull Experiment. More than 20,000 spectators gathered on the pier and the beach below to witness the history-making spectacle. Pushing limits and breaking boundaries is at the core of the Red Bull Experiment, which showcases the world’s best athletes performing world-first, “experimental” sporting feats.

“Everything was absolutely perfect tonight,” said Renner. “I’m totally blown away that I went over 59 feet. Hopefully my Red Bull Experiment was the baddest one ever; it’s a great series and I’m glad I’m a part of it. I just really can’t believe so many fans came out to support me.”,

During Renner’s history-making evening, he planned five jumps, but after reaching a plateau of 54 feet 7 inches on his third attempt (of five), he was not satisfied and surprised the crowd with a sixth and final attempt, where he soared a mind-boggling 59 feet 2 inches, which will be submitted to Guinness for certification.

The progression of Renner’s jumps is as follows:
Jump 1) 45 feet 9 inches
Jump 2) 50 feet 6 inches
Jump 3) 54 feet 7 inches
Jump 4) 52 feet 9 inches
Jump 5) 53 feet 2 inches
Jump 6) 59 feet 2 inches (submitted to Guinness Book of World Records)

“I went way past my goal of 50 feet,” he said. “I only planned five jumps, but the last one was for the fans. It was all or nothing. I went higher than I expected and felt like a human lawn dart, but I’m glad I made it five feet higher and rode away to talk about it.”

The custom quarterpipe and landing ramp used by Renner were designed and built specifically for Renner’s Red Bull Experiment. The ramp was modeled on the traditional dirt-based quarterpipe design, and built to specifications calculated from a dirt test site. Fabricated from galvanized steel and plywood, the next generation modular system allows maximum versatility of transport and set-up. Designed and built by Jack Murphy Productions from a Dane Herron Industries concept, the quarterpipe landing ramp measures 64 feet wide and 25 feet tall. The ramp is the first of its kind and took approximately 24 hours to set up on the pier.

Renner’s jump was the third chapter of the Red Bull Experiment, following the record-shattering performances of fellow motocross sensation Robbie Maddison and BMX star Kevin Robinson. Maddison jumped the length of a football field in front of thousands on New Year’s Eve, clearing 322 feet at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. On June 12, Robinson soared 54 feet above the ground in New York’s Central Park to set the BMX big air world record.

Renner is a respected freestyle motocross veteran, whose credentials include a gold medal in Step-Up at the 2007 Summer X Games and until recently, the Step-Up world record (35 feet high). Step-Up is similar to a high jump, with riders attempting to jump their motorcycles over bars at ever-increasing heights.

In addition to Renner’s record-setting jumps, the evening featured aerial acrobatics by the Red Bull stunt helicopter, from which the Red Bull Air Force team skydived, and the Red Bull MiG fighter jet, as well as musical acts by Carolina Liar and hip hop artist, Wale. The Red Bull Experiment was telecast live on Fox Sports Prime Ticket and was live on EXPN.com.

For more information on the Red Bull Experiment, please visit www.redbullexperiment.com.

For more information on the Santa Monica Pier, please visit www.santamonicapier.org.

First off, the Maloof Money Cup kicks off today and carries on through Sunday with more skateboarding than you can shake a stick at.  There’s street with pros and AMs, there’s Vert, there’s women, there’s even a Game of SKATE.  I’m watching all the practice right now via the live webcast at Skateboard.com (check it out) and it looks good.

The local SoCal press has been going crazy with the Maloof bros (check out this and this) but wait until Sunday when the finals take place…  The LA Times story does talk a lot about the MMC in comparison with the AST Dew Tour and X Games, so it’s worth a read.

 Another big event is the Red Bull Experiment — you know, that series of record–breaking events that has included Robbie Maddison’s one-time world record (been broken since) and Kevin Robinson’s Central Park record last month?  Now it’s Ronnie Renner’s turn to do his best to set a new vertical height record on a motorcycle tonight in Santa Monica.  That, too, will be webcast via ESPN (starting at 8 p.m. PT).  The jump should take place between 8:00-8:30.

There’s also good info about prepping for the jump at EXPN — on the blog you can also find out about Ryan Capes having to give up on his latest attempt to best the world record of distance jumping…

More about the Red Bull Experiment here…

We’ll tell you what happens for both, but do yourself a favorite and watch them yourself!

cr. Christian Pondella / Red Bull Photo Files

A few scant weeks after Kevin Robinson set the world record for highest air on a BMX bike in Central Park, Ronnie Renner will try and do the same on the other coast — but this time on a motorcycle. Renner will use the Santa Monica Pier as a backdrop while he tries to set the record for the Guinness World Record for highest air ever attained on a motorcycle. It’s all part of the Red Bull Experiment, which already saw Robinson and Robbie Maddison set new records.

It’s open to the public so if you live in SoCal, head on down and check it out.

Read on for the full press release.

PIER PRESSURE: MOTOCROSS STAR RONNIE RENNER TO SET HIGHEST AIR WORLD RECORD AT LATEST RED BULL EXPERIMENT ON FRIDAY, JULY 11, IN SANTA MONICA

Santa Monica, Calif. – Just a week after celebrating our nation’s independence, sparks will again fly, as the latest Red Bull Experiment takes place on the world-famous Santa Monica Pier on Friday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m. Freestyle motocross superstar Ronnie Renner will attempt to establish the Guinness World Record for highest air ever attained on a motorcycle. Breaking boundaries is at the core of the Red Bull Experiment, which showcases the world’s best athletes performing world-first, “experimental” sporting feats.

Renner is a respected freestyle motocross veteran, whose credentials include a gold medal in Step-Up at the 2007 Summer X Games and until recently, the Step-Up world record (35 feet high). He will attempt the sky-high jumps onto a massive custom-built galvanized steel quarterpipe measuring 64 feet wide and 25 feet tall.

While this Red Bull Experiment may surprise some enthusiasts who’ve known the accomplished rider to be more focused on style, highlighted by huge whips, rather than risk-taking, Renner assures everyone that he’s ready to soar into freestyle fame. “My whole career has been shaping up to do something unique like this,” he said. “I feel like the sport needs it. I don’t want to just be a trick guy. This is where my heart is at.”

‘SCUSE ME WHILE I KISS THE SKY

Renner’s jump will be the third chapter of the Red Bull Experiment, following the record-shattering performances of fellow motocross sensation Robbie Maddison and BMX star Kevin Robinson. Maddison jumped the length of a football field in front of thousands on New Year’s Eve, clearing 322 feet at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. On June 12, Robinson soared 27 feet above the lip of a huge quarterpipe (54 feet above the ground) in New York’s Central Park to set the BMX big air world record.

Renner is set to join this elite group amidst a backdrop of the iconic, and newly renovated, Pacific Park Ferris Wheel at the Santa Monica Pier on the Southern California coast. “Los Angeles – Santa Monica specifically – is the perfect location,” he remarked. “It’s the biggest stage for the biggest air.”

Currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of its construction, the Santa Monica Pier has become a national tourist destination and its carousel was named a National Historic Landmark in 1983. The end of famed Route 66 hosts millions of visitors every year on its wooden planks.

NO SUNSCREEN REQUIRED

The Red Bull Experiment is free and open to the public. The event, which will include musical acts (to be announced shortly), in addition to Renner’s world record attempts, will take place from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Parking near the pier is limited – it is recommended to walk, bike or take the Big Blue Bus. The pier is wheelchair accessible.