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 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

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.

Dany Torres cr. Flo Hagen / Red Bull Photo Files

We got this update from our friends at Red Bull.  Spanish rider Dany Torres, who was third in the overall rankings after two stops in the five-stop tour, will miss the USA stop in Texas today after suffering an injury.  As for what happened, well…  you know what we know.

Dany Torres injured, out of Red Bull X-Fighters Texas

Spanish rider Dany Torres crashed while practicing for Red Bull X-Fighters Texas this morning during practice. He was taken to a local hospital for ankle and wrist injuries, treated and released. However, he will not compete in the Red Bull X-Fighters Texas event tomorrow night.

For more event information, please visit www.redbullxfighters.com.

Watch Red Bull X-Fighters. On American soil for the first time, June 14th.:
Event broadcast on ABC, Sunday, June 22 at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT

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

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