H
I LIBOR, EVERYBODY KNOWS your name
after you won the X Games gold medal
in Munich..but tell us your story for those
who don’t know you.
My story with motocross bikes started when I was 10,
when I saw one under the Christmas tree. When I was
12 I started to race motocross a little bit. Until 19 I
was racing at the top of the Czech Mx Championship,
but it simply was not enough for me just having a few
sponsors. To continue to grow my career, I needed
more money.
In 1999 I went to Gladiator Games, with my friend
Martin Koren, and we did some small tricks. It’s funny,
after this event we said “It could be cool to do more
FMX in the future”.
At this point in my life I met Petr Kuchar, who invited
me to check out his ramps and he showed me what
was possible to do with a motorbike and an FMX ramp.
I started practicing with him, he taught me everything,
and soon enough I went along with him to ride some
small shows and demos around the Czech Republic.
In 1999 Petr went out to the USA to learn how to build
the ramps, learn new tricks and dedicate himself to
FMX. In 2002 he learned the Backflip, so here in the
Czech Republic and all over Europe he was a hero.
Step by step, and after many years I won the FIM
World Freestyle Motocross Championship and then last
year I took the gold medal at the X Games Step-Up in
Munich.
Do you have any funny stories that you would like
to tell us about the beginning of your FMX career?
Yeah, in my room there was a big poster with a guy
doing a Hart Attack and I remember saying to myself
“One day I’ll do that on my bike!” and two months
after I started to practice FMX I learned Hart Attacks
- I was so happy. Then, I remember when I saw my
first Backflip and I said to myself “I won’t do this
crazy trick..ever!” But when I landed my first Backflip I
instantly wanted to learn flip combos! hahaa
You are one of the first European riders to push
hard in Step-Up..when and why did you start to
practice this discipline?
I don’t remember exactly when I started to push myself
on the Step-Up event. I think during the FIM Freestyle
Motocross World Championship, at Night Of the
Jumps, the opportunity arose where I realised it was
possible for me to take home an extra 500€..hahaah..it
was fun for me to compete with my friends outside the
serious FMX competitions and without the pressure.
When I won my first Step-Up at Night Of the Jumps, I
also won the freestyle competition on the same night,
so I decided it might be good to keep doing it.
At the beginning, the level of Step-Up was much easier
than it is now. I think the Step-Up is a total “mind
game” because if you focus hard and really want it, you
can figure it out and do well. u
80 | FreestyleXtreme