£ Luke’s Surfertake-off Tsunami
Flips are insane
£ Hannes throws
his first Volt
on them, which meant the containers
and more importantly, the contents
inside, could not be released. Only
after completely disinfecting the entire
container could the trac k crew unload
the containers later that night, just
hours before training was scheduled
to start the following morning. With
the two mechanics behind the 8-ball
following the delays, the riders had to
get stuck in and help build the bikes
themselves to get them ready in time
for practice. For the two German
riders Luc and Hannes, it wasn’t a big
problem. From an early age these two
have been in close contact with their
bikes and have plenty of hands-on
experience when it comes to wrenchwork.
Although China is a location the
Ackermann brothers had been to
before, it is always a stark contrast to
Germany, which had its first snow fall
days before they left for Shenzhen.
With 35 degree heat and high humidity
levels, mixed with the intense smog of
the working day, it can feel like another
world compared to home. The food is
also totally different to western cuisine,
and is always a new experience for
the younger riders. The youngest rider
Luc tried a Popsicle from a Korean
barbecue restaurant, which was made
from peas. Not exactly the dessert you
would expect and the dish definitely
left a unique taste for the youngster.
When it came to competition time,
Hannes really stepped up his game
in China. He had some big new
tricks he had been working on back
in Germany that he wanted to throw
for the first time in Shenzhen. One of
which was his new, high-consequence
body varial, the Volt. This trick, or
variations of it, has almost become a
staple part of a podium FMX run over
the last few years, making it a solid
addition to Hannes’ trick bag! Hannes
had been training for months on this
trick, but he still hadn’t landed it to dirt
before China. Of course this meant his
anxiety and stress levels associated
with wanting to stomp the trick were
already pretty high, and that’s before
you factor in the risk of getting injured
in a foreign land, as far away from
home as China.
With his new Volt, Hannes was able to
qualify in 3rd place on the first night
of competition, ready to battle it out
in the top six final. In his final run,
Hannes managed to stomp the Volt
for a second time. Coupled with his
huge Hart Attack Flip and an all-round
smooth and stylish run, the KTM rider
was able to defend his 3rd place
qualifying position and stood on the
podium of an FIM Freestyle MX World
Championship round for the first time
in his career. Only the French 2013 FIM
Freestyle MX World Champion David
Rinaldo, and the Czech rider Libor
Podmol (2010 FIM Freestyle MX World
Champion) were better on the day.
A noteworthy mention must go to
the mental power displayed by David
Rinaldo on this day. The current world