p. Lukas Nazdraczew
Words: Adam Simpson
Pictures: DVS
31
st
OF MAY WAS a very
significant date in
the world freestyle
motocross calendar
this year, as it marked the first
ever FIM Freestyle of Nations,
held at the Veltins-Arena in
Gelsenkirchen, Germany. 24,000
overexcited action sports fans
turned out to watch the world’s
best freestyle motocross riders
represent their home countries
in what turned out to be an
epic contest for the world title.
Eight national teams from four
continents competed for points
in the six disciplines of Freestyle,
Highest Air, Best Whip, Best
Trick, Synchro and Race &
Style that would determine the
overall winner of the Rockwell
FIM Freestyle of Nations. All the
riders knew that bragging rights
would be at an all-time high after
this event, and in the end it was
team Spain who prevailed by
a comfortable margin over the
second-placed Czech Republic.
The night before had already seen
a play-off between Russia and
Brazil for the last available place
in the line-up. It was the South
Americans who went through to
join the United States, Australia,
Spain, France, Italy, the Czech
Republic and Germany in the
final.
There were preliminary heats in
the Synchro and Highest Air
events to determine the four
teams that would go through to
the final in each discipline. The
Synchro would subsequently be
fought out between Spain, USA,
Germany and the Czech Republic,
while the Highest Air pitted Italy,
the Czech Republic, Spain and
the USA against each other. None
of the other teams made the
grade - therefore putting them out
of the running.
After USA’s Matt Buyten crashed
out at 9.30 metres, the showdown
in the Maxxis Highest Air was
an exclusively European affair
between Libor Podmol and
Massimo Bianconcini. u