Levi Sherwood
Interviewee
22/10/1991 // New Zealand
KTM SX 250
Interviewer
Martin Zöllner
06/07/17
Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas; Calle de
Alcalá, 237, 28028 Madrid, Spain
Madrid then, good to be back?
It’s always exciting to be back here
in Madrid. It’s obviously the biggest
X-Fighters comp there is. It’s been
here for so long, so it’s something we
all work towards winning. It’s good to
be back and I’m just ready to go out
there and give it my best.
What do you think of the setup
this year? The cheater ramp’s a
change…
Yeah I guess I have my opinions on
the cheater ramp. I think the cheater
ramp got its name for a reason. It’s a
mechanical ramp doing the trick for
you. I think it’s got no place in our
sport, especially at a competition. I
actually had a good laugh last week
at Nitro World Games now having
mechanical problems with the
mechanical ramp - it’s a joke, right?
It is what it is but it seems to be
catching on. I hope it doesn’t, so
I’m just going to continue to push in
my direction and hopefully take it to
a point where people see you don’t
need ramps to be able to do that
stuff. And obviously Jacko’s already
proved to us you don’t need a front
flip ramp at all ’cause he can go out
there and land them all day long.
Watching practice, it’s clear you’ve
put a lot of time into the Double
Backflip, how important was
that progression? Is the Double
essential to keep up?
For sure, I think I need a Double Flip
to win with my riding. I’ve gotten so
far with style and execution in my
runs. But it just can’t keep up the
way the sport is. I’m just starting to
enjoy riding at a new level and kind of
pushing my boundaries a bit. I like to
go to an event, and not have to stress
about the track. I make sure I put the
work in beforehand, and that’s kind
of how I can go out there and do it in
practise now.
For a long time they said it is the
most dangerous trick out there.
How long did it take to get dialled
in?
Yeah, I still think it’s the most
dangerous trick. You’re spinning
so quick and you’re going so high.
There’s just so much energy that if it
went wrong... I don’t think it would
end well. It’s something I don’t think
about. Like I said, I just put the work
in so I feel comfortable doing it.
I guess it’s been the last three months
that I really worked on it. Last year I
had the idea I wanted to do it for X
Games best trick. And I’d probably
done about a dozen in the foam pit.
Last three months I’ve just been
doing them every day and just trying
to get to the point where they feel
normal.
Is X Games part of your
consideration planning your run
here?
If they hold the competition, and the
course is safe and dry, I just want to