Luc Ackermann
F
irst of all, how does
it feel to be the first rider
at NIGHT of the JUMPs
history landing a double
backflip in competition?
Yeah, it feels great to be the
first. It’s my goal to progress
in the sport and just try my
best to give everything. For
sure, I want to do some more.
How much does this change the game at
NIGHT of the JUMPs? Does this give you
a big advantage now? Are the other guys
scrambling to learn it for themselves?
I don’t really think it’s a big step in front of the
other guys - because everyone rides really, really
well, and the level of the tricks is really high.
To be the first one who did it is certainly special.
But I think some of the other guys have already
been sending them in the foam pit – from what
I’ve heard. I think some of the others will bring
it sooner or later at the NIGHT of the JUMPs as
well. Yeah, it’s gonna be the next step here.
Do you feel pressure now because
everybody’s expecting you to do the double
backflip at every stop?
I don’t really feel pressure because for me, while
it’s not an easy trick, I feel really comfortable
doing the double backflip. I have a lot of fun
doing it and so I don’t really feel pressure for it.
You were the youngest rider to land a
backflip at the age of 12 – and now you’re the
youngest to land a double. How did you get
into FMX? When did you start planning for the
double?
I started very young riding motorcycles, when
I was three and a half I started riding. After a
couple of years, I started to do backflips on the
BMX, then on the mountain bike. When I was
nine I did my first backflip on a pit bike in the
foam pit, and after a while I just decided to go
for a flip on the 85cc, on the big gap, so that was
when I was 12.
Everything went really fast - and the progression
of the sport was going really fast - and after a
while, I really wanted to do a double backflip. It
was a dream to do it for me. When I turned 19
- so last year - I started doing double backflips
into the foam pit and it felt really good to do
them. I wanted to be the youngest person again.
So, I did it last year and I landed it perfectly - it
was a big goal for me. u
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