Red Bull X-Fighters: 5 Things You Need To Know

Created back in 2001, the Red Bull X-Fighters concept has grown to become the biggest and most respected Freestyle Motocross tour on the planet, featuring the world’s best riders throwing down mad tricks in stunning locations across the globe. The action moves to Pretoria this weekend, and here’s five things you need to know before witnessing the madness.

Also, remember to get your tickets for this weekend.

A truly global affair

All the events since the inception of the X-Fighters back in 2011 have so far taken place in 21 locations around the globe. Bullfighting arenas in Madrid, Valencia and Mexico City, a gigantic pit track in California, and a floating track built on the Olympic Lake in Munich have all featured! The tour has also visited 16 countries across six continents to make it a truly international affair.

All eyes on the action

In 2014, a capacity crowd of 22,000 thrilled to Red Bull X-Fighters South Africa, and this year’s spectators will have even more to cheer about with an incredible line-up of riders and even bigger and unseen tricks as the bar continues to raise each year.

Everything on the line

The competition is so tight that none of the four riders within reach of the World Tour championship can clinch it in Pretoria, and a minor mistake could put them out of the running. Having won the first two stops in 2015, Australia’s Clinton Moore tops the standings; but a third-place finish at Madrid has left him only a few points ahead of 2013 World Tour champion Tom Pagès of France, whose jaw-dropping runs in the Spanish capital earned him a historic hat trick of three consecutive wins at the Las Ventas bullring. Rounding out this fantastic trio of freestyle motocross is France’s David Rinaldo, whose career-best 2015 season has also put him in championship contention.

More African representation revs in

One of the key contenders for the title, New Zealand’s Levi Sherwood, was sadly forced to pull out of the Red Bull X-Fighters stop in Pretoria due to an ankle injury. It’s unfortunate, but Alastair Sayer of Botswana will be stepping in to bring the heat to the other competitors. His bag of tricks includes all the old school tricks and combos that many people have already forgotten. Although Sayer still includes some of the lastest Flip combos, it is his tweaked extensions that make his style very unique on the scene. He also holds the Highest-Air World Record. Not bad at all. Sayer will join South African freestyle motocross champion Nick “Sick Nick” de Wit in representing the African nations.

Be a part of the action, anywhere

If you’re in the area, you need to get your hand on some tickets and get down to the Union Buildings on Saturday, 12 September. But even if you can’t (for some lame reason), know that Red Bull X-Fighters will be broadcast on SuperSport from 14:00 on Saturday on SS6. The entire competition will also be streamed LIVE on redbullxfighters.com and Red Bull TV will broadcast from the Quarter Finals on. Red Bull TV is available on connected TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and more. For a full list of supported devices visit about.redbull.tv.

Remember, if you want to see some of the world’s best riders and most insane tricks, you need to get your tickets for the upcoming X-Fighters event in Pretoria. You can buy tickets via the official Computicket webstie here.

More on X-Fighters:

5 Incredible Riders You Need To See At Red Bull X-Fighters In SA

5 Biggest Tricks From Red Bull X-Fighters