NOn Saturday, 12 of the best freestyle motocross riders in the world will take over the heart of the Brazilian capital Brasilia. Among them, and this is a first: one Belgian, namely Gilles Dejong! In front of 60.000 fans and a jury of experts, Gilles and his colleagues will once again perform the most insane tricks.
For the second time in the history of the Red Bull X-fighters World Series, the engines are roaring in Brazil. In 2008, Jeremy Stenberg (USA) jumped spectacularly to victory in Rio De Janeiro. Robbie Maddison: “The Sambadrome was bursting at the seams and the atmosphere was truly breathtaking. I'm confident the reception in the capital will be just as crazy this year. We already have a lot of new tricks ready!”
For the very first time in the history of the X-fighters, a Belgian rider will also be at the start of a Red Bull X-Fighters round tomorrow. Brussels resident Gilles 'Baton' Dejong replaces world champion RBFX Lidor Podmol (CZE) in Brasilia, who dropped out with a broken rib. The young Brussels resident is part of the Jimmy Verburgh FMX4ever team and is one of the most talented freestyle crossers in Belgium. Dejong was selected by the organization because they were impressed by his performances in Dubai and Peru and the various FMX4ever jams in which he participated. The large stadium in Brasilia and the many high dirt jumps of this round are perfect for him. “I'm completely ready for it,” says an impatient and enthusiastic Dejong, who is now officially part of a select group of world top players.
There are a total of six FMX events, spread over four continents. After Dubai, the entire caravan moves to South America. In the Brazilian capital Brasilia, the Red Bull X-fighters dive from the “Esplanada dos Ministérios” for the first time (May 28). The stadium events will take place in Rome (June 24), Madrid (July 15), and the new European Championship stadium in Warsaw (August 6). For the final match, the X-Fighters will travel 'down under' to the Australian continent, where they will fly through the southern hemisphere of trendy Sydney (September 17).
Participants Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2011, Brasilia:
Nate Adams (US), André Villa (Norway), Levi Sherwood (New Zealand), Dany Torres (Spain), Robbie Maddison (Australia), Adam Jones (US) and Gilles Dejong (Belgium)
Photo credit: Red Bull
