Saturday – David Rinaldo wins NIGHT of the JUMPs to wrap up FMX European title
Saturday – David Rinaldo wins NIGHT of the JUMPs to wrap up FMX European title
Hamburg, 25th May 2013: The second half of a NIGHT of the JUMPs double bill in Hamburg also constituted the final round of this year’s Freestyle MX European Championship. Ten FMX riders from six different countries locked horns at o2 World in a battle for the European title. Nick Franklin from New Zealand stepped in as a last-minute replacement for the injured Chris Brock. Riding a borrowed bike, he finished the evening’s contest in tenth place.
Local heroes Kai Haase and Hannes Ackermann put on a better show than the day before, with the latter once again showing off his Cliffhanger Flip, but neither of them was able to progress further up the standings. Haase came ninth while at one point it looked as if Ackermann’s run might just see him through to the final, but he ultimately missed out again in eighth. Maikel Melero seemed not to have released the handbrake on his run, so he likewise went out in the preliminary round.
Brody Wilson from the USA improved on Friday’s performance, actually qualifying this time in fifth, to join five finalists from the previous day: Podmol, Rinaldo, Izzo, Miralles and Red Bull rider Torres. The judges were not willing to rate Torres any higher than third on the basis that his qualifying run of Paris Hilton Backflip, Lazyflip, Tsunami Flip, Oxecutioner Flip, Cliffhanger Flip and Doublegrab Flip included “too many rotations” under the new rules.
Brody Wilson. photo: Oliver Franke / Marko Manthey / NOTJ.de
Brody Wilson once again picked up the trophy in the Rockwell Time Whip contest, while Jose Miralles prevailed over X Games medal-winner Libor Podmol in a breathtaking Maxxis Highest Air contest, clearing the bar at 8.7 metres.
The final showdown on this occasion also doubled as the deciding match in the FMX European Championship. It was mathematically possible for either Libor Podmol or Brice Izzo to claim the crown if they could beat Rinaldo on the night by a margin of five places. Both mustered every single trick in their extensive repertoires. However, Rinaldo hit back with a great run culminating in a Doublegrab Backflip, which was not only adjudged the winning performance on the night but also secured him the 2013 European title.
David Rinaldo. photo: Oliver Franke / Marko Manthey / NOTJ.de
Brody Wilson came good with a strong final run to finish as Saturday’s runner-up, despite the fact that a streaker forced an interruption to proceedings after his fifth jump. Brody didn’t let the incident affect his concentration and went on to complete his run after a short break. Friday’s overall winner Dany Torres made an error on his first jump (Hart Attack Flip over the Kicker) which more or less ruled him out of contention. Despite going on to perform some decent tricks for the 8,000 fans in the Hamburg arena, he had to settle for sixth place.
So when the Euro points were finally totted up, Podmol finished as runner-up to Rinaldo, with Brice Izzo in third. The best-placed of the German contingent was Hannes Ackermann in fifth.
NIGHT of the JUMPs resumes on the weekend of 21st/22nd June in Basel, with the Sankt Jakobshalle once again providing the venue for the Swiss Grand Prix of the FIM Freestyle MX World Championship.
FACTS
NIGHT of the JUMPs/Freestyle MX European Championships
Hamburg, 25th May 2013 – Round 5
Results NIGHT of the JUMPs – Final
1. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 397 Points
2. Brody Wilson USA AMA Honda 387 Points
3. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 372 Points
4. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 371 Points
5. Jose Miralles ESP RFME KTM 346 Points
6. Dany Torres ESP RFME KTM 228 Points
Results ROCKWELL Time Whip Contest
1. Brody Wilson USA AMA Honda
2. Dany Torres ESP RFME KTM
Maxxis Highest Air
1. Jose Miralles ESP 8,70 Meter
2. Kai Haase GER 8,50 Meter
3. Libor Podmol CZE 6,50 Meter
Freestyle MX European Championships
Ranking (after 5th contest)
1. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 90 Points
2. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 80 Points
3. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 78 Points
4. Jose Miralles ESP RFME KTM 60 Points
5. Hannes Ackermann GER DMSB KTM 51 Points
6. Dany Torres ESP RFMW KTM 50 Points
7. Maikel Melero ESP RFME KTM 29 Points
8. Brody Wilson USA AMA Honda 27 Points
9. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 24 Points
10. Kai Haase GER DMSB Suzuki 16 Points
11. Martin Koren CZE ACCR KTM 17 Points
12. Massimo Bianconcini ITA PZM KTM 17 Points
Friday – Dany Torres claims second NIGHT of the JUMPs win to keep championship open
Hamburg, 24th May 2013: On Friday, fans at o2 World in Hamburg were treated to a freestyle motocross spectacular as the international elite of riders contested the fourth and penultimate round of the 2013 FMX European Championship.
At the qualifying stage, the contestants had to adjust to an innovation in the rules, with only two backflips now being allowed in the preliminary heat and six tricks of a non-flip variety having to be included. This change seemed to suit David Rinaldo and Dany Torres best as they dished up a tasty menu of tricks and used their two backflips for perfect flip combos. The two of them emerged from the qualifying round as clear leaders. Libor Podmol slotted in behind them and was joined in the final by Maikel Melero. The Top Six was completed by Brice Izzo and Jose Miralles who also showed a lot of style and multiple combos in their non-flip selection.
The German duo of Hannes Ackermann and Kai Haase missed out this time, with eighth-placed Ackermann in particular struggling to come to terms with the new rules. The early elimination of American star Brody Wilson came as a big surprise but at the same time seemed to spur him on to great things in the Rockwell Best Whip contest which he won with a sequence of incredible whips.
In the Maxxis Highest Air, X-Games step-up medallist Libor Podmol jumped a colossal 8.3 metres but then had to share the prize money with Maikel Melero who matched his feat.
Libor Podmol. photo: Oliver Franke / Marko Manthey / NOTJ.de
There were no restrictions applying in the final, so the six FMX artistes unleashed their entire backflip repertoire. Maikel Melero executed a Seatgrab Flip but bailed out of the No-Hand Flip and another trick, which left him languishing in sixth place. A win on the night would have been enough to wrap up the title for David Rinaldo, but a bungled jump relegated him to fifth. Jose Miralles repeated his non-flip combos from the preliminary round but his flips did not quite rise to the occasion. Ultimately, he benefited from the mistakes of others and could count himself fortunate to finish as high as fourth.
Brice Izzo once again shone in accustomed style, performing a Tsunami Flip and assuring himself of a podium spot. He was then displaced from the hot seat by Libor Podmol who pulled out his new Switchblade Underflip combination. But it was not enough to win, because the night belonged to Dany Torres. The Spaniard executed a Paris Hilton Backflip, a Lazyflip, a Double Seatgrab Backflip and his Oxecutioner Flip to secure a second successive NIGHT of the JUMPs win (after Munich).
Brice Izzo. photo: Oliver Franke / Marko Manthey / NOTJ.de
David Rinaldo continues to lead the Freestyle MX European Championship standings by six points ahead of Podmol and Brice Izzo. The title chase is now down to these three contenders, and the winner will be crowned after the second event of this NIGHT of the JUMPS double bill in Hamburg on Saturday.
FACTS
NIGHT of the JUMPs/Freestyle MX European Championships
Hamburg, 24. Mai 2013 – Runde 4
Results NIGHT of the JUMPs – Final
1. Dany Torres ESP RFME KTM 370 points
2. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 354 points
3. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 345 points
4. Jose Miralles ESP RFME KTM 336 points
5. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 335 points
6. Maikel Melero ESP RFME KTM 322 points
Results ROCKWELL Time Whip Contest
1. Brody Wilson USA AMA Honda
Maxxis Highest Air
1. Libor Podmol CZE 8,30 meter
2. Maikel Melero ESP 8,30 meter
3. Jose Miralles ESP 7,90 meter
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