For the second time in the history of NIGHT of the JUMPs, the season opener of the World FMX Championships went down in Basel, Switzerland. It was a crazy night of new tricks and new faces on the podium, witch Spain’s Maikel Melero picking up right where he left off.  Check out the video, pictures and results from NIGHT of the JUMPs below. 

Ten riders from six nations battled on Saturday night in the St. Jakobshalle in the picturesque city of Basel for the first points of the FIM Freestyle MX World Championship in 2017.

After the winter break, the best Freestyle MX riders in the world opened with some big new tricks. Pat Bowden (AUS) and David Rinaldo (FRA) let loose in qualification with their Double Grab Flips. While Petr Pilat (CZE), Mat Rebeaud (SUI) and Maikel Melero (ESP) unleashed the Flair in the qualifier. Melero and Rinaldo both showed their Lazy Boy Flips. With Marc Pinyol (ESP) and Libor Podmol (CZE) spinning body varials with their version of the California Roll. In the final however, it would be Brice Izzo, Pat Bowden, Libor Podmol, David Rinaldo, Petr Pilat and Maikel Melero.

For Rebeaud, even with the Flair, it wasn’t enough to make the final. For Filip, the younger of the two Podmol brothers, his night ended abruptly on only his second trick. Filip crashed his Surfer take-off Tsunami Flip but was lucky to remain uninjured. For Marc Pinyol his body varial also wasn’t enough to get him past the preliminary round.

David Rinaldo and Libor Podmol both had nightmare runs. Both showed unbelievable runs with all of their biggest tricks. In the Double-Up however, both riders faded out. First, the Frenchman couldn’t pull his Double Grab Backflip which he had planned. Followed by the Czech ninja who crashed out on his California Roll, both being relegated to 5th and 6th.

It was then time for the reigning World Champion, who had already won qualification. In the finals, he again showed why he is a cut above the rest. Melero brought tricks like the Seat Grab Flip, Ruler Flip, California Roll and the Nac-Nac Flair. The judges rewarded him with 431 points, putting the Spaniard firmly in the lead over Pilat and Bowden.

The next two rounds of competition next weekend, when NIGHT of the JUMPs returns to Berlin (4th/5th February at the Mercedes Benz Arena).

NIGHT of the JUMPs R1 Basel 2017

Final Results

1. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 431 Points

2. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 396 Points

3. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha 375 Points

4. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 333 Points

5. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 320 Points

6. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 318 Points

Qualification Results 

1. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 347 Points

2. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 345 Points

3. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 332 Points

4. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 331 Points

5. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha 320 Points

6. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 301 Points

7. Mat Rebeaud SUI KTM 300 Points

8. Marc Pinyol ESP RFME Yamaha 293 Points

9. Leonardo Fini ITA PZM KTM 285 Points

10. Filip Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 19 Points

 Best Whip Contest Results

1. Mat Rebeaud SUI KTM

2. Filip Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha

Maxxis Highest-Air

1. Massimo Bianconcini ITA PZM KTM 7,50 Meter

2. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 7,00 Meter

3. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha 6,50 Meter

FIM Freestyle MX World Championship 2017

Ranking (after 1st contest)

1. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 20 Points

2. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 18 Points

3. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha 16 Points

4. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 14 Points

5. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 12 Points

6. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 10 Points

7. Mat Rebeaud SUI KTM 9 Points

8. Marc Pinyol ESP RFME Yamaha 8 Points

9. Leonardo Fini ITA PZM KTM 7 Points

10. Filip Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 6 Points

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