12 riders from six nations gathered to battle it out at the fourth round of the 2018 Freestyle MX World Championships at NIGHT of the JUMPs in Krakow, Poland at the weekend.
Check out the highlights video, results and full report from NIGHT of the JUMPs below.
The results were a mixed bag with some big surprises in Qualifying. The Three-Time former World Champion, Remi Bizouard did not cope with his fever, putting a lacklustre run of three dead-sailors and only 2 backflips in his run to finish in 11th position. The second French and former World Champion, David Rinaldo couldn’t overcome his influenza to finish in 9th position after missing his California Roll in the Double Up. The best three riders in qualifying were however the Spanish hero, Maikel Melero, Luc Ackermann (GER) and Pat Bowden (AUS). The two Czech riders, Petr Pilat and Libor Podmol and Rob Adelberg from Australia sealed their positions in the final 6 riders.
The two Polish riders, Rafal Bialy and Marcin Lukaszcyk were unable to put everything together to battle with the top 6 riders. Nevertheless, the local Polish crowd were able to celebrate one of their local heroes in the Whip Competition. In the Best Whip competition it was a battle between Pat Bowden and Lukaszcyk in the final round. They both delivered their best whips, and it was the final deafening cheers from the Polish crowd which sealed the win for Lukaszcyk.
The Maxxis Highest Air competition looked different with the absence of Massimo Bianconcini who was forced to miss the competition after rupturing his Achilles Tendon on his last jump in Berlin. Rob Adelberg made his debut in the Highest Air however he wasn’t able to progress far before being eliminated by the more experienced riders. Kai Haase (GER) and Brice Izzo (FRA) battled until the 8.00 metre mark. While the German mastered 8.50 metres, the Frenchman only just knocked the bar off and had to be happy with second place with a Haase victory.
The finale was again the battle of the top three riders in the World Championship series hunt. Although Adelberg showed the Cordova Egg Roll and California Roll, it wasn’t enough for him to make it to the podium. Pat Bowden shocked the other riders with his stylish 360 and dropping his hand off mid-way as he peered over at the judges, as a sign to say, ‘Make sure you’re watching this’. But without the use of a Quarter Pipe or a Body Varial, Bowden missed out on points which could have him higher up the leaderboard. Libor Podmol landed his Egg Roll, Surfer Flip over the kicker and a California Roll in the Double Up to secure third position.
The young German, Luc Ackermann didn’t have the Double Flip ramp in Krakow, so he needed to bring a stronger run of his other tricks. He didn’t disappoint with a 360 Nac, Ruler Indy Flip, Egg Roll, Flair and Long Distance Surfer Flip while finishing his standard run with a Mini-Flip before landing a California Roll in the Double Up to secure 398 points from the judges.
This forced Melero to do his best run possible in the final. Maikel stomped his Egg Roll, Surfer Tsunami, Hart Indy Flip, Cali Roll in the normal run plus a Ruler Flip. But to make sure he secured the win over the German, Maikel decided to unleash a new trick at NIGHT of the JUMPs with the Superman Flair. It was crucial for the victory with only a lead of 6 points over the German.
Despite the victory for Melero at NIGHT of the JUMPs in Krakow, Luc Ackermann still retains the championship lead with only 2 points over the Spaniard in the overall ranking for the FIM Freestyle MX World Championship. Melero was however happy to win the newly introduced Motul Trick of the Day award with his new Superman Flair.
The first half of the seasons FIM Freestyle MX World Championships series is complete. The next World Championship points will be on October 6th, 2018 in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. The next NIGHT of the JUMPs event will take place on April 21st, 2018 in the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany.
NIGHT of the JUMPs/FIM Freestyle MX World Championship Results
Krakow, 24th March 2018 – Round 4
NIGHT of the JUMPs – Final
1. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 404 Points
2. Luc Ackermann GER DMSB Husqvarna 398 Points
3. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Husqvarna 366 Points
4. Rob Adelberg AUS MA Yamaha 353 Points
5. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha 349 Points
6. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 305 Points
Qualification
1. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 337 Points
2. Luc Ackermann GER DMSB Husqvarna 328 Points
3. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha 305 Points
4. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Husqvarna 302 Points
5. Rob Adelberg AUS MA Yamaha 284 Points
6. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 259 Points
7. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 254 Points
8. Kai Haase GER DMSB Suzuki 242 Points
9. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 217 Points
10. Marcin Lukaszcyk POL PZM Yamaha 128 Points
11. Remi Bizouard FRA FFM Kawasaki 115 Points
12. Rafal Bialy POL PZM KTM 83 Points
Maxxis Highest-Air
1. Kai Haase GER DMSB Suzuki 8,50 Meter
2. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 8,00 Meter
3. Rob Adelberg AUS MA Yamaha 6,50 Meter
Results Best Whip Contest
1. Marcin Lukaszcyk POL PZM Yamaha
2. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha
FIM Freestyle MX World Championship 2018
Ranking (after 4th contest)
1. Luc Ackermann GER DMSB Husqvarna 74 Points
2. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 72 Points
3. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Husqvarna 60 Points
4. Remi Bizouard FRA FFM Kawasaki 44 Points
5. Rob Adelberg AUS MA Yamaha 44 Points
6. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 42 Points
7. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha 42 Points
8. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 40 Points
9. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 32 Points
10. Leonardo Fini ITA PZM KTM 19 Points
11. Kai Haase GER DMSB Suzuki 18 Points
12. Marc Pinyol ESP RFME Yamaha 6 Points
Photo Credit: NIGHT of the JUMPs
