Some of the world’s finest BMX, mountainbike and freestyle motocross athletes have confirmed their entry to the 2014 Farm Jam, scheduled to be held on 1 March 2014 at the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island.
photography by Simon Makker
A burgeoning list of riders from 10 different countries have put their hands up at the opportunity to experience the legendary two-wheeled action sports event.
American BMX stars Michael “Hucker” Clark and Farm Jam regular Anthony Napolitan will pit their skills against some of Australia’s and New Zealand’s finest riders, including Nitro Circus stars Jed Mildon (NZ) and Brandon Loupos (AUS), Dew Tour contender Paul Langlands and Frenchman Istvan Calliet.
New Zealand’s 2012 Red Bull X-Fighters champion and X Games medallist Levi Sherwood will make his much-anticipated return to the Farm Jam after two years’ absence. He will go up against defending champion and Red Bull teammate Nick Franklin, Brazilian X Games rider Fred Kyrillos, Red Bull X-Fighters rider Truman Carroll, and a record field of riders from across both Australia and New Zealand.
The MTB field is boasting its deepest field ever, with 19-year-old British phenomenon Matt Jones set to battle Kiwi legend Kelly McGarry, the Czech Republic’s Tomas Zejda, and a host of Australia’s and New Zealand’s best dirt jumpers.
Farm Jam organisers and property owners Dan and Brett Frew have been overwhelmed at both the response from action-sports athletes and the public interest that is already reaching fever-pitch in anticipation of what’s in store.
“This is shaping up to be our biggest and best instalment in the history of the event,” Dan says. “The quality and number of riders who responded to our call-out for expressions of interest blew us away. We’re excited to see what goes down on March 1; with this level of competition across all disciplines, spectators are going to witness something pretty special.”
In another major development, the world’s largest mountainbike website and community, Pinkbike.com, has been confirmed as a major sponsor and as the Farm Jam’s official digital media partner. Pinkbike will feature exclusive content and videos in the lead-up to, and during the event, bringing the Farm Jam to the forefront of a global audience.
“Having Pinkbike on board as our official media partner is a huge deal,” says Brett. “The number of unique visitors through their site every month is astounding and to be able to tap into that and showcase what the Farm Jam is really about to the world is massive for both the riders and our other event partners.”
The Frews are also encouraging the public to both spread the word about the upcoming event, and turn up to watch some of the world’s best riders in action.
For more information and updates, follow @farm_jam on Instagram, “Like” Southern Freeriders and Farm Jam on Facebook or visit www.southernfreeriders.blogspot.com.
