2016 Red Bull X-Fighters Preview

On June 24, Red Bull X-Fighters will celebrate its 15th anniversary at the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain. The world’s best riders, including two talented “Novilleros”, will battle in a new format for the most prestigious crown in freestyle motocross.

The 2016 Red Bull X-Fighters competition (which will only be held over one round after the World Tour was removed at the end of 2015) will showcase a new event format. Riders will have to deliver the best of Red Bull X-Fighters’ 15-year history for a chance to win.

In the first round, all riders will have to perform a certain trick in their run, which will be chosen by the judges. In the second round, three pairs will ride in the classic head-to-head format and determine the top thee riders for the final. In the final, all three contenders will ride one more time, giving all three of them the chance for the title. No matter how they placed before, all three can win, or end up in third.

The ten biggest names in FMX will enter the winner-takes-all event. Reigning Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour champion, Australia’s Clinton Moore, will try to defend his crown against the likes of last year’s Madrid winner, Tom Pagès. The Frenchman wants to top his record-breaking three-peat in Las Ventas and of course, win back the title. Former champions, Australia’s Josh Sheehan, New Zealand’s Levi Sherwood and crowd favourite, Spain’s Dany Torres, will join Pagès in the attempt to steal back the title from Moore and bring their weapons in the form of Double Backflips, surreal trick extensions and perfection. Taka Higashino, Rob Adelberg (Australia), Adam Jones, David Rinaldo and Maikel Melero will join the elite crew, and they are all capable of winning the 2016 Red Bull X-Fighters competition.

This year, two aspiring young talents, the “Novilleros”, will try to get their “Torero” status and will challenge the best athletes in the world. A committee of experts will choose the first talent, but the second rider must win the heart of the FMX fans. For the first time in the history of Red Bull X-Fighters, the fans will influence the rider line-up by voting for their favourite “Novillero” at www.redbullxfighters.com/novilleros, and FMX riders will be able to submit their 90-second video applications from April 14 until May 13.

For more information, visit: www.redbullxfighters.com