Australian FMX and Speed & Style Titles

Welcome to our weekly web-exclusive column, Transmoto‘s FMX Insider. Penned each week by South Australian rider, Ben Heidrich, the FMX Insider will present the story-behind-the-stories of the Aussie and international freestyle motocross scenes. 

It’s always good seeing an Australian first take place, especially when it involves big whips and insane FMX tricks. The inaugural Australian FMX and Speed & Style Titles took place at Latrobe Speedway, Tasmania on November 22. Originating in America as an X Games event, Speed & Style has fast grown into a popular form of competition. Speed & Style requires a mixture of FMX and motocross skills, showcasing both riding disciplines.

The event which catered for the best of both worlds brought some of Australia’s best FMX and motocross riders to Tasmania. Amongst the field of competitors was Nitro Circus rider, Steve Mini, and X Games Gold medalist, Cameron Sinclair. Also on the list were Luke McNeill, Harry Bink, Jayo Archer, Bordie Markham and many more.

Tasmania was graced with the presence of World Record holder, Robbie Maddison, who made the trip over to help support the event. James ‘Bubba’ Chiasson from the Crusty Demons also made an appearance and helped on the judging panel, alongside FMX rider, Kane Saul, who was out of contention due to injury.

The weekend kicked off early on Thursday, November 20, after vans packed with dirt bikes piled onto the ferry to make the trip over to Tasmania. Friday was a day set aside for school visits and hanging out in the mall meeting the public. I know if Robbie Maddison rocked up at my school, I would have been pretty damn pumped! After the town was given a good dose of FMX fame, the riders ventured down to check out the course. You could feel the hype building as riders rolled into the Latrobe arena. After FMX rider, Luke McNeill from NSW, was done shaping the rhythm section of the SX track, the riders got straight into it; feeling out the course and practising tricks over the 75ft ramps.

Riders spent Saturday morning prepping their bikes in the hotel car park. Around noon, vans and bikes had parked up on the inside wall of the Latrobe Speedway track whilst the course was watered and groomed. The FMX qualifier kicked off strong, with young gun Jake Smith showing he would be a heavy contender with a large range of Flip tricks. Harry Bink also rode well through qualifiers with flawless runs. Steve Mini and Cameron Sinclair showed off their world class riding skills with big Ruler Flips and Ruler Indie Flips. It was great to see MX riders, Cheyne Boyd and Dylan Long, throwing down huge whips and turndowns all day, with incredible style and bike control.

Speed & Style qualifiers had a rough start, with NSW-based FMX rider, Jake Holloway, going down hard and sustaining a serious head injury. He was flown to Royal Hobart Hospital in a critical condition but was released a week later. He is now recovering in WA with his family.

The accident kept the event on hold for two hours, leaving little time to run an FMX final. The FMX scores were tallied from the qualifying points, with Cameron Sinclair in third, Harry Bink in second and Steve Mini in first. Speed & Style qualifiers commenced again with smooth runs from Jayo Archer, Luke McNeill and Cheyne Boyd, all fighting for points.

As night fell, the event moved into the Speed & Style head-to-head battles. Luke McNeill rode intense races against Cheyne Boyd and Jayo Archer which kept everyone on their feet. In the finals, it was Harry Bink vs Cheyne Boyd, Cameron Sinclair vs Chris Camillero and Luke McNeill vs Jayo Archer. Luke McNeill put in work all night but settled for third place, leaving Jayo Archer in second and Cameron Sinclair in first place.

The night finished off with an incredible Best Whip competition and a spectacular show of fireworks. Steve Mini took home first place in the whip competition to make it a double alongside his first place in the FMX title.

A big thank you to all the sponsors: Events Tasmania, Devonport City Council, CBB Contracting, Bendigo Bank, Latrobe Council, Heidrich Films, JetPilot, Motorcycling Tasmania, Jono Porter Memorial and Aussie Adrenalin.

Highlights

Australian FMX Title:

1. Steve Mini
2. Harry Bink
3. Cameron Sinclair
4. Luke McNeill
5. Jake Smith
6. Jay Archer
7. Brodie Markham
8. Josh Woolley
9. Daniel Kistler
10. Jake Holloway
11. Jay Woolley

Speed & Style Title:

1. Cameron Sinclair
2. Jay Archer
3. Luke McNeill
4. Cheyne Boyd
5. Harry Bink
6. Chris Camilleri
7. Josh Woolley
8. Jay Woolley
9. Daniel Kistler
10. Brodie Markham