Freestyle Motocross
BACKFLIPPIN' CRAZY GOES LIVE AT SELECTED ROUNDS!
We’re taking our mobile Freestyle Motocross ramps to selected rounds of the Red Bull Pro Nationals to make sure FMX fans across the country get their fix of backflips, tricks and whips! Remember, this is a show - not a competition - but you can guarantee the action will still be insane as the UK's best freestyle athletes show off their outrageous skills 30 feet above the ground. You can check out the FMX shows at round 2 at Weston-super-Mare, round 3 at Culham Park and then rounds 5, 6 and 7 at Canada Heights, Hawkstone Park and - for the second time this season - Culham Park.
Freestyle Motocross needs to be seen to be believed - these guys are cool, calculated and crazy...
The insane moves these men lay down have more extravagant names than cartwheels, tumbles or double pikes (whatever those are?) that you associate with gymnastics and are certainly more daring. FMX riders take huge risks when they pull off moves like a ‘Crack Flip’ or a backflip variations like the ‘Tsunami’ or ‘Cordova’. Then there’s the madness that is the ‘Double Oxenator’ where the rider (read talented lunatic!) lets go of the bike completely and then flicks his feet up to behind his back and grabs them with both hands – insane!!
These guys are brilliant to watch and all part of the weekend festival feel that is the Red Bull Pro Nationals.
Chris Birch flips at Weston-super-Mare (Photo: Phil Sills)
CHRIS BIRCH
Aka Swampy! On the face of things Chris is exactly what you expect a Freestyle Motocross rider to look like, he has loads of tattoos and looks like you wouldn’t want to mess with him. However, despite this exterior toughness Chris is one of the nicest guys you could meet and is a real favourite with the mums! When he’s not throwing down his Tsunamis and backflips Chris spends most of his time perfecting his tricks out in Spain where the weather is a little kinder to the Freestyle Motocrosser. Chris has competed and performed shows all over the world and has also competed at the Red Bull X Fighters at Battersea Power Station. Chris is fun guy who is always happy to talk to the fans (mainly about himself!) but when no one is watching this tattooed freestyle warrior can be found lazing around the pool with his Speedos on showing off his tats!
NICKNAME: Swampy
AGE: 28
HOMETOWN: Haverhil, Cambridgeshire
HOBBIES: Yoga and fondue!
FMX SINCE: 2001
FMX SUCCESS: #3 NASS 2002, wildcard at Red Bull X-Fighters 2009
BIKE: KTM 250cc
Jamie Squibb lets it all hang out during our FMX promo at Weston-super-Mare (Photo: Phil Sills)
JAMIE SQUIBB
The quiet one of the group until he gets a few beers inside of him! Squibby has been at the forefront of the British freestyle scene since the word go and undoubtedly has the best training facility in the UK. Based down in Devon, Jamie turned lumberjack and attacked his parents' 10-acre wood and made the coolest trails with loads of jumps and rhythm sections. He also has his own foam pit which is home to all types of wildlife but this doesn’t stop him busting out his tricks so he always brings something new to the shows. Jamie’s signature trick is his awesome whip which really has to be seen to be believed.
NICKNAME: Squibby
AGE: 31
HOMETOWN: Exeter, Devon
HOBBIES: Riding MX and BMX
BIKE: Kawasaki 450cc
FMX SINCE: Forever
FMX SUCCESS: 3 x British FMX Championships
Dave lets rip with one of his trademark whips high above Princess Royal Square (Photo: Phil Sills)
DAVE WIGGINS
“Go big or go home – or go to hospital!” Dave Wiggins has got a pretty simple – and typically balls-out - gameplan when it comes to Freestyle Motocross. The 26-year-old Londoner is the sharp-dresser who puts the style into freestyle in the UK – both on and off the bike – with his outrageous whips, washboard abs and designer clothes winning him fans whether he’s hitting the ramps or the nightclubs.
NICKNAME: Gatwick Dave
AGE: 26
HOMETOWN: Redhill, Surrey
HOBBIES: Riding MX, clubbing
BIKE: Honda 450cc
FMX SINCE: 2006
Dan Whitby travels the world performing outrageous Freestyle Motocross moves like this (Photo: Nuno Laranjeira)
DAN WHITBY
A regular on the BBC's Top Gear Live tour, Dan's travelled the world performing Freestyle Motocross and earns a full-time living from the sport performing in excess of 45 shows a year. Quiet, modest and unassuming off the bike, as soon as Dan fires up his Bolddog Lings Honda he turns into an incredible showman - but don't be fooled by his insane aerial athletics, after a number of big injuries Dan's incredibly grounded. “It’s about calculated risk. People think that freestylers are crazy but you actually have to be quite a calculated person because nothing’s done on a whim. It’s all carefully worked out – unless you’re completely loco!”
NICKNAME: Dan Dare
AGE: 29
HOMETOWN: Harleston, Norfolk
HOBBIES: Riding MX and BMX and driving huge distances in slow vehicles
BIKE: Honda 450cc
FMX SINCE: 2006
