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Red Bull X-Fighters: 4 hot bike tricks!

On Saturday (August 23, the world’s top freestyle motocross riders will take to the skies in front  of the iconic Union Buildings for the final stop on the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour.

The progression of freestyle motocross tricks, over the last decade, has been amazing.

No venue has been more conducive to the evolution of FMX than Red Bull X-Fighters. South Africa’s top FMX rider Nick de Wit will be in Pretoria flying the home colours.

TOP MOTOCROSS TRICKS

‘Sick Nick’ takes us through some of the most extreme tricks likely to go down on the day.

1 Rock Solid Backflip

If there’s one rule everyone learns about backflips and motorcycles on day one is ‘don’t do it’. If there’s a second rule, it’s ‘don’t let go of the bike’.

Japanese FMX legend Taka Higashino ignores both with his Rock Solid Backflip. During the flip he grabs onto and then releases his hands from the seat for a fraction of a second.



2 Shaolin Flip

The Shaolin is a legs-between-the-arms trick that’s been standard in the FMX rider’s arsenal for years.

Back in 2001, the Shaolin actually won X Games Best Trick. That’s when it was performed upright. Now, riders like Levi Sherwood are mixing them in with a backflip.




3 The Special Flip

The Special Flip was invented by Travis Pastrana’s insane cousin, ‘Special Greg’, but it was brought to moto by the king of X-Fighters, Tom Pagès. It’s not a backflip variation and instead involves a complete rotation of the rider's body while flying detached from the bike.




4 The Bike Flip
The Bike Flip, developed by Tom Pagès is exactly what it says – a full rotation of the 100kg-plus motorcycle while the rider is flying detached from it.

When Pagès landed his spectacular Bike Flip at Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid – the first time the trick had ever been performed in competition – it took freestyle motocross to the next level.



MORE INFORMATION

Red Bull X-Fighters, Pretoria takes place on 23 August, tickets are available through Computicket.

Play the X-Fighters Trivia Game to stand a chance of winning a Red Bull Experience at the event.

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