On Saturday, Cologne will once again become a mecca for motorcyclists and motor sport fans when all of the two-wheeled adrenaline junkies will travel to the Rhine. After two years, the NIGHT of the JUMPs series will finally storm back to the LANXESS arena, alongside Europe's largest motorcycle fair, InterMOT which is setting up its tents at the Cologne fair.
For the eighth time, the world’s longest running Freestyle Motocross sports series returns to Cologne. The seventh competition of the FIM Freestyle MX World Championship promises a robust field of riders with the current heroes of the NIGHT of the JUMPs.
Four FMX world champions will compete in the LANXESS arena. With Maikel Melero from Spain the reigning champion wanting to continue his stellar run for the year. Melero has won all of the previous World Championship competitions this year and is hot favourite for the 2016 title. Remi Bizouard, the three-time World Champion (2008, 2009, 2012) from France, is Maikel’s toughest adversary and will put everything on the line to score points. David Rinaldo (FRA, World Champion 2013) is currently sitting in 3rd place and Libor Podmol (CZE, World Champion 2010) complete the World Champions list.
Rob Adelberg from Australia, the bronze medal winner of last season, is looking to gain another podium finish in Cologne. Adelberg will hope to show the Cordova Egg Roll and the California Roll to have the best chance at scoring a World Championship podium this year.
Germany will be represented by only one rider, Hannes Ackermann, as his younger brother Luc recently broke his leg during training. The elder of the Ackermann brothers will make his comeback in Cologne, after his crash at the European Championship round in Munich, and desperately wants to return to the podium in front of his home crowd.
Marc Pinyol (ESP), Brice Izzo (FRA), Leonardo Fini (ITA), Davide Rossi (ITA) and Petr Pilat (CZE) complete the rider’s field. In the Maxxis Highest Air, Massimo Bianconcini will also compete and try to win another round to extend his overall account for the season.
In 2005 the NIGHT of the JUMPs came to Cologne for the first time. This year, visitors to the world’s biggest FMX sports series will also be torn from their seats between two Preliminary round and Final round as the riders wrestle their bikes through the arena in Trains to perform the biggest whips in the LifeProof Best Whip Contest, and flying as high as they can in the Maxxis Highest Air competition with heights of up to 11.00 meters.
NIGHT of the JUMPs / FIM Freestyle MX World Championship
(7th round of the World Championship)
8th October 2016
LANXESS arena
Cologne / Germany
Field of riders:
Maikel Melero (ESP)
Remi Bizouard (FRA)
David Rinaldo (FRA)
Rob Adelberg (AUS)
Libor Podmol (CZE)
Petr Pilat (CZE)
Brice Izzo (FRA)
Marc Pinyol (ESP)
Leonardo Fini (ITA)
Davide Rossi (ITA)
Hannes Ackermann (GER)
+ Massimo Bianconcini (ITA) for the side contests
FIM Freestyle MX World Championship
Ranking (after 6th contest)
1. Maikel MeleroESPRFMEYamaha120 Points
2. Remi BizouardFRAFFMKawasaki100 Points
3. David RinaldoFRAFFMYamaha 86 Points
4. Rob AdelbergAUSMAYamaha 86 Points
5. Petr PilatCZEACCRKTM 67 Points
6. Luc AckermannGERDMSBHusqvarna 55 Points
7. Jose MirallesESPRFMEKTM 49 Points
8. Pat BowdenAUSMAYamaha 45 Points
9. Libor PodmolCZEACCRYamaha 36 Points
10. Brice IzzoFRAFFMYamaha 35 Points
11. Hannes AckermannGERDMSBKTM 29 Points
12. Marc PinyolESPRFMEYamaha 16 Points
13. Thomas WirnsbergerAUTOSKSuzuki 11 Points
NIGHT of the JUMPs
News
FMX show in Cologne
