Rarely have the closing stages of NIGHT of the JUMPs been as exciting as this year. For the first time in the history of the series, the FMX pros will be lining up in Bulgaria, and for no less an occasion than the grand finale itself. On 17th December, the Sofia Arena will be the venue for the twelfth and final round of this year’s FMX World Championship. And to add the ultimate element of spice to the weekend, the freestylers have kept the destination of the title open until the last. The contest is between Javier Villegas (CHL) and Remi Bizouard (FRA), as no-one else can now catch them. The Chilean is 17 points ahead of the Frenchman in the standings, so essentially he needs a decent qualifying run. Then, even if he finishes 12th and Bizouard first, he would still retain a one-point lead. But anything can happen on the night; after all, Remi has convincingly beaten Javier in the last three outings.
Meanwhile, two Spaniards will be scrapping it out for the bronze medal. Jose Miralles is still 17 points ahead of his compatriot Maikel Melero. But in Gdansk, Melero outclassed Miralles whose star seems to be on the wane. And if Maikel once again pulls out his Doublegrab Backflip, Jose could find himself under real pressure.
No longer in contention for a podium are reigning World Champion Libor Podmol (CZE) and David Rinaldo (FRA), both of whom are on 110 points in the standings. But even so, the young Frenchman will do everything to edge out the Czech and finish his NIGHT of the JUMPs maiden season in fifth place. That would be a huge success for the rookie. And the prospects are looking good, because Podmol was clearly handicapped by recent injury for the Gdansk weekend, missing out on both finals.
Behind this pair, there is an equally intriguing battle between the leading German exponent of freestyle motocross, Fabian Bauersachs, and Czech Red Bull rider Petr Pilat. The two are separated by a mere six points, with Bauersachs currently lying in seventh position but under severe threat from Pilat who flipped his way onto the podium in Ostrava and in Gdansk. On this sort of form, he will be looking to edge out Bauersachs.
For Brice Izzo (FRA), Massimo Bianconcini (ITA) and Hannes Ackermann (GER), the only thing that still matters is to put in a good run and emphasise their credentials for next season. Despite being reduced to the role of bit players this time, they will surely spring a few surprises in Sofia. The crowd can look forward to a NIGHT of the JUMPs debut appearance by James Carter, a rider from sunny California who is braving the European winter to stake a claim for inclusion in the 2012 FIM Freestyle MX World Championship.
In any case, this deciding round in the World Championship guarantees that there will be no shortage of excitement and that the arrival of top-class freestyle motocross in Bulgaria will be an occasion to remember. If you are unable to be at the Sofia Arena on 17th December, you can follow all the action via livestreaming on www.NIGHToftheJUMPs.com or watch the final live on either Motors TV or Eurosport HD.
Field of riders:
Javier Villegas (CHL)
Remi Bizouard (FRA)
Jose Miralles (ESP)
Maikel Melero (ESP)
Libor Podmol (CZE)
David Rinaldo (FRA)
Brice Izzo (FRA)
Petr Pilat (CZE)
Fabian Bauersachs (GER)
Massimo Bianconcini (ITA)
Hannes Ackermann (GER)
James Carter (USA)
FIM Freestyle MX World Championship Standings (after 11th contest)
1. Javier VillegasCHLAMAYamaha192 Points
2. Remi BizouardFRAFFMYamaha175 Points
3. Jose MirallesESPRFMEKTM146 Points
4. Maikel MeleroESPRFME Yamaha129 Points
5. Libor PodmolCZEACCRSuzuki110 Points
6. David RinaldoFRAFFMYamaha110 Points
7. Josh SheehanAUSMAHonda 96 Points
8. Fabian BauersachsGERDMSBKTM 83 Points
9. Petr PilatCZEACCRKTM 77 Points
10. Massimo BianconciniITALACCRKTM 59 Points
11. Romain IzzoFRAFFMYamaha 52 Points
12. Brice IzzoFRAFFMYamaha 43 Points
13. Lukas WeisGERDMSBSuzuki 42 Points
14. Hannes Ackermann GERDMSBKTM 40 Points
15. Kai HaaseGERDMSBSuzuki 10 Points