Rebeaud, Bizouard and Podmol in Basel line-up
Basel becomes Europe’s freestyle capital on March 28th-29th 2014 when the NIGHT of the JUMPs motocross aces take over the St Jakobshalle for the eighth time. The best field of freestyle riders ever will grace the line-up for the two Swiss grand prix competitions in the world’s most extreme FMX sport series.
A ‘summit’ meeting of former world champions is in prospect, and superstar Mat Rebeaud will be back in harness for the first time in over four years. The Swiss FMX hero was the first champion in the annals of the FIM freestyle MX world championship. Now Mat intends to show everyone just what he can do and notch up a brace of victories in front of his home crowd. To that end, he will execute his new Flair trick on the quarter pipe, a real first for Swiss NIGHT of the JUMPs fans!
Apart from Rebeaud, two other FIM world champions, Remi Bizouard and Podmol, are in the St Jakobshalle line-up and they will not want to let Mat get the better of them, especially as both of them are on top form; the Czech rider won last weekend’s world championship grand prix in Gdansk and Bizouard is currently second in the world championship standings.
But the Spanish Armada with FMX riders Dany Torres and Maikel Melero in the vanguard will not want to be outdone by the Swiss Red Bull star either. Melero won the first two world championship rounds in Berlin and comfortably leads the overall standings. Torres is really down in the dumps after his fifth place at the NIGHT of the JUMPs in Gdansk and will pull out all the stops to finish on the podium again in Basel. And if Rebeaud performs his 540 Flair trick, then Melero and Torres will both ratchet things up a notch on the quarter pipe.
Two former championship runners-up, Brice Izzo and Jose Miralles, will add yet more sparkle to the baddest NIGHT of the JUMPs of all time and the St Jakobshalle audience will be treated to a first when Aussie Rob Adelberg makes his debut. The Metal Mulisha rider has never ridden in Switzerland before and arrives with some excellent credentials after winning the 2013 Latvian grand prix and placing third in last week’s Polish world championship round.
Red Bull’s flip king Petr Pilat (CZE) will also go on the attack in Basel. The Czech rider was really hacked off after placing seventh in Poland and will want to show the judges where it’s at.
Four-time German FMX champion Hannes Ackermann must also prove his worth again in this Swiss grand prix. He really struggled with conditions in Gdansk and was unable to repeat his Berlin performance. The two veteran riders Bianconcini (ITA) and Lukas Weis (GER) complete the starting field in the St Jakobshalle.
2007 was the year that marked the debut of the world’s biggest and best freestyle motocross series in Basel. Since then, NIGHT of the JUMPs has continued to thrill an ever-growing number of fans with its brand of FMX sport and has become a highlight of the motor sport year in Switzerland.
NIGHT of the JUMPs/ FIM Freestyle MX World Championship
(Competitions 4/5)
28th/29th March 2014
St Jakobshalle
Basel / Switzerland
Starting field:
Maikel Melero (ESP) – Current World Championship leader
Remi Bizouard (FRA) – World Champion 2012, 2008+2009
Libor Podmol (CZE) – World Champion, 2010
Dany Torres (ESP)
Rob Adelberg (AUS)
Brice Izzo (FRA) – World Champion runner-up, 2010
Petr Pilat (CZE)
Jose Miralles (ESP) – World Champion runner-up, 2009
Hannes Ackermann (Germany, 4-time German Champion, #5 FMX WC 2012 )
Massimo Bianconcini (ITA)
Mat Rebeaud (SUI)
Lukas Weis (GER)
Communication Freestyle - www.nightofthejumps.com