Rebeaud on Top of the World in Mexico
Red Bull X-Fighters perform in front of 43,000 fans in Mexico City – Riders and bikes pushing the laws of gravity.
Swiss rider Mat Rebeaud soared to take the title at the inaugural event of the Red Bull X-Fighters 2008 in Mexico City. The 2006 champion fought his way through the qualification rounds and into the final where he overcame Dany Torres from Spain after a monumental battle. Jeremy Lusk (USA) grabbed third place.
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The 43,000 fans packed into the Plaza de Toros in Mexico’s capital city were treated to a non-stop feast of FMX action, with the twelve members of the sport’s elite pulling tricks including backflips, cliffhangers, lazy flips and much more in the sold-out bull fighting arena.
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After an impressive performance against Jeremy Stenberg (USA) in the semi-final, insiders’ tip Rebeaud risked everything in the final. Dany Torres put up a heroic fight but was forced to congratulate the worthy champion after the judges’ decision: “Rebeaud was just too good today. He’s obviously put in a lot of hard work and he surprised me today with a few tricks. All in all, we’re at about the same level.”The night’s star was Rebeaud, delivering a perfect combination of show, acrobatics and more than just daredevil jumps. “That was just incredible, I’m over the moon. I want to thank all the fans. |
Here in Mexico everyone really lived the emotions, including me”, commented the KTM rider. French rider Thomas Páges was lucky to escape relatively unscathed after trying a high-risk backflip in the dying seconds of his 130-second quarter-final run against Jeremy Lusk, who would later go on to take third place.
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Páges crashed heavily, injuring himself in the process: “My shoulder is black and blue and badly grazed, but I’ll be back; I want to get back on the bike as soon as possible”, explained Páges, who was on course for the semi-finals until his fall.
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The victory gives the 26 year-old superstar Rebeaud an early lead in the first overall classification of Red Bull X-Fighters 2008.
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The international FMX elite next meets to do battle on May 3rd at the Sambadromo in Rio de Janeiro (BRA). The tour continues with visits to Fort Worth (Texas/USA), Wuppertal (GER) and Madrid (ESP).
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO VISIT THE WEBSITE AND BE UP TO DATE WITH THE RED BULL X-FIGHTERS 2008: http://www.redbullxfighters.com
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