2011 XDL Freestyle Sportbike
Graves Stunt Rider Bill Dixon had his work cut out for him going into Round 4 of the XDL Championship Series in Monterey, Calif. on July 22-23.
In addition to his XDL competition duties, Dixon also had four stunt shows to perform at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. To make things even more interesting, Dixon had to drive a massive 40 hours from a show in Pennsylvania to Monterey. Probably not the best way to prep for a competition!
Ahead by nine points in the FMF Cup but trailing by four points overall going into Round 4, Dixon was more determined than ever to win at Monterey. A win at Monterey and Indy’s Round 5 would mean becoming the first ever three-time national champion.
As the world’s top freestyle riders descended on Monterey for the six different XDL classes, Dixon feared his intense concentration on the dangerous and pressure-filled task at hand would be compromised by his stunt show performances that same weekend. In the end, he had nothing to worry about. “I ended up having so much fun at the stunt shows that I think the positive energy from the shows gave me a confidence boost for XDL!” exclaimed Dixon.
Dixon and his Graves Yamaha R6 qualified in first place for the FMF Cup. “Going into the last round I was nine points ahead, so I just went out and landed my big hit tricks to finish off the competition for a first place finish,” said Dixon of his stellar weekend.
His winning didn’t stop there. After calling his shot in K&N Circle Challenge earlier in the day on the Versus show Inside XDL, Dixon stomped the competition and came out with another first place. By the end of the weekend Dixon trailed the overall points leader by a mere two points.
The pressure is on more than ever now heading into Round 5 at Indianapolis. Come out to the Indiana War Memorial in downtown Indianapolis on August 26 – 27 to see if Bill Dixon can accomplish his dream of becoming a three-time national champion!
Also, check out the above video feature Bill Dixon’s first hand perspective from the Yamaha marketplace at Laguna Seca.
