Rome FMX: Red Bull X-Fighters Preview

Rome FMX Video

On October 2, 2010 the international freestyle motocross elite will gather for the ultimate title showdown at the season finale of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 in Rome’s Stadio Flaminio.

With young gun Levi Sherwood (NZL) being forced out of the event due to injury, the home stadium of the Italian national rugby team will play host to a head-to-head battle for the 2010 crown between overall points leader Andrè Villa (NOR) and the reigning champion Nate Adams (USA). For the best FMX riders in the world, all roads lead to Rome…

ROME (ITALY). There can be no better location for the final event of an international tour which has visited five of the world’s most famous cities across three continents than the metropolis known for centuries as "caput mundi", the capital of the world, thanks to its role as the power centre of the almighty Roman Empire.

Now, more than 1500 years after the spectacular fall of the Empire, the city which has borne witness to so many gladiatorial battles is once again set to become the location for an all-or-nothing duel on two wheels.

After his victory at the penultimate stop of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 in London (GBR) in August, 18-year-old shooting star Levi "Rubber Kid" Sherwood (NZL) was tipped by many to go on and claim overall victory in a three-way battle against Villa and Adams in Rome.

However, in a cruel twist of fate Sherwood fell heavily at an event in Los Angeles in early September after inadvertently shifting into neutral between jumps, breaking his right femur and dislocating his left wrist.

The injury means that the most successful season in young New Zealander’s career has been brought to an early end.

Sherwood’s bad luck means that it will come down to a straight two-way shoot-out for the 2010 title. Andrè Villa has lead the way all year after triumphing at the season opener in Mexico City (MEX), but the Norwegian hasn’t won since and missed out on the chance to seal the title in London by finishing only ninth in the British capital.

Adams, on the other hand, hasn’t managed a single win all season, but his consistent performances around the globe mean the man from Arizona lies just five points behind Villa going into the season finale.

That means the situation in Rome couldn’t be simpler: whoever wins the personal battle between Villa and Adams becomes the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour Champion 2010.

With the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour set to touch down on Italian soil for the first time in the event’s ten-year history, the Stadio Flaminio has been sold out for weeks.

#	Rider	Nat	Bike	Mexico	Egypt	Russia	Spain	UK	Italy	Overall
01	Andre Villa	NOR	Yam YZ250	100	80	65	65	*20	–	310
02	Nate Adams	USA	Yam YZ250	80	65	80	*0	80	–	305
03	Levi Sherwood	NZL	Yam YZ250	*30	45	100	45	100	–	290
04	Robbie Maddison	AUS	Yam YZ250	65	55	45	100	*15	–	265
05	Adam Jones	USA	Yam YZ250	*25	100	30	35	45	–	210
	Dany Torres	ESP	KTM SX250	55	*0	35	55	65	–	210
07	Mat Rebeaud	SUI	KTM SX 250	–	*0	15	80	35	–	130
	Eigo Sato	JAP	Yam YZ250	35	35	55	5	*0	–	130
09	Jim McNeil	USA	Suz RM250	45	30	20	–	–	–	95
10	Mike Mason	USA	Yam YZ250	–	–	–	30	55	–	85
11	Cameron Sinclair	AUS	Yam YZ250	10	*0	25	15	30	–	80
12	Clinton Moore	AUS	Yam YZ250	–	–	–	–	25	–	25
	Maikel Melero	ESP	KTM SX250	–	–	–	25	–	–	25
	Libor Podmol	CZE	Suz RM250	–	25	–	–	–	–	25
15	Jackson Strong	AUS	KTM SX250	–	–	–	20	–	–	20
	Blake Williams	AUS	Hon CR250R	15	–	5	–	–	–	20
	Lance Coury	USA	Hon CR250	–	20	–	–	–	–	20
	Charles Pagès	FRA	Suz RM250	20	–	–	–	–	–	20
19	Daice Suzuki	JAP	Yam YZ250	–	15	–	–	–	–	15
20	Chris Birch	UK	KTM SX250	–	–	–	–	10	–	10
	Remi Bizouard	FRA	Yam YZ250	–	–	–	10	–	–	10
	Alex Kolesnikov	RUS	KTM SX250	–	–	10	–	–	–	10
	Petr Pilat	CZE	KTM SX250	–	10	–	–	–	–	10
24	Rob Adelberg	AUS	Yam YZ250	–	–	–	–	5	–	5
	Jeremy Stenberg	USA	Kaw KX450F	–	–	–	5	–	–	5
	Nick de Wit	RSA	KTM SX250	–	5	–	–	–	–	5
	Johan Nungaray	MEX	Yam YZ250	5	–	–	–	–	–	5