2013 Freestyle Motocross European Championship
The second half of a NIGHT of the JUMPs double bill in Hamburg also constituted the final round of this year’s Freestyle MX European Championship. And taking the overall win once again this season was David Rinaldo.
Ten FMX riders from six different countries locked horns at o2 World in a battle for the European title. Nick Franklin from New Zealand stepped in as a last-minute replacement for the injured Chris Brock. Riding a borrowed bike, he finished the evening’s contest in tenth place.
Local heroes Kai Haase and Hannes Ackermann put on a better show than the day before, with the latter once again showing off his Cliffhanger Flip, but neither of them was able to progress further up the standings. Haase came ninth while at one point it looked as if Ackermann’s run might just see him through to the final, but he ultimately missed out again in eighth. Maikel Melero seemed not to have released the handbrake on his run, so he likewise went out in the preliminary round.
Brody Wilson from the USA improved on Friday’s performance, actually qualifying this time in fifth, to join five finalists from the previous day: Podmol, Rinaldo, Izzo, Miralles and Red Bull rider Torres. The judges were not willing to rate Torres any higher than third on the basis that his qualifying run of Paris Hilton Backflip, Lazyflip, Tsunami Flip, Oxecutioner Flip, Cliffhanger Flip and Doublegrab Flip included “too many rotations” under the new rules.
Brody Wilson once again picked up the trophy in the Rockwell Time Whip contest, while Jose Miralles prevailed over X Games medal-winner Libor Podmol in a breathtaking Maxxis Highest Air contest, clearing the bar at 8.7 metres.
The final showdown on this occasion also doubled as the deciding match in the FMX European Championship. It was mathematically possible for either Libor Podmol or Brice Izzo to claim the crown if they could beat Rinaldo on the night by a margin of five places. Both mustered every single trick in their extensive repertoires. However, Rinaldo hit back with a great run culminating in a Doublegrab Backflip, which was not only adjudged the winning performance on the night but also secured him the 2013 European title.
Brody Wilson came good with a strong final run to finish as Saturday’s runner-up, despite the fact that a streaker forced an interruption to proceedings after his fifth jump. Brody didn’t let the incident affect his concentration and went on to complete his run after a short break. Friday’s overall winner Dany Torres made an error on his first jump (Hart Attack Flip over the Kicker) which more or less ruled him out of contention. Despite going on to perform some decent tricks for the 8,000 fans in the Hamburg arena, he had to settle for sixth place.
So when the Euro points were finally totted up, Podmol finished as runner-up to Rinaldo, with Brice Izzo in third. The best-placed of the German contingent was Hannes Ackermann in fifth.
NIGHT of the JUMPs resumes on the weekend of 21st/22nd June in Basel, with the Sankt Jakobshalle once again providing the venue for the Swiss Grand Prix of the FIM Freestyle MX World Championship.
2013 NIGHT of the JUMPS Freestyle MX European Championship Round 5 Results:
1. David Rinaldo FRA, Yamaha – 397 Points
2. Brody Wilson USA, Honda – 387 Points
3. Libor Podmol CZE, Yamaha – 372 Points
4. Brice Izzo FRA, Yamaha – 371 Points
5. Jose Miralles ESP, KTM – 346 Points
6. Dany Torres ESP, KTM – 228 Points
Results Qualification:
1. Libor Podmol CZE, Yamaha – 349 Points
2. David Rinaldo FRA, Yamaha – 336 Points
3. Dany Torres ESP, KTM – 331 Points
4. Brice Izzo FRA, Yamaha – 331 Points
5. Brody Wilson USA, Honda – 325 Points
6. Jose Miralles ESP, KTM – 325 Points
7. Maikel Melero ESP, KTM – 310 Points
8. Hannes Ackermann GER, KTM – 308 Points
9. Kai Haase GER, Suzuki – 271 Points
10. Nick Franklin NZL, KTM – 257 Points
Results ROCKWELL Time Whip Contest:
1. Brody Wilson, USA – Honda
2. Dany Torres, ESP – KTM
Maxxis Highest Air:
1. Jose Miralles, ESP, 8,70 Meter
2. Kai Haase, GER, 8,50 Meter
3. Libor Podmol, CZE, 6,50 Meter
Freestyle MX European Championships Ranking (after 5th contest):
1. David Rinaldo: FRA, Yamaha, 90 Points
2. Libor Podmol: CZE, Yamaha, 80 Points
3. Brice Izzo: FRA, Yamaha, 78 Points
4. Jose Miralles: ESP, KTM, 60 Points
5. Hannes Ackermann: GER, KTM, 51 Points
6. Dany Torres: ESP, KTM, 50 Points
7. Maikel Melero: ESP, KTM, 29 Points
8. Brody Wilson: USA, Honda, 27 Points
9. Petr Pilat: CZE, KTM, 24 Points
10. Kai Haase: GER, Suzuki, 16 Points
11. Martin Koren: CZE, KTM, 17 Points
12. Massimo Bianconcini: ITA, KTM, 17 Points
