Say what you will about Ken Block and the Monster Rally Team's performance in the World Rally Championship, when it comes to the 100 Acre Wood Rally, Block has cleaned house. Again.
Taking place in Salem, Missouri the 100 Acre Wood Rally is the second event in the Rally America National Championship and we suspect it is one of his favourite venues on his rally calendar. Why? Because he's just chalked up another win there - as he has done every year since 2006.
This brief video, filmed by a fan in one of the spectator areas, shows that all that practise (see his 100 Acre training video here) has paid off. Block is giving his new Fiesta HFHV (Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle) the full beans - enough to start an impromptu shower - of gravel...
Nobody said that freestyle motocross was easy. Even UK professional FMX stunt performer and three-times British FMX Champion Jamie Squibb has his off days. However, this particular bad day in the office led to a brief spell in hospital...
This video, filmed by DC Shoes and released a few days ago, follows Jamie and team-mate Andre Villa as they make their yearly excursion to a FMX track in Torrevieja in the south of Spain. What was started as a practise session ends abruptly around the 2:00 minute mark after Jamie hesitates on a take-off ramp and lands badly.
Still, for someone who has managed to break the 3rd vertebrae in their back, Squibb seems surprisingly chipper as he explains the cause of the accident later on in the vid.
If you want to wish Jamie a 'get well soon', you can follow him on his official Twitter page. But we'll also do it here - get well soon, Jamie!
Its rare to see the dawn of a new era. To witness the start of a revolution. The new Fox Instinct boot is packed with new technology and fresh thinking to completely change what you will desire from an MX boot.
Developed over the course of three years, prototypes of the Instinct boots have been put through their paces by Chief Tester Ricky Carmichael with input from Chad Reed and the Geico Honda team. The result not only looks fantastic but is a significant leap over all that went before it. Designed completely new from the ground up, there is much more to this Pro level boot than the athletic shoe-inspired looks and asymmetric design...
The most innovative new feature is the addition of a heel hinge - a device that allows a huge range of motion for your feet but with an in-built stop to prevent you over-extending your ankle. The flexibility is enhanced further with the addition of aluminium buckles fastened by easy-to-operate ball and socket joint closure. These beauties will keep the boot secure without creating fixed pressure points.
This flexibility, Fox claims, means the Instinct won't need to be broken in like other boots. They'll be super comfortable straight out of the box.
Elsewhere, the Instinct has been treated to Fox's new Duratac technology. This super grippy compound has been applied to the multi-density soles so they will stick to the peg, as well as act as the heat guard inside the boot. This is while retaining the durability to deal with the punishment an MX boot is demanded to take.
So, the Fox Instinct offers a sick design, cutting edge tech and offer feel you never thought possible. The only challenge is going to be keeping the limited edition white and red boots clean after a blast in the dirt!
FOX INSTINCT MX BOOT
Leather boot with TPU protective details and fox logos, Duratac heatguard
Shin protection guard
Heel hinge for unparallelled movement
Ball and socket buckle fasteners
Sticky, multi-density Duratac shoe. Durable and super grippy
Wicking materials inside boot
Flexible fresh from the box with no need to break in!
Until recently, rally driving was about sitting in some
damp shrubs in Finland, waiting for a half-second flash of a Citroen to fly
past and soak you to your skin.
Well, DiRT Showdown is kind of like rallying –
if you injected Monster Energy into its eyes, set it on fire and threw it through
a window to a background of fireworks and pounding dubstep. So no – it may not
be one for the purists. What DiRT Showdown WILL offer is some of the most
frenzied and accessible arcade-style, action-sport racers you’ve seen,
delivered by one of the foremost racing game developers in the world,
Codemasters. Take a look...
With a career mode that will take you to a variety of locations around the world, including Miami, London and Tokyo, DiRT Showdown will offer three main styles of heart-pumping action:
Racing – Flat out speed events made even more exciting with the addition, or rather removal, of rules; nitrous-injected vehicles, full-contact racing and courses filled with obstacles, short-cuts and ramps
Demolition Derby – taking advantage of Codemasters’ renowned EGO engine, the destructive demolition derby-themed events will push the acclaimed damage modelling to its limits in spectacular fashion.
Hoonigan Events – Created by hoon overlord Ken Block and refined into what is known as Gymkhana, the Hoonigan events throws off any chains of restriction; let loose into a free-roaming, freestyle stunt park, players can tear through compounds, tackling obstacles, taking on challenges, performing trick runs and entering competitive stunt events.
DiRT Showdown also offers a wealth of multiplayer and online connection options – split-screen events, eight player multiplayer, YouTube integration and even the chance to throw down the gauntlet to your pals by issuing Showdown Challenges.
Competing in these high-octane events will be an eclectic range of vehicles. Not just Ken Block’s new HFHV Ford Fiesta but a mix of bespoke and licensed vehicles such as saloon and muscle cars, pick-up trucks, and vans – even hearses to pull stunts in and smash into pieces.
Offering more than 50 raw, unsanctioned events in a variety of conditions (sun, snow, night and rain) in iconic locations like you have never seen them before, DiRT Showdown will be the most pyrotechnic, adrenaline-filled addition to the DiRT series to date!
DiRT Showdown will be released on 25 May for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Red Bull and Unit MTB rider Andreu Lacondeguy is one of an exclusive group of Freeride mountain bike athletes - just one of three riders who have landed a Double Backflip on a mountain bike in a competition and the first to land a Backflip from a snow-covered big air ramp.
Nicknamed Lacon or Little Mexican (although born in Barcelona), Andreu is a firm favourite with fans for his wild riding and reckless style as well as being able to happily turn his hand to BMX, Downhill and Motocross.
After seeing this vid, it's little wonder he's got a string of dirt jump competition victories under his belt - Lacon is crazy 24-7!
For those of you who don't know already, allow us to give you a bit of background. Last year, Aussie pro BMXer Dane Searls teamed up with Unit Clothing to create an event called Giants of Dirt - effectively, the largest BMX dirt jumps in the world.
Built in Searls' hometown of Queensland (in fact, on the farm of fellow Unit rider Matt Schubring), the series of ramps - a 32 foot, 35 foot and massive 60 foot jump - were constructed to push the boundaries of what was capable on a BMX and up the game of the competition scene, something Dane felt wasn't progressing.
Despite many setbacks and the need to rebuild them numerous times, Dane managed to nail all the jumps at the end of last year.
Tragically, just two days after completing the momumental stunts, Searls was involved in an unrelated accident where he suffered fatal head injuries. He passed away 25 November 2011.
This video, dedicated to Dane, shows his best friend Josh Stead attempting the largest, 60ft jump and help seal Searls' legacy proving what could be achieved on a BMX.
Be sure to watch the other Giants of Dirt videos to learn more; part 1, part 2 and part 3
The Supercross race at Dallas over the weekend may have finished on a sour note for Chad Reed, whose accident trying to snatch the lead from Villopoto led to two broken ribs, a broken veterbra, broken tibia and fibula and a torn ligament (putting him out of action for at least a year) but at least it started with a bang!
Good old K-Dub - we can always count on him to pull an increasingly outrageous jump before the start of a race and this sick 110ft transfer jump is pretty huge even by Windham's standards. He may not be threatening the front runners for points at this stage, but he sure knows how to get the crowd behind him...
Last month we had a call from the Diversity Dance Troupe asking if we could hook them up with some gear for a new TV show. They wanted some One Industries gloves and flat peaks for a slick new dance. We then had an email come through this morning with a link to the video, check it!
The first half dozen laps of the 2012 AMA Supercross at Arlington, Texas was showing all the signs of an epic battle between current championship leader Ryan Villopoto and TwoTwo Motorsport owner/rider Chad Reed.
Sitting comfortably behind Villopoto and riding confidently, Reed was pushing so hard he was forcing Villopoto into making mistakes. All he needed to do was bide his time and snatch the lead. Ironically, a mis-judged landing in the rhythm section of the 7th lap saw Reed land badly on his front wheel and flip the handlebars, causing himself enough damage to have to retire from the rest of the race.
Since the race, we have been following his Twitter page and learned he has been for an MRI scan on his left knee, chest and kidneys. Whether he will have the ability to compete in the rest of the championship remains to be seen.
UPDATE 21/2/12: From Chad's Twitter page - "Well I spent the day in the hospital yesterday here's the damage..
2 broken ribs, broken spinous T6. Torn ACL and fractured tib fib.."
Enough to put him out of action for the remainder of the 2012 AMA SX, sadly. Get well soon, Chad!
The etnies Brake is the first shoe ever made specifically for brakeless BMX riding! Nathan Williams worked closely with the design team to create, the Brake, exactly what he and all the brakeless BMX riders need. The Brake is a cupsole with a more durable rubber on the toe and heel of the outsole so the rider doesn’t wear through it. This BMX-specific outsole features a herringbone step pattern designed to grip pedals, but also releases when needed without tearing.
A dense EVA shank in the midsole arch provides extra protection from the pedals without sacrificing pedal feel, while softer EVA on the toe and heel provide extra flexibility and comfort. It also has a triple-stitched overlay toe for durability and an STI Foam Level 1 cushioning footbed for support.
As Nathan has been involved with the design of this shoe it made sense to get him his own signature colorway of the Brake.
While some would question whether this is the first time this trick has ever been pulled off, this is certainly the first time a 720 Double Tailwhip has been caught on camera.
The honour goes to Vans-sponsored BMXer Daniel Sandoval. The Californian rider has been cleaning up at competitions over the last year for his outrageous moves and already nailed the world's first 720 Whip to Bars at the 2011 Vans Rebel Jam competition.
This time, at the 2011 FISE (Festival International Sports Extreme) competition in Costa Rica, he laid claim to another first. His celebration suggests he's pretty stoked about it too...
We all wish real life was a lot more like the first box but we're all much more likely to be stuck in the mud. Such is the actual life of your everyday Motocross rider...
After dominating the 2011 World Supersport Championship, Welsh rider Chaz Davies hopes to repeat his performance when he steps up to the big league for the World Superbike Championship in 2012. Riding for the ParkinGo Team, Davies may be ready to race while on the track, but UK action sports retailer FreestyleXtreme is proud to announce that it will be helping him look on form away from the circuit too.
In 2011, Davies had the Supersport Championship comfortably in his hands, winning half the races in the season and finishing on the podium for eight of the twelve races. Only an unfortunate mechanical breakdown at Imola prevented his 50 point lead of David Salom at the end of the championship being even greater.
Adding the 2011 BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year award to his many achievements, Chaz has been racing motorcycles since he was eight years old; he was the youngest winner of a British Championship race, youngest ever rider to compete a full season of GP Motorcycle racing and youngest ever rider to score World Championship points. Having only just celebrated his 25th birthday, he will be entering the World Superbike Championship in 2012 against huge names such as Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa and Eugene Laverty.
Since 2003, FreestyleXtreme.com has been dedicated to bringing customers the largest range of action sports inspired clothing in Europe, selling casual wear, helmets and racing kit from the likes of Alpinestars, Fox, DC Shoes, One Industries, etnies shoes and many more. More than just a retailer, FreestyleXtreme has continually encouraged motorsport and action sports athletes and happily count Chaz Davies as one of their ‘style ambassadors’.
"With my first World Superbike Championship soon to start, it’s great to know I can count on the support of FreestyleXtreme. Their huge range of clothing and shoes will help keep me looking sharp whenever I’m not racing," says Davies.
That GoPro camera on James Stewart's helmet is both a blessing and a curse - poor Bubba seems to be eating dirt nearly every race this season! It may not be good for his standings in the 2012 Supercross season, but it sure as hell makes for some great footage!
Towards the end of the video of the main event at San Diego, you can see how close Stewart runs alongside the Tuff Blocks and ultimately, those big old blocks of foam proved to be his eventual undoing - not helped, of course, by the fact that his race pants got caught up on his bike and he needed to be cut free.
It's another tough break for Stewart, but all is not lost - fingers crossed for a better result in Texas!
Remember a couple of months back we asked you for questions to interview Twitch? Well, we caught up with him and asked a bunch of your questions, check out the full interview below!
FSX: Why did you choose FMX and not another sport? Twitch: It was something that I did for fun and ended up getting paid to do what I love
FSX: When do you plan to come back? Are you working on a new trick? Twitch: I'm back now riding and having fun. Currently not working on anything new.
FSX: Do you sponsor/help young talents by any chance? Twitch: Yes. This year I co-founded Riders Above Dirt which puts on a scouting fmx event/contest for new and up coming athletes each year.
FSX: Which other riders make you want to do your best and beat them? Twitch: All of them!
FSX: How do you feel after leaving Mulisha as there were several changes in the sponsors? Twitch: Great! It was the best move I ever made. Famous has really let me be myself and they support me in everything I do. I also switched to Monster Energy and I couldn't be happier.
FSX: Who does your ink? Twitch: I have a few guys. Mike Spazbo does the most. (http://www.spazbo.com/)
FSX: With everything and everyone progressing so quickly, what motivates you to keep pushing so hard with new tricks? Twitch: There's no better feeling than to be one of the top guys. That's always my goal.
FSX: Are 4 strokes the way forward, or would you rather ride a 2 stroke? Twitch: 4 strokes are where all the new technology is going it's what I like to ride the most. I was one of the first fmx guys to ever compete and ride a 4 stroke.
FSX: What would you like to do after you stop riding? Twitch: I'm currently working on creating companies in my industry so that I can stay doing what I love when I'm ready to retire. I'm also racing off road trucks and making a slow transition into that sport. My first year I won the superlite class championship.
FSX: What's your favourite cheese? Twitch: Cash money
FSX: What’s the story with Dirt Bike Kids? Twitch: It's a moto gear brand that I created with David Drey of JT Racing. It will be in stores worldwide August 1st.
FSX: Our Twitch Famous Stars and straps range has been flying out the door, what’s the plan for the range in the future? Twitch: To keep making it bigger and better!
That's a wrap folks, and if you'd like to get your hands on some of the fresh new Twitch gear, hit the site up!
What happens when Fox Racing start following UCI Mountain Bike World Champion Danny Hart and MX2 Champion Ken Roczen around with a camera? It seems the pair clearly know how to spend a great day off – we’re sure neither could resist the chance to swap jobs for a day!
So, how does Hart fare on an MX bike and how does Roczen cope using just pedal power? Watch and see...
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, held yearly at the historic Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, is considered by many as the world’s greatest celebration of car culture. That’s not to say that there isn’t a huge amount of love for two-wheeled and self-powered transport too. Introduced in 2011, the Festival of Speed unveiled the GAS (Goodwood Action Sports) arena – the first live action sports area of its kind showcased in the UK.
Last year, GAS attracted the likes of Red Bull stunt rider Robbie Maddison, pro BMXer Kye Forte, trials cyclist Danny MacAskill and World Trials Champion Dougie Lampkin who demonstrated their skills for the crowd over some specially-made ramps. Lampkin also had the unique opportunity to explore Goodwood on his bike too..
We’re expecting even bigger things for 2012 – and hopefully not DC’s Ken Block stuffing it into the hay bales like he has threatened to do in the past…
Pro boarder and reality TV star Rob Dyrdek is no stranger to
danger himself; don’t forget, this is the guy who helped create and ride the
world’s largest skateboard (over 36 foot long in case you were interested) and
performed a 360 flip behind the wheel of a Chevy Sonic.
So, Dyrdek is the perfect host for MTV’s viral video
compilation show, Ridiculousness. Rounding up some of the sickest accidents,
stupid stunts and downright daft behaviour caught on tape, Dyrdek and a select
of guest stars (including Johnny Knoxville, Travis Pastrana and the late Ryan
Dunn) will analyse some of the more unfortunate mishaps and maybe watch a few
of them in super slow motion fro good measure.
Ridiculousness launches on MTV UK tonight 13/2/12 at
10:30pm. Oh, and you’ll notice Dyrdek rocking some sweet DC threads too…
Check out Freestyle Motocross star and X Games medal winner Myles Richmond pulling a few tricks for the camera for a new Shift photoshoot. This video doesn’t just feature huge whips; it also gives us a closer look at some of the awesome Shift 2012 Racewear such as the Strike Zero and Faction Camo MX Kits, including Jerseys, Gloves and Pants. Take a look!
The fifth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, Anaheim 2 in California might be most memorable as Ryan Villopoto became the first of the four front-runners to secure their second victory of the season. Red Bull Yamaha rider James ‘Bubba’ Stewart might remember it differently after rubbing his bruised ribs.
After setting some of the fastest lap times in the practise sessions, Stewart looked like he was on a roll after his victory in Oakland. This was quickly turned on its head during one of the heat races, where a slight mis-timing in the rhythm section sent him crashing down hard. With the wind truly knocked out of his sails, it was questioned whether Bubba was even able to compete in the final qualifier, let alone the race.
Proving that it will take more than battered ribs and a damaged wrist can stop him, Stewart even managed to battle his way to a podium finish, just behind Villopoto. Speaking after the race, Stewart explains his crash; “I just wheel-tapped [the crest of a whoops] and over jumped it a little bit. I hit hard on the third one, slammed down and my hand came off. I was hanging on from there and it knocked the wind outta me pretty good, hurt my wrists and ribs. But for the main event I wanted to just salvage as many points as I could.”
Being a professional MX rider isn’t a job that comes without risks. In fact, being a completely fearless thrill seeker is a compulsory requirement. So, that many other riders consider that MSRrider Kevin ‘K-Dub’ Windham a ‘bit of a nutter’ must really say something! Case in point being the opening ceremony at Anaheim Stadium for Round 5 of the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship; while most competitors use the rider introductions before a race as a chance to show off to the crowd, none take it quite as far as him.
Windham has gained a reputation for pulling off some sick jumps but this 100 foot transfer shows that he’ll go above and beyond to impress his fans! We salute you, K-Dub!
As Promised, the first Nitro Circus the Movie 3D Trailer! Travis Pastrana and the whole Nitro Circus crew are back together in a truly
LEPICDARY (epic n' legendary) action packed 3D film. Expect the
impossible, ridiculous, insane, hysterical, and purely awesome! Coming
to you in 3D, it will fee like you are riding shotgun with the crew.
We
get a boatload of questions every day asking when the movie will be
released. In truth, we don't have a definitive release date yet but
we're getting closer. We hope it will be released sometime in the
coming summer but the exact date still needs to be decided by the
distributor. We are happy to say that 100% of the movie has been filmed
and we're deep in to post production, editing, etc. We can't wait to
show everybody the finished product because we have captured the biggest
and best stunts we have ever attempted. Stay tuned-in to our Facebook,
Twitter, and website for updates. Thanks for your patience; we think
it's going to be worth the wait!
Here we'll be bringing you all the latest news from the Motocross world, MTB, FMX, Action Sports, our sponsored riders, our brands, and anything else worth chatting about!
