The excitement just minutes before the beginning of the Moto X Big Air competition could have rivaled that of any of the NBA Finals games, which were held on the same floor. The seats were filled, the air thick with exhaust and darkness took over as AC/DC's "Hells Bells" filled the First Union Center. It was time for everyone to see just how mental the Moto X riders on hand really are.
First up was one of the sickest individuals walking around today. Carey Hart, the inventor of the Hart Attack and the frist person to complete a backflip, also known as the "Hart Breaker", was going all or nothing right off the bat. Hart had spent the past 20 minutes refining the angle of the Step Up ramp with friend T.J. Lavin. At that point, if you didn't know what was up, you should have been watching another sport.
Hart descended the ramp for a test run and then came back for the real thing. He hit the jump, launched straight up and yanked his 212 pound hog over his head. As he was inverted his right hand lost the handle and he threw the bike away. He crashed hard on the flat of the landing as people rushed to attend to him. After about 10 minutes he was carried out by friends and attendants. He ended up with broken metatarsals (bones in the foot), a couple of broken ribs and a bruised tailbone. As these guys all know though, if you want to take it to the next level, you have to be willing to take a few knocks.
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| Carey Hart in mid-backflip attempt. |
Travis Pastrana, who's deep in the middle of all the competition Backflip madness, voiced his opinion after the event. "He didn't get it, but Carey definitely set the tone for the rest of the night. He will be back up riding though, not to worry."
The tone was set and each round got progressively more intense. Kenny Bartram secured the win though with a Shaolin to Sterilizer in the second round, earning him a 94.67. "I knew that I had to do something new, since the Backflip wasn't landed. So I just went for it all. I never expected to win this thing." he later said.
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| Kenny Bartram going into the Shaolin to Sterilizer. |
Right on his tail was Mad Mike Jones who laid it down with a fully extended Nothing to Superman. The judges were not impressed though and only awarded him a 90.67. Mike was visibly upset with the judges and on his final run, he threw out a huge Kiss of Death to no hander lander. The crowd was up for it and the judges gave him a 94.00, but that was only good enough for fourth.
Metal Mulisha man, Brian Deegan came out with guns blazing in the final round, throwing a double grab Militia Mark to no hander lander. After nailing down third place he threw his bike back down the runway as the fans gave it up for him.
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| Deegan does not need hands to ride. |
Second place went to Dustin Miller, who was the most consistent rider through all the rounds, never scoring under 93.33. He went for it in the final round with a switch grab, Can-Can, for which he was rewarded a 94.00.
Clifford Adoptante looked to be in the mix, but could not get the no hander lander on his Nothing Cat Walk. Had he landed that, things on the podium might have looked a bit different.
So the first Moto X Big Air event of the X Games is over, and no one can yet lay claim to a completely clean Backflip in a competition. Carey Hart is at that level, having completed the loop but washing out the landing a bit last year. There were also rumors that at least 4 other riders in attendance the X Games were considering the feat, had Hart landed safely. Only time will tell how Moto X progresses from here.
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