RedBull X Fighters Jam – Stellenbosch

By David Goodland

On Friday 26th of August 2011 Stellenbosch played host to the fifth and final round of the RedBull X Fighters Jam.  For those of you unfamiliar with FMX or what it stands for, Free Style Motorcross is dirt bike riding but with an X-treme twist.

Undisputed South African FMX champion “Sick Nick” De Wit, fellow South African FMX champ Dallon Goldman, and New Zealander Nick Franklin joined forces to produce one hell of a FMX showdown.  The FMX jump stretched over the RedBull stage where, afterwards, Jack Parow and Die Heuwels Fantasties performed.  The MC got the crowd pumped, RedBull was flowing, and a contagious energy was pumping throughout the event.

The demo area was packed like a tin of sardines, with the stadium and rugby field completely stacked with roaring fans. The riders were kitted out from head to toe with all the latest Fox gear; “Sick Nick” and his posse started to warm up with some clean airs just to feel things out.

For the massive crowd it was amazing to see these guys just float through the sky with tremendous ease and poise. Even though the jump stretched across the entire RedBull stage, spanning a distance of half the length of a rugby field, they launched themselves with such precision that I bet the organizers could have easily doubled the distance of the jump.

Having decided that this was a ‘piece of cake’, “Sick Nick” popped a massive back flip which got the crowd so amped it was insane. Seriously, if you weren’t there you have no idea! Watching FMX on Youtube just doesn’t prepare a person for how mind blowing it is to watch it in real life. You sit there, and you watch this stuntman as he boosts himself over the entire RedBull truck; makeshift stage complete with drum set, a 50inch LCD monitor and a couple of DJ’s - It’s just EPIC!

On “Sick Nick’s” 8th back flip in a row, he was about 10 meters above the DJ booth, upside down and travelling at crazy speeds. In that moment there is no margin for error, lose your concentration for one second and it’s going to be a huge FAIL! - I don’t know whether it was the 6 RedBulls I had drank earlier, or if it was the FMX carnage that ensued, but seriously, my heart nearly stopped. I have to say that FMX is just mental!

I caught up with “Sick Nick” and Kiwi rider Nick Franklin to hear about their South African experience and FMX riding in general.

Sick Nick, you’re epic man, you really put on a great show tonight. You got everyone amped! So what amps you up before you ride?
Well just riding actually. I love riding; it’s what I do and what I’ve grown up doing. For me its fun, it’s not a job, it’s not a chore, it’s just going out there and riding for an awesome crowd like tonight!

What has been your most memorable experience so far at the RedBull X Fighters Jams?
Egypt! I had a big crash and that sucked, but just the location was, WOW! - Next to the pyramids and in front of the Sphinx. It’s a feeling that I can’t explain, something that will stay with me forever.

Did you injure yourself in that crash at all?
Well I was lucky enough to not injure myself too badly. I hit my head and got a little dizzy, but besides that just a few scratches… so I was OK.

The helmet must have helped hey?
Well, haha, I broke that…

Sheesh, that’s hectic. So what’s your favorite stunt to perform?
Well there’s a whole bunch, but I really like the back flip. It’s a good ol’ fun trick, hanging there upside down… like for 10 meters, sooo yeah that’s one of the best ones.

That brings me to the next question, midway through a back flip, what’s running through your mind?
Well pretty much in the beginning it’s all just a blur, and you’re like… ‘aaah I hope I land it’. But now it’s so dialed that when you go for it you’re looking around, watching the guy behind you, you’re concentrating but just taking it chilled.

Do you have any inspirational words for the upcoming youngsters?
Guys go out and have fun. Pretty much just learn to ride a bike properly. Go ride around on a motor cross track, and just have a good time riding and then it will come to you.

Interview with New Zealander Nick Franklin

How long have you been riding?
I’ve been riding dirt bikes for almost 20 years, and I’ve been riding freestyle for almost 10 years.

How you do you like South Africa so far?
Actually, really, really, really liking South Africa. I’ve been here for about a week and a half. I’ve mainly just been hanging out with Nick De Wit, which has been cool. I really like Cape Town; it’s quite scenic compared to Jo’burg. I went up Table Mountain and that was awesome! I’m going shark cage diving tomorrow so I’m assuming that’s going to be amazing, oh and I ate a crocodile which was pretty cool.

What has been your favourite demo here in South Africa?
This one was really good, the vibe was just super. It’s awesome when you get a big crowd like tonight, all the university kids and loads of young people who are all really hyped.

Well yeah we’re all really hyped, myself included. Have you ever learned any tricks into a foam pit?
Yeah, well I learned the long flip into a foam pit. I could already do short flips. I guess that’s it really. But most of the flip tricks I learned were straight onto dirt. Because you know foam pits, they really hurt man, especially when you’re going like 50 kilometers an hour into a dead stop into the foam pit. So yeah it hurts!  But being safe is better than landing upside down on the ground.

Speaking of hurting yourself, have you broken any bones? 
Yeah, well I’ve broken over 20 bones.

Wow, Respect! What is the longest wheelie that you’ve ever done?
Probably last year, we were in Qatar doing some desert riding with a KTM 450. I could always do stand up wheelies pretty well, so on the straight desert plain I was doing standup wheelies for like 2 minutes long, in 5th gear. Yeah probably going like 100 km’s an hour. I’ve never done it before and I’ve never done it since. You get to a point and you just sit there so easily. It was just really fun!

What’s the next big stunt you want to learn?
Ah there’s a bunch of stuff. I really want to do seat grab back flips, it’s an old trick but I’ve actually never done it so I really want to do it. But with our schedule, you know we’re riding demo’s forever in Europe and we’re really busy, so we really don’t get a lot of time to practise. Everyone thinks that we’re practising the whole day, but nah we maybe practise like once a month; we’re just on the road so much. Belgium doesn’t exactly have the best weather, so when you do get a chance to practice it’s probably going to be windy.

Does being an FMX rider give you any cred with the ladies?
HAHAHAHA, yeah man of course it does. I have a girlfriend right, so I’m not in a position to make the most of it. But yeah definitely man, the ladies love it!

Thanks for the interview Nick and I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in S.A.