The best Freestyle Motocross riders in the world will be in Poland for the second time in the sport’s history on Saturday, August 6, 2011 after their debut in the country in 2008 (Warsaw). The tension is building ahead of the fifth stop of the six-stage 2011 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour and Poznan could prove to be the decisive stage in the battle for the most prestigious FMX trophy.

POZNAN (Poland) – Andre Villa (NOR) is atop the standings after the first four events thanks to his three podiums but he is clinging to a mere five point lead over two-time Tour winner Nate Adams (USA). There will be another 100 points up for grabs for the winner of the season’s penultimate event in Poznan. “It’s pure excitement,” the 29-year-old Norwegian said. “None of the riders have been able to break away at the top. So everything is still possible and there are still a lot of very good riders in the battle.”

The reason that the stop in Poland could be more hard-fought than ever before is that one top FMX rider is returning to action after recovering from injuries: Mat Rebeaud (SUI) will be back in the air in the giant stadium with a capacity of 40,000 that will also be used for the 2012 European soccer championships. Also back for action in the City Stadium after missing out in the last stop in the bullring in Madrid due to various ailments will be Nate Adams (USA) and Eigo Sato (JPN).

Dany Torres (ESP), who won in Madrid as well as the season opener in Dubai (UAE), is feeling the pressure. “I’ve got a chance to jump to the top,” he said. “But if any of the riders makes even the smallest mistake now it could ruin a whole year’s of hard work.”

The stadium, which was reconstructed for the Euro 2012 soccer tournament, is in western Poland on the Warta River. It’s been converted into an arena for the world’s best FMX riders. Poznan is located on the crossroads of western Poland and is just 250 kilometers from Germany’s capital, Berlin. After Poznan, the season’s grande finale takes place on September 27, 2011 in Sydney – the first time the Red Bull X-Fighters will be in Australia. Josh Sheehan (AU) is confident the title fight will go down to the wire in his home country: “The season will be decided at the very end at home in Australia.”

Interim results (after 4 of 6 events): 1. Villa (NOR/270 points), 2. Adams (USA/265), 3. Torres (ESP/245), 4. Williams (AUS/215), 5. Maddison (AUS/160), 6. Sheehan (AUS/130)

Starting list Poznan (Poland): Nate Adams (USA), Beau Bamburg (USA), Dany Torres (ESP), Adam Jones (USA), Andre Villa (NOR), Josh Sheehan (AUS), Mat Rebeaud (SUI), Eigo Sato (JPN), Blake Williams (AUS), Petr Pilat (CZE), Jackson Strong (AUS), Maikel Melero (ESP)