Preparations for Red Bull X-Fighters, to take place on 14 September in Madrid, are in full swing. Both program and television broadcasting arrangements for Europe’s biggest and best-established freestyle motocross event have now been finalized.

Freestyle motocross (FMX) meets bullfighting:
on 14 September, Las Ventas—Spain’s largest and most important bullfighting arena—will host Red Bull X-Fighters for the fifth time. The contest before 23,000 spectators is viewed as the classic European event for the young, exciting FMX scene: a high-powered starting lineup meets the most action-packed program and the most intense media interest.

The riders: Everyone against Travis
The elite of freestyle motocrossers will catapult themselves and their 250cc machines off ramps and through Las Ventas, performing tricks that defy gravity and drive the fans to ecstasy. The invitees represent the absolute crème de la crème from four continents.
Travis Pastrana (USA/ age 22) comes to Madrid as the big favorite. The superstar of the FMX scene won in Las Ventas in 2004, and his recent double backflip at the X Games proved beyond a doubt that he’s in fantastic form. His biggest challenger is thought to be Nate Adams (USA / age 22), who has already beaten Pastrana several times and left the ring in triumph at last year’s Las Ventas event. Mat Rebeaud (CH/ age 24) is Europe’s great hope—with some justification, as he proved this past March with his victory at Red Bull X-Fighters in Mexico City. Routinier Ronnie Renner (USA / age 29) has also had his name inscribed on the list of winners: he won Red Bull X-Fighters 2005 in Mexico City. Andre Villa (NOR / age 24) is, along with Fredrik Johansson (SWE / age 27) and local rider Dani Torres (ESP / age 19), among the European FMX talents with the most potential for a surprise. The starting lineup also includes Robbie Maddison (AUS / age 25) and Eigo Sato (JAP / age 27), the two best freestylers from Australia and Asia. And finally, reserve rider Remi Bizouard (FRA / age 20) will be waiting in the wings for his chance: if any of the planned participants should be injured, Remi will have the biggest opportunity of his career to date!


The program: rider against rider for the first time
The gates of Las Ventas open on 14 September at 7:00 pm. The spectators will then have two hours’ time to get psyched up for the event … and experience has shown that this time always gets put to good use! At 9:00 pm, the event begins with the entrance of the “motoreros.” The winner is determined in two rounds: in round one, the riders compete in five pairs, determined the day before in a series of qualification jumps. The riders’ first-round appearances consist of two minutes each, in which they must pull off better tricks than their adversaries-the winners of the five duels are admitted to the final round. There, each rider has three minutes’ time to convince the jury that, on this night, he’s better than the rest.

The broadcasts: live in over 15 countries
As in years past, media interest in Red Bull X-Fighters is enormous. More than 15 media stations will broadcast live from Madrid on 14 September. In five countries, X-Fighters will even be broadcast live in cinemas. Post-event features on the great jump event in the bullfighting arena are expected in nearly 25 countries. The event will also be viewable live on the Internet, at

http://www.redbullxfighters.com.

A live ticker and the opportunity to ask questions during the broadcast guarantee comprehensive online reporting on Europe’s hottest freestyle night.