Turin, 19th February 2011: On Saturday evening, Turin witnessed a fierce contest for the first points of the FIM Freestyle MX World Championship. Twelve riders from six nations battled it out in front of a sell-out crowd at NIGHT of the JUMPs in the Palasport Olimpico. Following an absolutely flawless run incorporating the most difficult tricks, Remi Bizouard claimed victory in the Italian Grand Prix ahead of newcomer Javier Villegas.

There were no fewer than four freestyle 'Azzuros' lining up amongst the international FMX elite in the qualification stage. Massimo Bianconcini, Vanni Oddera, Miki Monti and Ivan Zucconi flipped their way into the hearts of their fellow countrymen, but not necessarily into the final. The only one to make it through was the veteran Bianconcini with an impressive third place in the preliminary round. Miki Monti may not have progressed further, but he still wrote his name into the record books: at the age of 45 years, he not only counts as the oldest rider ever to appear at NIGHT of the JUMPs but also performed the oldest backflip on the World Cup circuit.



Young bucks David Rinaldo, Maikel Melero and Javier Villegas completed almost perfect preliminary runs and deservedly made it through to the final. Joining them was Jose Miralles.



World Champion Libor Podmol missed out in sensational fashion after a fall in his last jump. Also left out in the cold was German rider Fabian Bauersachs who, despite a fine run, had to settle for seventh.

After qualifying was over, Jose Miralles won the Race & Style Contest. In the Maxxis Highest Air Contest, Maikel Melero edged out Massimo Bianconcini with an 8.10 metre jump.

The pressure of the final in front of 11,000 baying fans then got to some of the riders. Maikel Melero crashed spectacularly performing a Superman Seatgrab Flip in the double-up and David Rinaldo disappointed with a Dead Sailor. So the pair of them ended the evening in fifth and sixth positions respectively. Massimo Bianconcini was being urged on by his home crowd but, despite a good run and a new Cliffhanger Flip, he could not finish higher than fourth. Jose Miralles also made virtually no mistakes in his run, but unfortunately he was unable to cash in on the double-up and came third behind a strong Villegas. The Chilean rider excelled himself with an Underflip, Superman Seatgrab and Tsunami Flip, claiming the runner-up spot in only his second NIGHT of the JUMPs.



The plaudits in Turin deservedly go to Remi Bizouard who ran through a repertoire of Ruler Flip, Hart Attack Flip, 360 and Cliffhanger Flip to win the first round of the 2011 World Cup. He emphatically underscored his intention to reclaim the World Championship title he last won in 2008 and 2009.



In the FIM Freestyle MX World Championship, Remi Bizouard now holds the lead with 20 points ahead of Javier Villegas (18 points) and Jose Miralles (16 points). For the next two World Cup competitions on the weekend of 5th  6th March, the sky over Berlin will be closed to low-flying aircraft. That's when the FMX stars will be filling o2 World with yet more sound and fury, and Libor Podmol will be hoping to get his World Championship campaign back on track.