Linz 2008, 2008-03-03


The first Masters of Dirt trip to Linz, left the little town shaken.

When Europe’s Best Indoor Freestyle Show hit the Intersport Arena in Linz, the crowd went nuts. Singing, chanting and clapping along as if it was a rock concert. The tight arena made for an intense atmosphere and kept the riders on their toes.

From the qualifying, through the whip and spine chilling synchro sessions and right up to the end of the final, it seemed more like we were in Italy than Upper Austria. The Italian DaBoot crew of Massimo Bianconcini and Alvaro dal Farra were on top form and took the top honours in every part of the show. Dal Farra winning the Qualifying, Whip and Final, with his compadre finishing runner up in both FMX events and partnering him as the most impressive Synchro team on display.

The man that looked like a sure winner early on in the show, was Japanese charger Eigo Sato, but a hard crash near the end of his qualifying run put him out of the event for the evening with concussion. The good news is that he has his memory back and should make a full recovery in time for the next 2 stops of the M.O.D. tour in Salzburg and Graz.

The French wonderkids Tom Pages and Brice Izzo had some big tricks up their sleeves, but both made several mistakes during their contest runs and were penalised by the judges. The crowd still loved them though.

Making a stylish return to M.O.D in ’08 was US rider Derek Burlew, who gave a demonstration in textbook FMX trick extension and execution. Partnering him in the synchro session was fellow American Derek Garland, of the infamous Metal Mulisha. Both were also serious contenders in the Whip contest, being narrowly beaten by Mr.Party himself Alvaro dal Farra.

California’s minibike maniac Travis Hart let rip with a barrage of FMX tricks on his pint sized bike. Even a few crashes in his show didn’t stop him from unleashing his repertoire of burly FMX moves.

All eyes are focussed on Salzburg, as the M.O.D tour gears up for the next city to fall victim to the M.O.D. rampage of Austrian arenas.

For awesome pics & videos or to book tickets to your next M.O.D. event, log on to www.mastersofdirt.com