Nashville XDL fell victim to the rain, but that didn’t stop the freestyle madness that ensued throughout Friday and Saturday. Amidst wild thunder and lightning storms some of the best freestyle riders in the world battled for points and titles at the Nashville Superspeedway. In the FMF cup Bill Dixon took first, Shinsuke Kinoshita from Japan took home second and Nick "Apex" Brocha placed third even after his radiator was punctured in the second round Saturday afternoon.
As always XDL’s passionate riders kept the energy high around the superspeedway for the two days of the event. During the warm-up on Friday, everyone was sad to see BMW rider Chris “Teach” McNeil high side one of his signature drifts that put him on the injured list for the rest of the weekend. Another unfortunately twist of fate saw Nick Apex, as the final rider to qualify, get hit by the beginnings of a thunderstorm that inevitably affected his riding. The women riders of the Sartso Women’s Cup also felt the added pressure of riding on a wet course as they qualified directly after the storm on Friday.
Saturday saw spotty weather also as the event charged on through the dampness. Red Bull rider Aaron Colton experienced a scare as he crashed during warm-up before the FMF cup, but rode on despite his injuries. The Sartso Women’s Cup placed Alexandra De Fresco first, Leah Petersen second and Brytni Noell, a former tandem rider third. Sickest trick was awarded to Bill Dixon as he pulled off a extremely fast second gear switchback endo, sending gasps through the crowd.
The determined riders of freestyle today continued to evolve their sport at Nashville and guarantee to continue the trend at upcoming XDL events. Check out round four in Los Angeles, CA June 18th and 19th for more crashes, awe-inspiring skill and freestyle excitement.
