Calgary Red Bull X-Fighters Qualifying Report

Story and photos courtesy of Red Bull

REBEAUD FINISHED FIRST IN QUALIFICATION

 For the first time in the history of the Red Bull X-Fighters the herd of the 12 best FMX-athletes are making a stop in Canada. The Qualification took place on Friday, one day before the great showdown in the world famous Stampede Park.

CALGARY (CAN). A sensation could be on the cards on Saturday evening in Calgary's Stampede Park (8:30 p.m. local time) once a sold-out crowd of 21,000 take their seats in front of the city's skyline. France's Charles Pages will attempt to become the world's first freestyle motocross rider to perform a frontflip on a motocross bike -- if the weather conditions permit and Pages feels well.

Taking a first sampling of the course and the field of riders under competitive conditions, Mat Rebeaud (CH) finished ahead of Eigo Sato (JPA) and Jeremy Stenberg (USA) with first place in the Qualification while Nate Adams (USA) took fourth. Canada's local hero Jeff Fehr also showed off his stuff (10th place). The top six qualified automatically for the quarter-finals. The other six athletes have to fight it out for the two remaining quarter-final spots.

 The Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2009 started in Mexico City (MEX) before moving to Calgary (CAN). It will next take place in Fort Worth Texas (USA) and then Madrid (ESP) before concluding the 2009 season with the world final in London (GBR).

 Ever since the World Tour was launched in 2007 the sporting event has caused a sensation with breathtaking back flips and dangerous tricks at stops around the world with spectacular events in bullfighting arenas in Mexico City (MEX) and Madrid (ESP) or the Sambadrom in the mega-metropolis of Rio de Janeiro.

Canada's own Jeff Fehr gets loose.