Press Release

McNeil Dominates in Vegas at Monster Energy Grand Prix of FMX

GuyB
8/28/2006 5:32am

Jim McNeil Dominates Monster Energy WFA Grand Prix of Freestyle Moto-X, presented by Ogio

(Las Vegas, NV - 8/27/06) -  A mix of some of the biggest names in freestyle moto-x  battled a wave of the next generation of  riders at the Monster Energy WFA Grand Prix of Freestyle Moto-X, presented by Ogio, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas this past weekend.

No name blew up bigger than Jim “The Real Deal” McNeil, who certainly lived up to his nickname.  He locked himself in the upper echelon of freestylers with a dominating performance which saw him victorious in the Freestyle competition on both Friday and Saturday nights of the two day event, adding a win in Best Trick on Saturday and a second place in that discipline on Friday night. 

He did the way the top riders do it nowadays – upside down and pulling big, scary, gnarly backflip tricks.  His Indian Air Seatgrab Backflip was the anchor to his freestyle runs and took him to victory in Best Trick.

But by no means was McNeil the whole story.  Battling him all weekend was Mike Mason, who finished second to McNeil in Freestyle on  both Friday and Saturday nights.  And both McNeil and Mason showed phenomenal riding skills, dealing with a pair of 75’ ramp hits and a very gnarly 80’ dirt double, on a course built by Jesse Olson. 

Chasing those established stars were some names who served notice they will be making their mark on the freestyle scene. Fresh off his X Games bronze medal, Aussie Blake “Bilko” Williams took Best Trick Friday night with his electrifying Cliffhanger Backflip, but couldn’t go for the double header after a Saturday crash in practice left him with a broken bike.  Among the next generation of riders looking to make names for themselves were Monster Energy riders Wiley Fullmer, who won Step Up Friday, and Jeremy Lusk, who finished third in Freestyle on Friday and was en route to a podium finish on Saturday when he went down in a turn after a Backflip Superman Seat Grab.

The event also saw the debut of the Monster Energy Jam, a new discipline where riders rode in trains doing the same trick (most of the time – this is freestyle, after all, and following the rules isn’t all that important) and were judged by the crowd.  The Friday night saw the young Fullmer take the Monster Jam crown as the packed Orleans arena gave him props for walking away from a huge backflip combo after he went down hard.  And Saturday night, the Monster Energy Jam winner was Adam Jones, who also had a strong overall weekend, demonstrating his lock as a consistently top FMX talent with a third in Best Trick on Friday and a second in Freestyle on Saturday.

In a clear Step Up upset on Friday night, Fullmer took on – and shocked -- X Games Gold Matt Buyten, who was hampered by sore ankles.  It was  perfect lip, and with the bar at 28 feet Buyten went down while knocking off the bar – leaving the door open for Fullmer, who promptly cleared it and stomped his name as a leading candidate in this discipline.  Fullmer couldn’t compete on Saturday night due to his crash in the Friday night Monster Energy Jam, and this time defending WFA Grand Prix of Moto-X Step Up Champion, Myles Richmond, once again took home top honors.

The Monster Energy WFA Grand Prix of Freestyle Moto-X, presented by Ogio, was produced by Media X International, Inc. (MXi), in association with Ghost Entertainment and The Orleans Arena.

Results Summary
Friday Night
Freestyle


  1. Jim McNeil
  2. Mike Mason
  3. Jeremy Lusk
  4. Beau Bamburg
  5. Adam Jones

Best Trick


  1. Blake Williams
  2. Jim McNeil
  3. Adam Jones
  4. Beau Bamburg
  5. Mike Mason

Step Up


  1. Wiley Fullmer
  2. Matt Buyten
  3. Myles Richmond

Saturday Night
Freestyle


  1. Jim McNeil
  2. Mike Mason
  3. Beau Bamburg
  4. Drake McElroy
  5. Jeremy Lusk

Best Trick


  1. Jim McNeil
  2. Adam Jones
  3. Beau Bamburg

Step Up


  1. Myles Richmond
  2. Brian Foster
  3. Jeremy Lusk
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