Moto X World Championships Come to a Close
Nate Adams Named Evel Knievel Most Outstanding Rider
The two-day Navy Moto X World Championships concluded today with live competition in Step Up, Moto X Racing and Freestyle where Matt Buyten, Broc Hepler and Nate Adams all went home with first-time golds from the inaugural event. This marks the first time that a weekend was dedicated to a single X Games sport where six motocross disciplines were celebrated. ESPN and ESPN2 aired eight hours of live coverage of the Moto X World Championships April 12 and 13 – all available in high definition on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD. Extensive additional coverage was provided via ESPN360.com and EXPN.com.
“Bringing together six motocross disciplines into one weekend event in San Diego was a great celebration of world-class talent,” said Rick Alessandri, managing director, X Games Franchise. “And presenting the Evel Knievel Award for Most Outstanding Rider was not only a great way to include the legacy of Knievel but a good ending to the weekend.”
Step Up Final
In last night’s Step Up Part I, defending X Games 13 Moto X Racing gold medalist and 10-time AMA Motocross Champion, Ricky Carmichael, took the lead in his Step Up debut clearing a height of 29 feet going into today’s final. It came down to double sudden death between 2006 X Games gold medalist, Matt Buyten and thre-time X Games medalist, Ronnie Renner. After both riders missed first attempts at 35 feet, the start was moved back for more speed. A coin toss gave Buyten first try at 35 feet which he cleared giving him the gold. “Tail never fails,” said Buyten on the coin toss. “This event was huge for the whole sport of motocross to come together. This weekend has been great."
Moto X Racing
With pre-event favorite Jason Lawrence’s aggressive pass on lap one putting him out of medal contention, the Racing field opened up for Broc Hepler to capture the gold medal in his first race back from a two-month injury. Hepler was never challenged for the lead, showing strong performances in his practices and early heats. Having flown straight from Detroit, Nick Wey’s silver medal was additionally impressive as he had flown straight from Detroit last night and held the second spot throughout most of the race. The bronze medal went to top lites rider Justin Brayton.
Freestyle
Nate Adams dominated the Freestyle competition to wrap up the two-day event. From his superman seat-grab flip over the 115-foot gap to landing all his tricks flawlessly, Adams pulled away from the field early on hitting every jump on the course. “I feel great,” said Adams. “I’m satisfied and relieved that the final is over. Overall the event was great and the course was awesome.” Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg finished in second with a score of 92.00 while Jeremy Lusk rounded out the top three five points behind.
During the Moto X Freestyle final Sunday at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN2, fans were encouraged to cast a vote for Most Outstanding Rider via text messaging from a cell phone or logging on to www.expn.com. The winner was announced after the Freestyle final. Nate Adams won the honor of the Evel Knievel Most Outstanding Rider Award as well as a custom Knievel Harley-Davidson motorcycle after Adams won double gold this weekend in Speed & Style and Freestyle.
ESPN and ESPN2 aired eight hours of live coverage of the Moto X World Championships April 12 and 13 – all were available in high definition on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD. Extensive additional coverage was provided via ESPN360.com and EXPN.com.
