“I love trying my best to whip a dirt bike,” proclaimed the native of Kerang, Australia who now calls Southern California home. “I am always showing off. It always makes me want to do bigger and better whips. That’s why I love the X Games and Best Whip so much.”
Jarryd Mcneil, an X Games stalwart who has been up in the air over the X Games (literally) since 2010 where he won a silver medal in MTX Best Whip his first time out, will now look north to X Games Ventura 2024 next week where the Yamaha YZ450F pilot hopes to leave Ventura, California with another chunk of precious metal. While going through the X Games website and scanning his results from Summer X over the last decade and a half, McNeill reflected back on what has ben his FMX trajectory.
“I’ve been riding since I was two and a half years old. My first real year of riding freestyle motocross was 2007 and in 2008 I got on the Crusty Demons tour for two shows. That was my first big-time FMX gig. In 2009 I got on the Crusty Demons New Zealand Live tour. 2010 was my big break when I got on Nitro Circus and got my very first invite to the X Games.
“It was pretty crazy because that year 2009, coming from meeting my childhood hero, Travis Pastrana, and then getting an invite to X Games, was just amazing,” continued McNeil. “I remember being at home in Australia and just getting a phone call from Travis Pastrana saying, ‘Hey, be on the watch. Looks like you might be coming to X Games.’ Right after that I got an e-mail and a phone call saying, ‘Hey, pack your bags. You’re coming over to X Games.’ So I got on over to the Unted States for the first time. I got to meet my childhood hero and then I got to come to America, which is a place that I always wanted to visit. And not only was I visiting the United States for the first time, but I was actually going to compete at the X Games with the best of the best in Best Whip. On my nineteenth birthday I got an X Games silver medal, which was pretty crazy. That was pretty mind blowing.”
A part of the X Games and all that goes with it for the past 15 years, McNeill is simply amazed with what the X Games have become and thrilled to still be a part of it all.
“I’m blown away,” he commented on the X Games and his place in it all. “This is my fourteenth year at the X Games. It’s crazy to think that I have a two-year-old kid now. That’s how long I’ve been riding X Games! Some of the guys that I’m competing against now might have been only five to ten years old when I first started out in X Games. That is crazy. To be able to be called back to keep competing at X Game is, honestly, one of the coolest things ever. Obviously, I’m looking forward to going back again this year. At the end of the day, we, as professional athletes at the X Games, realize we don’t really have many events like we used to as far as competitions go. We do have the X Games, which are the Olympics of action sports. It’s an iconic event and being able to just keep going back every year and competing at the X Games against the best of the best in the world is just really cool.”
McNeil was tapped to compete in 2023, but could only manage two sixth place finishes in both MTX Best Whip and MTX Quarterpipe High Air.
“Not my best results last year,” reflected the Australian. “I didn’t have the best finishes that I would have liked to have had. Last year was 13 years for me at the X Games and to not be on the podium was pretty hard. The last couple of years have been a lot harder of not being on the podium, but you can’t win them all. Going back to Ventura is cool. Last year finally going back and actually competing in front of a live crowd again was really, really cool. And honestly, we are so used to going to and competing in these big stadiums and this venue we compete at in Ventura is probably what freestyle motocross was like in the old days for the X Games. When freestyle motocross was starting off, the contests and shows were at fairs, like the Orange County Fair in California. Honestly, Ventura is almost like going back to the roots and being up closer with the fans. The vibe of Ventura is really cool. And then being on the beach at Ventura, I really enjoy it. I think it’s a good venue and a good atmosphere. Being back in California and being back at the beach, X Games’ home is here in California. Now to be back here in California, on the beach and with the crowd is the home for it all. Who knows? We might enjoy a few more years there. It’s a really cool location. Great vibes.”
Now McNeill returns to Ventura looking to find his way back up and onto the 2024 X Games medal podium
“I’m back this year for just Best Whip,” McNeil pointed out. “I’m looking forward to that. This is the first time I actually have not done multiple events at the X Games, so that’s a bit different for me. Normally I go there and I’m focused on Best Whip and Step-Up and even Quarterpipe High Air. This year it is actually going to be kind of different for me. It’s a bit more mellow. I don’t know which way to take it. It’s kind of sad I’m not in multiple events this year, but I’m also kind of liking just focusing on the one event this year. Going back for Best Whip this year, I’m just stoked to be back at it and competing and focusing on one event, right?
“I struggled last year with the setup at Ventura,” McNell furthered. “The landing ramps we were riding last year just did not suit me very well, so this year they have made some changes. We’ll basically be running the Next Gen ramp and the Comp Ramp. So we’ve got the two ramps. The 75-foot Comp Ramp is going to be up on a raised platform and we’ll have the same landing for the Next Gen and the 75-foot Comp Ramp. This year I think we’re actually going to have a much better landing and it is going to feel a lot nicer. I think it’s going to be a lot safer and a lot nicer. I’m really looking forward to this year.”
Also joining the MTX Best Whip fray up in Ventura will be a hand picked roster of world class free ride talent, all of whom have an excellent chance at snagging a Best Whip medal.
“Tom Parsons will be there and Tyler Bereman will be there, Axell Hodges, I think is also coming back. I think there will be eight of us. Going into this we kind of know who to look out for, right? A couple of the boys are coming back from injury. I know Axell Hodges is coming back from injury. Tom Parsons and Tyler Bereman are coming back from injury. I’ve been riding with Tom Parsons. He has been staying at my place. We’re best mates and we ride together a lot. I’ve seen what he is up to and what he has been practicing and that’s very cool. I haven’t seen too much of Tyler and Axell. They’ve been practicing, but just laying a little bit low on the social media. But yeah, I think I definitely have my work cut out for me. The last few years the young guys and some of the old guys have been keeping me on my toes. Also, I’m totally looking forward to going back to X Games on the Yamaha 450 in Best Whip. Last year was my first full-time year on the 450 for freestyle motocross. I’m loving it. The best thing I ever did was switch. Now that I’m just doing full-time freestyle motocross on the 450 and riding the events that I want to ride on the 450, I can pay a little more attention to everything. It’s going to be fun.”
And the marks Jarryd Mcneil hopes to hit at X Games Ventura 2024?
“My goal or the achievement I want at the X Games is to just be on the podium. It has been three or four years that I have not been on the podium at the X Games. I just want to add more medals to my X Games medal count. A gold medal would be the ultimate goal. I’d love to come back with a gold medal. That would be the most bad ass thing that I cod do. I would just love to be on the podium this year. I want to get back up there.”
