Olympic Park Munich

Munich is back on the tour calendar for the biggest and most prestigious freestyle motocross tour in the world: on 19 July, the Red Bull X-Fighters will be back in the Olympic Park for the second time, joined by the crème de la crème of the international FMX scene. At the highlight event of the Munich Mash, the world's twelve best riders will meet last year's winner Thomas Pagès and German youngster Luc Ackermann. With jumps up to 30 metres wide and 15 metres high, as well as spectacular tricks, they'll have the 28,000 or so anticipated spectators jumping out of their seats with excitement. One particular highlight is the set-up: the first floating track in FMX history is being built on the Olympic lake. The competition in Munich is the penultimate of a total of five stops on four continents. Further information can be found at redbullxfighters.com. The world's best freestyle motocross riders, including reigning champion Thomas Pagès, Spaniard Dany Torres and Taka Higashino from Japan, will be showcasing an extravaganza of tricks on the fourth stop in the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour, pushing the limits of physics with their spectacular and challenging jumps. Joining them is arguably the biggest star of Germany's FMX scene, and also the youngest starter at the age of just 16, Luc Ackermann. This exceptional athlete has already been immortalised in the record books several times over: at the age of just 12, he was the youngest back flipper of all times and just two years later the youngest rider to ever exceed the nine-metre mark in the Highest Air. After showcasing his talents in the Olympic Stadium in 2012, the youngster - equipped with a wild card for Munich - is this year part of the official starter field of the best twelve. "Being at the start with the Red Bull X-Fighters is a tremendous honour for me. It's always been my goal to ride alongside the most successful freestyle motocross riders in the World Tour. The Wildcard in Munich is the first step towards that," says Luc, and adds confidently: "I'll be putting everything I've got into it and I'll be working hard on my tricks until July." The set-up of this year's Red Bull X-Fighters stop in Munich is new in the freestyle motorcross sport and presents quite a challenge for track builder Dan Herron: the first floating track in FMX history is being built on the Olympic lake. The track is supported by pontoons, which provide the stability required. As a result, the riders and the action will be almost within touching distance for the 28,000 or so anticipated spectators. "In Munich, sporting excellence will meet a hitherto unique track design. With this set-up, the Red Bull X-Fighters in Munich will be offering riders and fans something completely new. The audience can look forward to a truly unique event," says Tes Sewell, Sports Director for the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2014.

The Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour is the biggest and most prestigious freestyle motocross tour in the world and was first held back in 2001. The total of five tour stops will this year cover four continents: Mexico City / Mexico (14 March), Osaka / Japan (25 May), Madrid / Spain (27 June), Munich / Germany (19 July) and Pretoria / South Africa (23 August).

Red Bull XFighters 2014 The FMX global elite are the guests in Munich