2005 Red Bull X-Fighters Expands Across Atlantic to Mexico City
This year, a double dose of Red Bull X-Fighters will fill the world's twolargest bullfighting arenas and feature the international superstars offreestyle motocross.
On April 22, over 45,000 fans will witness motorbikes rather than bulls forthe first time at the breathtakingly steep Monumental Plaza de Toros inMexico City, Mexico. The FMX toreros include an international cast ofcharacters led by the favored American contingent of Travis Pastrana, MikeMetzger, Nate Adams, Ronnie Renner, and Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg.
When Mexicans speak of bullfighting, they speak of art, and an art formdeserves no less a structure than the Monumental Plaza de Toros in MexicoCity, which opened in 1946. "Monumental" is no exaggeration as the steepbleachers offer more spectator seating than any other bullfighting arena inthe world. There is no more suitable place for the premiere of Red BullX-Fighters in the Western Hemisphere.
On July 21, Red Bull X-Fighters returns to Madrid, Spain for thefourth event at the legendary Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, which itselffills with a capacity crowd of 25,000 screaming fans and howling bike enginesnot to mention Supermans, can cans andbackflips galore. A webcast is planned again for the Madrid event.
Dates/Locations:
April 22 - Monumental Plaza de Toros (Mexico City, Mexico)
July 21 - Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas (Madrid, Spain)
*International Riders:
Nate Adams (USA)
Nick Franklin (NZ)
Ailo M. Gaup (NOR)
Mike Metzger (USA)
Johan Nungaray (MEX)
Travis Pastrana (USA)
Ronnie Renner (USA)
Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg (USA)
Edgar Torronteras (ESP)
Javier Villegas (CHI)
*rider list subject to change
For event information, please visit http://www.redbullxfighters.com/. Fortickets to Mexico City event, please visit http://www.ticketmaster.com.mx/.
Red Bull X-Fighters History
For a short time in 2001, the turbulent air over the bullfighting arena inValencia was filled not with the capes of the toreros but with several ofthe world's best freestyle motocrossers: 10,000 fascinated fans looked onas the freestylers proved that motorcycles can do much more than just getyou from point A to point B. "Mad Mike" Jones won, and he spoke thelegendary sentence: "Today, the bull won."
At the 2002 contest in Madrid, 23,000 people stormed the Plaza de Toros deLas Ventas; Spain's oldest and largest bullfighting arena was sold outseveral days before the event. The screaming crowd spurred local hero EdgarTorronteras on to victory.
In 2003, neither Valencia nor Madrid wanted to do without a night with theFMX elite: that year saw the fans of both cities go wild over theX-Fighters. They cheered especially loud for Kenny Bartram, the winner ofboth contests.
The 2004 installation of Red Bull X-Fighters was dominated by theAmericans: Travis Pastrana did full justice to his nickname of"Wunderkind." He had the crowd in a state of ecstasy at his X-Fightersdebut at Las Ventas, and his countrymen Nate Adams and Ronnie Rennerweren't far behind.