Travis Pastrana goes big in just about everything he does; this time he's going long: 2,493 miles, to be exact.

After winning the 2009 Ojibwe Forests Rally with co-driver Christian Edstrom and claiming his fourth consecutive Rally America National Championship win last week (and premiering Nitro Circus: Season 2 on MTV), TP's tackling the Great Divide Trail for his next adventure, a mountain bike ride that will take him the full length of the recently-completed trail, from Montana to New Mexico.

Via TravisPastrana.com:

When the sun broke over the Rocky Mountains this morning, Travis, along with his friends Special Greg and Eric Roner, set out to conquer the "Great Divide Trail." The 2,493 mile trail begins in Montana and continues South along the Rockies before ending in New Mexico. Pastrana will ditch the familiarity of his motorized vehicles for a full-suspension mountain bike supplied by Giant Bicycles.

The trip will take approximately 39 days and Travis will make scheduled stops at post offices along the way. New gear, supplies and underwear will be exchanged for autographed postcards from Travis to randomly selected fans. Yes, you heard correctly, Travis will be sending out postcards to fans selected from his Facebook fan page . Disconnected from technology, Travis has reverted to the old school methods of "snail mail" to communicate with fans throughout his journey.

Follow Travis's journey by checking out www.travispastrana.com

TransWorld Motocross has a cool new trailer up this week for KICKSTART, a new DVD featuring Nate Adams, Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey, Tarah Gieger, Josh Grant, Jason Lawrence, Chad Reed and James Stewart. 

KICKSTART is the first video from TWMX shot and edited entirely in-house by the magazine's editorial staff, and will premiere at the TransWorld Motocross Awards Show on October 8 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Athlete Recovery Fund founder Aaron Cooke reports today that the www.SupportARF.com viral video campaign is past the half-way mark: Ball Park Franks has promised to match each view of the video with a $1 donation, up to $100,000. Make your $1 donation by watching this two-minute video now, then visit www.athleterecoveryfund.com to learn more and make a bigger donation:

Check out FUEL.TV's Dew Underground interview with ARF founder Aaron Cooke for more info on the Athlete Recovery Fund:

The 2009 TransWorld Motocross Awards Show is one month away: This year the event will be held on October 8 at The Joint, inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. FMX categories include Freestyle Rider of the Year and Freestyle Rookie Rider of the Year.

Other awards will go to Racer of the Year, Female Rider of the Year, Racer Rookie of the Year, and Female Rookie of the Year (stay tuned for the nominees), plus the annual Reader's Choice Award and special presentations of the TransWorld Motocross Legend Award and the Rockstar Lifetime Achievement Award.

That's a big weekend for MX fans: The U.S. Open starts the next day, down the strip at the MGM Grand.

Nate Adams, Ronnie Faisst, Adam Jones, Robbie Maddison, Mike Mason, and Jeremy Stenberg are slated to ride the FMX Jam Session this week at the Dew Tour's Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City on Sunday September 20.

Those are some heavy hitters: Jones won the Dew Cup in 2008, Adams won it in 2007 (and just won the 2009 Red Bull X-Fighters), and Maddison won the Red Bull X-Ray event last week back home in Australia. 

Kids these days: Everyone in motocross who’s going big and going for distance nowadays jumps to a dirt landing. Ramp-to-dirt is safer, less technical, less crazy. But in a nod to his hero Evel Knievel, Ryan Capes hopes to start a retro ramp-to-ramp revolution, and he’s planning on smashing a decade-old distance record while he’s at it. We caught up with Capes in preparation for his world record ramp-to-ramp distance attempt with Team Livfast, September 26 in Reno, NV for the grand opening of the Xtreme Sports Bar at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.

Colin Bane: Why do you want to bring back ramp-to-ramp jumping?

Ryan Capes: The record for ramp-to-ramp is 253 feet. It was set by Jason Rennie back in 1999, and his record’s pretty much gone untouched because all the new modern day guys jump ramp-to-dirt instead. But I grew up watching Evel Knievel and Robbie Knievel, and you never saw those guys jumping to dirt: They always landed on a ramp. So it’s just wanting to bring back that old-school tradition, and to put a stamp on a record that’s been sitting around way too long.

CB: What’s the longest you’ve ever jumped ramp-to-ramp?

RC: 246 feet. Back in 2006 I tried to break the record at Evel Knievel Days. Evel and Robbie Knievel hired me to do a tribute jump for Evel when he was still alive, and Evel pushed me to do a world record jump that day but due to the wind I fell short. The wind was really ripping pretty bad and I ended up jumping 246’ before I had to stop. I was jumping on a freestyle bike and not my distance bike, which was a mistake – I should have had my distance suspension on – and I was using my old ramp. I just didn’t really have the tools then that I have now. There's no reason this record shouldn't be over 300 feet, maybe even 400, and I'm going to push it as far as I can.

CB: What’s different this time around?

RC: My new ramp I'm using is the same ramp that I’ve jumped 391’ to dirt on. I’ve also been jumping the last couple years on a 450 4-stroke, and I just switched over to a Kawasaki KX 250F rolling chassis, so it’s an ’09 modern day dirt bike with a KX500 2-stroke motor in it. Two-strokes land a lot softer than 4-strokes and they have less pressure on the rear wheel because of the gyro wheel. It’s a safer distance bike, and it’s easier to fly.

CB: A year ago, jumping ramp-to-dirt, you went just over 390’ but you ran into some trouble, nearly drifting off the landing. How do you prepare yourself, mentally and every other way, for a jump that is even more technical than that, to a much narrower landing like what you'll have in Reno?

RC: Some of it is math and science, some of it is trial and error. There’s so much work going into it’s retarded. This is the first time I’m jumping my 500, so there’s a lot of variables in my mind, but I’ve been practicing all my life for these jumps. You run your numbers and all your calculations so you know how much speed you need, and beyond that you just have to go in headstrong. You can’t really practice for a jump like this. I mean, it’s not like I have a landing ramp set up in my backyard: The only practice I’ll get will be on site in the two days before the event. But I’m confident, and I know I’ll come away with the record. Some people might say I’m cocky, but you know what, Evel Knievel would say that’s how you have to be when you’re jumping for distance. If you’re questioning yourself about distance jumping, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

CB: What did it mean for you to get to meet Evel Knievel and do a jump in front of him before he died?

RC: It was huge. There’s only one jumper in history that can say Evel Knievel handed the torch over, and he handed the torch over to me. Evel called me the “King of Distance Jumping,” and I honor that and wear that on my pride. To have the greatest of all time hand that torch down, and then have the opportunity to jump for him in person, is just a huge honor. He was somebody I always looked up to growing up, you know? Evel Kneivel made the whole country stand at a standstill when he did his jumps, and he was in the right era for it, where he could be like an Elvis Presley type icon and legend. Nowadays you can go to an outdoor national and watch 30 guys on the gate jump 150 feet, so the times have changed, but what he was doing back then was absolutely crazy. Evel always made a spectacle, and he always sold the show. He was a marketing genius, and a true pioneer for the sport. 

CB: I know you’re still after getting the ramp-to-dirt record again, too. Who’s going to be the first to go over 400’?

RC: I’m going to go for it for my next jump after this one, at the Daytona International Speedway during Biketoberfest, October 15-18. I’ll be the first guy to jump over 400 feet to dirt, but I’m not going to stop there: I’m planning on doing a ramp-to-ramp jump to 400 feet too, so this Reno jump next week will be a trial. If everything goes good on that, I’ll turn around and go 400’ on the same setup and there’s not going to be a lot of guys who will be able to duplicate that jump, maybe ever. Now, ramp-to-dirt there’s Robbie Maddison or one or two of the other guys who might be able to jump over 400’ to dirt, and that’s a record that’s going to keep getting pushed, but I honestly don't think anybody will be able to jump 400 feet ramp-to-ramp, so that’s going to stand out.

I don’t have anything bad to say about any of them, but I don’t look at any of them as a threat. I’m going to show that I am the true king of distance jumping, and that’s all there is to it. I think that my approach to it is the healthiest, and I think you’ll see that I’m just going to push it and push it, farther than anybody else. To me, it’s like big wave riding. Those guys who go out there and ride those big waves know that you’ve got to respect the wave. You’ve got be knowledgeable about it and you’ve got to respect it. If you’re just gonna wing it and be like, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’ you can only do that for so long before you hurt yourself. Distance jumping is about the math behind the jumps, keeping the numbers straight, really thinking the jump through, and respecting the enormity of what you’re doing. If you’re not smart about it, you’ll kill yourself. Can some other guys sack up, huck it, maybe set a record? Sure. They have and they will. But I’m going to prove that in the long run I can’t be beat.

FMX competition on the Dew Tour has been scaled back quite a bit this year, but fans are still getting a good show with the new FMX Jam Session format featuring some of the top riders in the world.

Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg lead the pack this weekend at the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City. Check out the slideshow below, courtesy of Alli Sports, for a look at the FMX action from Sunday.

Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg is the defending champ at the ASA World Championships of FMX: In 2007 he finally beat the previously undefeated 4-time winner Nate Adams. In 2008, with Adams sidelined by injuries, Twitch won it again.

This year it's on: Twitch and Adams are both in top form, and each have major recent wins under their belts, but they'll have Adam Jones, Mike Mason, and other top riders to contend with as well.

"This is the one event I most look forward to competing in each year," said Stenberg, in an ASA press release. "The course is always great, the stands are packed and it's really close to where a bunch of us live. I'm looking forward to riding against Nate and all the other top pros to get my three-peat!" 

The 2009 ASA World Championships of FMX will be held at Fairplex Pomona during the last weekend of the Los Angeles County Fair, Saturday October 3, 7:30pm, and  webcast live on BFD.com

Nate Adams, Robbie Maddison, and Blake Williams are the nominees for FMX Rider of the Year at the First Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards, to be held October 8 in Las Vegas, the night before the U.S. Open.

That's some fierce competition: Adams won the Red Bull X-Fighters series last month, Maddo wowed the world this year with his world record jump on New Years and his backflip over London's Tower Bridge (not to mention his episode of Firsthand last season), and Bilko won X Games 15.

Adams, Maddo, and Bilko also received TWMX Reader's Choice nominations, alongside FMX riders Brian Deegan, Travis Pastrana, Jeremy Stenberg, and Kyle Loza, and more than a dozen top MX racers. Click here to vote now for the TWMX Reader's Choice Award.  

Here's the full press release on the TransWorld Motocross Awards nominees via motocross.TransWorld.net :

Tustin, CA- September 21, 2009- TransWorld Motocross Magazine, the largest motocross publication, announced the nominees for the 1st Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink today. The winners will be named October 8, 2009 at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas the day before the 2009 U.S. Open begins.

The TransWorld Motocross Awards will take the five-year-running Rider Of The Year awards and turn them into a full award show honoring the top riders in the categories of Racer Of The Year, FMX Rider Of The Year, Female Rider Of The Year, Racer Rookie Of The Year, FMX Rookie Of The Year, Female Rookie Of The Year, Readers’ Choice, TransWorld Motocross Legend Award, and the Rockstar Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I’m thrilled to see our annual TransWorld Motocross Rider Of The Year Awards come to life,” said Editor-In-Chief Donn Maeda. “We’ve created several new categories to honor even more deserving riders, and the awards show is sure to be an amazing event. With Las Vegas and the U.S. Open serving as the backdrop, this is going to be a weekend to remember.”

The 1st Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink will bring the energy and personality of TransWorld Motocross Magazine to life. The event will be attended by industry guests and professionals, but there will also be special section designated for motocross consumers to purchase tickets to attend.

“I think the TransWorld Motocross Awards is a great platform to acknowledge all of our nominees and their accomplishments,” said Publisher Marc Fiore. “Our sister titles, TransWorld SKATEboarding, TransWorld SNOWboarding, and Ride BMX have achieved huge success with their awards shows, and it’s great to finally have TWMX stepping up for the motocross industry.”

In addition to the awards, TransWorld Motocross is pleased to host the world premiere of it’s newest full length video, Kickstart, featuring Chad Reed, James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Justin Barcia, Brian Deegan, Josh Grant, Nate Adams, Jason Lawrence and Tarah Gieger.

The official nominees for the 1st Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink are:

RACER OF THE YEAR
Chad Reed
Ryan Dungey
James Stewart

FMX RIDER OF THE YEAR
Nate Adams
Blake Williams
Robbie Maddison

FEMALE RACER OF THE YEAR
Ashley Fiolek
Jessica Patterson
Sherri Cruse

ROOKIE RACER OF THE YEAR
Justin Barcia
Kyle Regal
Blake Wharton

FMX ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Jackson Strong
Levi Sherwood
Destin Cantrell

FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Sara Price
Vicki Golden
Jackie Ives

READER’S CHOICE
Chad Reed
James Stewart
Ryan Dungey
Christophe Pourcel
Jake Weimer
Ivan Tedesco
Andrew Short
Davi Millsaps
Justin Barcia
Blake Wharton
Nate Adams
Brian Deegan
Travis Pastrana
Blake “Bilko” Williams
Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg
Robbie Maddison
Kyle Loza
Todd Potter
Ryan Villopoto
Matt Goerke
Ashley Fiolek
Ricky Deitrich
Mike Alessi
Josh Grant
Antonio Cairoli

Talk about right time, right place: Tim O'Brien and the racing friends he grew up riding with in Reno, Nevada were there pretty much from the beginning of FMX. They called themselves Team Livfast, and some of them went on to become the biggest names in the sport, pushing freestyle progression over the next decade into the rough beast we know and love today.

This weekend Team Livfast is doing a series of FMX demos in Carson City and Reno, NV, culminating in Livfast team member Ryan Capes' attempt at the ramp-to-ramp distance jumping world record in Reno on Saturday night (see Ryan Capes' interview about the jump for FUEL.TV/MOTO here). We caught up with Livfast Productions founder Tim O'Brien in between demos to talk FMX past, present, and future.     

Colin Bane: You were one of the guys who saw the potential of what FMX could become from the beginning. What do you make of how far it's all come?

Tim O'Brien: It's been kind of a trip, you know? We've hardly had a chance just to stop and think about how far it's all come, we've all been so busy. Some day it might be nice to sit back and reflect on what we've accomplished, but right now we're still living it. The progression in this sport in the last decade and especially in the last few years is almost too crazy to think about.

CB: How did Team Livfast came together?

O'Brien: We've all been riding together since we were kids. I'm one of the oldest guys out of everybody, but we all grew up together: Me, Mike Mason, Drake McElroy, Greg Garrison, Dustin Miller, Kenny Bell... We all started out racing each other here locally in Nevada, going up through the ranks and all of us reaching pro level. Just from riding together almost every day, racing every weekend, we all became really close friends. and then when I was 16 years old I put "Livfast" on my license plate and it just sort of caught on: We all started writing it on our bikes, made a couple t-shirts and stickers, and the thing kind of formed itself. We always just loved to ride and that's all it was ever about.

CB: Besides growing up together, what does this group of riders have in common?

O'Brien: We all have fun together, and that's the whole point of it. There's never any bickering that lasts more than a couple beers, and we just love hanging out and riding with each other. We all get along and have a really good time on our dirt bikes, and that's basically what we set out to do. 

O'Brien: I think the main thing people miss is they miss the whole lifestyle part of what we do. They see it on TV and they think it's cool or they think, "Those guys are crazy." But they don't really get an understanding of how much we train, how much we focus on the sport, and how seriously we take it. Everybody we've got working for us with Livfast is really into riding bikes, and this is our life: Training, being on top of our game... The drive out of this group of guys is unbelievable, and we give the fans a chance to see that up close. It's a lifestyle for us.

CB: Speaking of a lifestyle... You've been in this thing personally since the start of it, really. What were the beginnings like?

O'Brien: For me it really started in '98. I got a call from SMP, from Mark Burnett and this guy named Milo that owned SMP at the time. They'd seen me in Las Vegas at a supercross race and asked me if I wanted to come down and do this jump that Nicky Diamond was going to build at Laguna Seca. It was me and Twitch, Mike Jones, Justin Coleman, a couple other guys. Nicky Diamond built this 90-foot double and it was so much fun. It was the first time I'd ever done a freestyle demo and I just had this realization like, "This is what I want to do. How are we going to be able to do this?" From there we all just went after it as hard as we could. It started real humble. 

CB: The progression curve in FMX since then has been so steep it's ridiculous. Did you have any sense, from the beginning, of how much might be possible?

O'Brien: No way. I can't claim that. We all keep blowing ourselves away. I remember when the first backflip went down I was like, "I can't believe that just happened." And then in the last five years the progression has just been completely insane. You've got guys like Cameron Sinclair out there now throwing double backflips in his run, and other guys are coming in with new ideas and all kinds of skill. The talent level is just so high now: It's no longer just a thing where a guy can go out and huck and hope. It's become something that takes a lot of talent, a lot of drive, a lot of technical skill. And the craziest thing is I don't think the level of progression has seen its limit whatsoever. FMX is still in its infancy.

CB: I talked to Ryan Capes about his upcoming world record attempts the other day and was struck by how technical these jumps really are. Like you said about the FMX tricks, these jumps are not just hucks. He's talking about the math, the geometry, the ramp construction, all the technical planning, everything that goes into a jump like that.

O'Brien: Yeah, that's part of it, and good on Ryan for taking it seriously and thinking it all out. The guys that are doing it and are really good at it – Maddo, Capes, Jason Bird, Trigger Gumm – they take all that stuff very seriously, and it is all very calculated, but I still think they're all psycho. You know? Capes can talk all he wants about the math and the geometry and all that, but no matter how much math you put behind a 400 foot jump, it's still 400 feet. Like I said: Psycho.

CB: What else is in the works for Team Livfast?

O'Brien: We're doing an event at Carson City today, and the freestyle demos and Ryan's record attempt tomorrow. We've never done this many local shows before and it's really special. We've already done four events in Nevada this year, and there's nothing better than sleeping in your own bed, kissing your wife goodbye, and driving five minutes to go ride your bike. After the events this week we've got a Homecoming Week event at the University of Nevada- Reno on October 17, and after that we're working with Tony Hawk to do the Boom Boom Huck Jam again, and we're also looking at doing a few shows in Brazil. Basically it's just riding as much as we can, putting on the best show we can. That's pretty much what we do, and I love it.

That's Josh Grant whipping the cover of the 100th issue of TransWorld Motocross – a proper salute to the magazine as it celebrates its history with the October 2009 issue.

Inside the mag goes crazy with the whole 100 thing, featuring the 100 Best Products in Motocross, 100 Riding Tips from The Pros , and a gallery of all 100 TWMX covers.

The pullout poster features James "Bubba" Stewart who – surprise, surprise – also ranks #1 in the TWMX Kickstart reckoning of the most popular riders in motocross, based on magazine exposure. Do they take FUEL.TV/MOTO exposure into consideration, too?

On the flip side of that poster is pinup model Rochelle Ninette. Decisions, decisions.

There's some special treats in there for FMX fans, too:

Don't miss photographer Garth Milan's Scan gallery, featuring a sick sequence of Ronnie Renner's 63.5 foot quarterpipe air record in Chicago, a Robbie Maddison lazy boy flip at Renner's private FMX park, a picture-perfect pre-X Games practice session with Todd Potter, and a shot of Greg Hartman peeking down at his sunflower crop that you'll have to see to believe.

The TransWorld Motocross Awards are next week, October 8, in Las Vegas. Nate Adams, Blake Williams, and Robbie Maddison are the FMX Rider of the Year nominees. (Click through for full list of nominees and more information).

Spanish rider Danny Torres took down the FMX competition at Freestyle Zürich this week, winning his FMX Dirt qualifier on Friday, then beating out Swiss hometown hero Mat Rebeaud and French rider Charles Pagès in the FMX Dirt Finals and finishing Sunday's FMX Dirt Superfinals in 1st place ahead of Pagès, Rebeaud, and Japanese rider Daisuke Suzuki. (Photo by Marc Zanger, courtesy Zurich.Freestyle.CH )

Overall results:

1. Danny Torres (ESP) 90.5

2. Charles Pagès (FRA) 90.38 

3. Mathieu Rebeaud (SUI) 89.23

4. Daisuke Suzuki (JPN) 87.14

5. Petr Pilat (CZE) 84.90

6. Jérémy Rouanet (FRA) 80.20

7. Sebastian Wolter (GER) 66.85 

The American Freestyle Motocross Association (AFMXA) is throwing an amateur contest November 7, followed by its 1st Annual FMX Awards and the presentation of the new Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year award, honoring both the future of FMX and the memory of Jeremy Lusk's contributions.

Tune in to FUEL TV on December 28th for our coverage of the show! Here's the official press release with event info...

- - - 

First-Ever West Coast FMX Amateur Competition and Awards Show to take place at Pala Raceway and Casino, November 7th

Irvine, CA (September 30, 2009) — The American Freestyle Motocross Association ("AFMXA"), a governing collective of Freestyle Motocross riders and action sports industry leaders, announced details today for the 1st annual FMX Amateur Competition and professional Awards Ceremony, scheduled to take place at Pala Raceway and Casino in Pala, CA on November 7th, 2009.

"We have gathered the top professionals in Freestyle Motocross to kick off the first AFMXA Amateur Competition on the west coast, and recognize friends and inspirational figures in our industry at an Awards event," said Leah Steiger, Executive Director for the AFMXA. "In keeping with the mission of the Association, we are developing an amateur circuit to further the sport. The AFMXA Awards celebrates individuals who've given so much to build the sport and foster the growth of those who are next in line."

In order to qualify for the amateur competition, riders must be at least 14 years of age and submit video entries to www.afmxa.com. The top 10 selections will be chosen based on execution, style and innovation, and those riders will be invited to participate in the event. The judging panel is a "who's who" of the sport, including Nate Adams, Ronnie Faisst, Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg, Brian Deegan and Mike Mason, among others. A 1st, 2nd and 3rd place title will be presented, along with an award for "Best Whip."

A professional FMX demo will take place after the amateur competition, showcasing the talents of the athletes on the judging panel and fellow riders, including Taka Higashino, Todd Potter and more.

The AFMXA Awards Show will recognize top athletes and companies for their accomplishments, commitment to and influence on the sport. Award categories include Best Riding Part in a Video, Biggest Slam, Best Spread in a Magazine, Unsung Hero Award, Legends Award, Top 3 in the Amateur Event and more. In memory of fellow FMX gold medalist, Jeremy Lusk, there will also be a Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year award given to this year's most dedicated rider.

For further information, please visit www.afmxa.com.

AFMXA Amateur Event and Awards Ceremony Details are as follows:

Amateur Competition
November 7, 2009
8:00am-2:00pm
Pala Raceway
12799 Highway 76
Pala, CA 92059

Awards Ceremony
November 7, 2009
6:00pm-7:30pm
Pala Casino
11154 Highway 76
Pala CA 92059

About the AFMXA
Founded in 2009, the AFMXA is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of America's Freestyle Motocross industry. A collective of professional, recreational, and corporate members, the AFMXA was launched to assist in more formally organizing the sport and continue supporting its growth and exposure. The Lusk Legacy Foundation, established to help improve overall safety in the sport, protect the livelihoods of riders and their families, and provide them with legal, medical and financial consultation and representation, has been named the official charitable organization for the AFMXA. Further information about our mission, events, membership and partners can be found online at www.afmxa.com. 

Jeremy Stenberg returns as two-time defending champ for the ASA World Championships this weekend, fending off a challenge from previous king of the hill (and this year's Red Bull X-Fighters champ) Nate Adams. We just got the full rider list today: Should be quite a show. Here's the press release from ASA:

ELITE ROSTER ANNOUNCED FOR
7TH ANNUAL ASA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF FREESTYLE MOTOCROSS

LOS ANGELES (October 1, 2009) – When the 7th Annual World Championships of Freestyle Motocross rides into Fairplex in Pomona on Saturday, October 3rd, the sports’ top stars will be assembled to mount their quest for the prestigious World Championship title. Only two men have won the title in the six years of the contest’s existence - Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg (’07 & ’08) and Nate Adams (’03 – 06”).  They top this year’s line-up, which includes today’s premier motocross aerialists, ensuring that the battle on Saturday night will be hard fought.

Athletes riding in the head-to-head competition include:

Nate Adams 25 Glendale, AZ
Ronnie Faisst 32 Mays Landing, NJ
Takayuki Higashino 24 Osaka, Japan
Adam Jones 25 Warrendale, PA
Mike Mason 28 Minden, NV
Jeremy Stenberg 28 Santee, CA

The action kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening.  All competitors will be seeded and compete in a unique, head to head, single elimination format. The winner of each match-up in the quarterfinals, will advance to the semi-final round.  Two heats of two riders each will take place in the semi-finals and, once again, the winner of each match-up will advance, this time to the finals.  The last two men will ride it out for the title of World Champion.  

Box and reserved seating tickets for the 2009 ASA World Championships of Freestyle Motocross are available at the Fairplex Box Office, via all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800 745 3000 to charge them by phone.  Tickets are $19.50 for reserved seats and $22.00 for box seats.  Fair admission is separate and must be acquired.
 
The ASA World Championships of Freestyle Motocross will be broadcast in an hour-long network television special on CBS Sports, on Sunday, December 6th at 5:00 p.m. ET, following NFL football.  Additional airings of the event will run throughout December on CBS College Sports and on Sportsnet NY.  Viewers should consult their local listings for more details in their area.  Additionally, all of the competitive action will be streamed LIVE on October 3, via GO211.com and BFD.com.

A lot has happened since we last caught up with Nate Adams in June, just a few short months ago: He went and won the Red Bull X-Fighters series for one, after winning the events in Fort Worth, TX and London. He took Bronze at X-Games, too, launched his own glove company, released a new signature shoe with DC, helped found the American Freestyle Motocross Association (AFMXA) and picked up a nomination for FMX Rider of the Year at next week's TransWorld Motocross Awards, where he'll also unveil his part in TransWorld's Kickstart at the video premiere during the U.S. Open festivities. Whew!

But we're already getting ahead of ourselves: This weekend he's busy playing king of the hill with Jeremy Stenberg at the ASA World Championships of FMX in Los Angeles. Adams won it every year for the first four years of the competition; Twitch is the defending champ with victories in 2007 and 2008. We caught Adams after practice at the Pomona Fairplex this week to find out more about everything he has going on. – Colin Bane

The ASA event this weekend is really being hyped up as a rivalry between you and Jeremy Stenberg. How much is there to it?

It's just a little bit of trash talk, you know? I think some people want to blow it up, and I've even had some people trip out on it and want to know why we aren't friends anymore. The truth is we're buddies and we hang out all the time, but Twitch is just a full-on trash talker. He can't go two minutes without saying something messing with somebody, so you've got to give him some back, you know? We rile each other up, but it's a friendly competition.

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

I'm just looking forward to riding with all my buds. The course is really big and everything's built really nice with a lot of options, and there's always a great crowd at this event, every year.  I'm looking forward to pumping up my glove company, Deft Family, winning first place, and talking some trash to Jeremy Stenberg. That's about it.

It's been quite a year for you, to say the least. 

Oh yeah. I had some gear changes, a couple sponsor changes, a couple injuries, but overall it's been real good. It's funny, because the year started out really bad, actually: I was out with injuries a lot last year and then I dislocated my wrist racing Supercross on January 3rd, and that was just kind of the last straw for me. I was riding again by March and got really focused, really buckled down and committed to doing good this year. I went out and did really well on the X-Fighters series, won a couple of the events and the overall championships, got a bronze at X Games.... I've been holding my own at the Dew Tour events and I have a really good feeling about my riding going into this weekend for ASA . I've just been churning right along, trying to stay on top of the sport, stay up in all the mags and videos, and do everything right for once.

Fill us in on what's up with the new AFMXA. I know you're one of the riders who helped get it started and has been real involved in it.

Freestyle's been in desperate, desperate need of an organization like this to give some power to the riders. If a course is unsafe, if the conditions are unsafe, the wind, the rain, whatever it may be, the riders have got to be able to have a position to say, hey, we can't do this. It also gives us a position to get the insurance we need, and get access to things like medic flights if we get hurt doing a demo or contest in some country where the health care's no good. I think Jeremy Lusk's death was a real wake up call and took it from something a lot of people had been talking about to something that was actually getting done. 

The AMFXA has an amateur event coming up on November 7. Why was it important to you to make amateur FMX competition a priority?

Again, it's something that needed to have happened a long time ago and is finally getting done. You need amateur events and rankings to help grow the sport, separate the men from the boys and all that. On the racing side there's always been a great amateur system, and now you're seeing it in skateboarding, BMX, surfing, everything. It's something FMX has been behind the curve on and the AFMXA is trying to take the lead now.  

That same day AFMXA is also doing the 1st Annual FMX Awards, with awards for best video part, biggest slam, best magazine spread, a legends award... Obviously the Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year award is going to be the big one.

What else is coming up for you? Not that all that isn't plenty.

I'm really stoked about building up my glove company. We're about to get our production orders in for the holiday season – check us out at DeftFamily.com – and we're getting our team together. We're doing something real cool that I think the motocross industry is starving for. I also just finished up my part with TransWorld for their new Kickstart video, which is premiering in Vegas at the US Open, and I did a hip hop track for my part as well. Motocross has taken me on a little bit of a whirlwind and afforded me a whole lot of opportunity, so I'm just trying to take advantage of it all.

The TransWorld Motocross Awards go down this week, Thursday October 8 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and TWMX has blown its annual Rider of the Year Award into a full-blown awards show. Not too many surprises in the FMX Rider of the Year category: Nate Adams, Robbie Maddison, and Blake Williams have each made massive moves this year.

For a look to the future of FMX, however, pay attention to the new FMX Rookie of the Year nominees: Jackson Strong, Levi Sherwood, and Destin Cantrell.

Jacko Strong is a 17 year-old rider from Lockhart, Australia and the newest member of the Metal Mulisha. Check out his New Pollution profile:

Levi Sherwood turns 19 this month. Originally from New Zealand, he held his own in the Red Bull X Fighters series this year, finishing in 6th place overall with a 1st place finish in Mexico City and a 2nd place finish in London behind X Fighters overall champ Nate Adams. He's on the Osiris FMX team.

Destin Cantrell, 19, is another Osiris team rider. We had him on The Daily Habit in August 2008, and he's definitely one to watch. He's been riding motocross since he was 4 and FMX since he was 15, and he's got just about the most fully-extended tricks of anyone in the sport. 

Stay tuned: We'll report on all of the TWMX Awards winners later this week.

We'll have to wait until tonight to hear the rest of the TransWorld Motocross Awards winners, but here's a big one as a teaser: Jeremy McGrath will receive the 1st Annual TWMX Legend Award at the ceremony tonight in Las Vegas.

McGrath's racing accomplishments are, of course, the stuff of legend – see press release below, via TWMX if you need the history lesson – but here at FUEL.TV he holds a special place in our hearts as the inventor of the Nac Nac and, by extension, the godfather of freestyle motocross.

McGrath came to motocross as a BMX rider, and he brought his style and tricks with him, giving rise to FMX as we know and love it today. Hell, there's even a statue of McGrath rocking the Nac Nac in front of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame (photo, left, courtesy of sculptor Steve John Posson).

Long live The King!

Tustin, CA – October 7, 2009- TransWorld Motocross Magazine, the largest motocross publication, announces Jeremy McGrath as the first recipient of the TransWorld Motocross Legend Award.

Jeremy McGrath, a seven-time AMA Supercross and AMA 250 National Motocross champion, has been in the pages of TransWorld Motocross since its inception. Aside from Jeremy’s eight AMA championships, McGrath also represented the United States in the Motocross Des Nations race as a member of the winning teams of 1993 and 1996. McGrath was also on the forefront of freestyle motocross and has undoubtedly grown the sport of motocross and is the perfect recipient for the 1st Annual TransWorld Motocross Legend Award.

“We are very excited to present Jeremy McGrath with the inaugural TransWorld Motocross Legend Award,” said Editor in Chief Donn Maeda. “Not only was Jeremy the best Supercross racer, he is also arguably the best ambassador for the sport that motocross has ever had.”

The Legend Award is one of nine awards that will be given away Thursday evening at the TransWorld Motocross Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink. The other awards include Racer Of The Year, FMX Rider Of The Year, Female Rider Of The Year, Racer Rookie Of The Year, FMX Rookie Of The Year, Female Rookie Of The Year, Readers’ Choice, and the Rockstar Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 1st Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards are proudly presented by Rockstar Energy Drink and supported by Metal Mulisha, THQ, New Era, Ball Park Franks, and the AFMXA. For more information on the TransWorld Motocross Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink and TransWorld Motocross, please visit www.transworldmx.com.

James Stewart had one hell of a year in 2009 – what with winning the 2009 AMA Supercross Championship title and hanging out on The Daily Habit, among other achievements – and he capped it off nicely this weekend, sweeping the U.S. Supercross Open at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to close out the 2009 Supercross season.

On Friday night he picked up $75,000 for beating Davi Milsaps, Dan Reardon, and Matt Goerke in the Night One Open Class Finals. On Saturday he grabbed another $75,000 for beating Ryan Villopoto and Davi Mllsaps in the Night Two Open Class Finals – plus another $100,000 for the overall prize. Nice way to spend a weekend in Vegas, no?

While it was the close to the 2009 season, it was also a new beginning for Stewart, marking his first race with his new bike, the 2010 Yamaha YZ450.

Here's the full report, via JS7.com:

Despite several hundred more fans filing in to help fill the seats of the MGM’s Grand Garden Arena, night number two of the 2009 US Open of Supercross looked very much like the first. James looked to be in mid-season form, as he all but rode the wheels off his groundbreaking new YZ450 en route to his third career US Open title, and the cool 100K purse that comes along with it!

The evening kicked off like it did on Friday, with one-on-one match races tipping off the action. The top-ten from the day’s timed practice sessions lined up near the starting gate shortly after the conclusion of the opening ceremonies, with James drawing first blood from the hat full of names. Nick Wey was his worthy opponent, and the two quickly mounted their steeds and made their way into the staring gate to do battle. When it dropped, James cracked the throttle on his mighty new Yamaha, and proceeded on to the holeshot and a cushy win over Wey.

Heat race number three was once again the draw for James to sink his teeth into the night show, and just as he did in both races last night, he chose the third gate from the inside to get things crackin’! When the gate slammed, the mighty number one rocketed out to an impressive holeshot, and threw down eight near-flawless laps to take the heat race win ahead of Robby Kiniry and Davey Millsaps.

After nearly two hours of Semis, LCQs, and a solid FMX show, James and crew headed back to the line for the night two main event. As the number one qualifier, James once again had first pick of the gate, and he once again opted for what had become his lucky gate. With the MGM crowd on their feet, the gates dropped, but this time JS7’s favorite spot didn’t hook up quite as well, as Ryan Villopoto jumped out to the early lead. Buried toward the tail end of the top-ten, James snuck inside the pack as they exited turn number two, cutting off five to six guys to take over the third spot behind Villopoto and Dan Reardon. Crossing the line to start lap five, James threw a smooth pass on Reardon, and then set sail after Villopoto who had opened up a comfortable lead up front. Reeling off the fastest lap times of the night, James quickly crept up on RV’s rear wheel by lap nine, and on lap number 11 made a pass for the lead. Villopoto retaliated quickly with a stiff bump, but James blew back by to secure the lead for good, eventually winning by a comfortable margin.

After the race, James expressed his excitement for the entire team. “This is a really fun win for us. It’s been a while since we’ve raced, plus we have the new bike out here for the first time, so we’re really pumped. You know, the money is one thing, but our team works very hard, so this is rewarding for them, too!”

When asked about the main event battle, here’s what he had to say. “It’s always fun here. The US Open seems to offer up more bar banging than any other race, and it’s always a good time. That was the first time that Ryan and I have raced since the Vegas Supercross in May, so it’s cool to get back out here to rub some elbows. The new bike is awesome, too! I felt like I was underneath everybody in all the corners, and it all just came together for me tonight. Ryan was riding really well, but I just stayed patient and snuck by for the win.”

Tune in this week: FUEL TV is airing coverage from the Red Bull X-Fighters 2008 Germany during the Moto Mix block, starting  on Wednesday 10/14/2009, 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT.

FUEL TV Airs “Red Bull X-Fighters 2008 Germany” Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Red Bull X-Fighters maiden voyage into Germany was another spectacular location coupled with another spectacular finish. Held at the bottom of a limestone quarry in Germany’s industrial heartland, the best FMX riders in the world including Mat Rebeaud, Jeremy Lusk, Dany Torres and Robbie Maddison battled it out for the title.

“Red Bull X-Fighters 2008 Germany” Air Dates:

Wednesday, 10/14/2009                                 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT in Moto Mix

Wednesday, 10/14/2009                                 11:00pm ET/8:00pm PT in Moto Mix

Wednesday, 10/21/2009                                 8:00am ET/5:00am PT