Twelve top stunt riders throw down for their share of a $33,000 prize-includingblinged-out watches and a brand-new Kawasaki ZX-10R- at the second-annual Fresno event
Following up on the breakout success of last year's Motorcycle Mayhem 2005, promoter Jim Light was motivated to find ways to improve on the formula for 2006. One of the most popular elements of the '05 event was certainly the streetbike stunting competition. And to make the stunt show even better this year, Light opened up the phone book (and his checkbook), inviting 11 of the best stunt riders in the biz to Fresno to compete for the staggering $33,000 prize package-probably the biggest ever in this sport after you consider that this money would be split between just a dozen riders. As a sign of respect and gratitude, each rider was given hotel accommodations for the weekend and $500 cash just for making the trip. And, in an effort to give some new names an opportunity to shine, Light held one wild-card spot in the final for the winner of an amateur competition held earlier in the week. Talk about a winning formula...
Sponsored by Table Mountain Casino, Wilson's Motorcycles and Bud Light, Motorcycle Mayhem 2006 promised to be one of the best stunt competitions yet, and Light didn't overlook any detail. The judging format, for example, was a composite of many different sports. "I looked at every form of judging I could find," says Light, "from bull riding to gymnastics to diving, and considered the elements they scored in competition." Using this as a basis, Light designed a judging scheme that required each competition rider to complete a set of tricks that included everything from acrobatics to 180 endos for a combined total 50 possible points. To this Light added another 50 points based on technical merit and presentation, leaving each rider with a possible 100 points total. Each of the 12 qualifying riders were given three rounds to attain their best score, with the top six advancing to the finals for three more rounds of competition.
On game day the sound of rubber squealing and motors screaming was nonstop. Between rounds of the judged stunt competition, stunt exhibitions by the West Coast Connection, Tight EFX, Servin' It Up, Kane One and others filled in any breaks, making a continuous stunt show. FMX Riders from SCS sailed their bikes high into the sky above the crowd, and the Thrill Seekers Unlimited bicycle team performed side-by-side 360s and flatland tricks for those grooving on some pedal-powered antics. Inside a convention hall more than 50 vendors offered everything from tattoos, lingerie, fight demonstrations, a custom bike show, live music by Six Ounce Gloves and even a unicycle trials demo (!?!). Riders and VIPs were taken care of by Red Bull in the hospitality area when not entertaining the thousands of spectators. Motorcycle Mayhem had something for everyone.
None of this compared to the Super Streetbike-sponsored stunt competition, though. Making the jump from parking-lot pimp to legitimate pro competitor was Joey "Luxury" Suttefield from Sacramento, California, who won the Friday night amateur competition (and $500 cash) to fill the wild-card spot in the weekend's final. Looking to add a little more ice to his grill, Jamal "J-Beats" Kindred took a break from his full-time partying-with-celebrities career to compete and put on an impressive show-until he was sidelined by mechanical troubles from his tired GSX-R. Local homeboy "Big Joe" Molina showed he has both the skills and talent to be considered one of the top stunters in the country, and filmmaker-turned-stunter Nick "Apex" Brocha's gonna-bust-ass riding style thrilled the crowd. Brocha's buddy Ernie "E-Dub" Virgil arrived at Motorcycle Mayhem with a freshly painted, polished and fully faired Kawasaki 636 that could have competed in the custom bike show as well, but he wasn't afraid to put it through the paces on the stunt surface. Aaron Bullo (who knew Bullo had a first name?) translated his street-killing style to the competition format and kept the crowd pumped on his Kawasaki 636, complete with an on-board sound system mounted on the bike.
Having sprouted up another five inches since Stunt Wars earlier this year, 14-year-old Aaron Colton continues to blow us away with his pro-level skills that helped him qualify for the main event where he ended up in sixth place in the final standings. One spot in front of Colton was "El Conquistador" Alex Flores, who earned his place with even more innovative tricks. Fourth place was filled by Famous-sponsored Warren James, now recovered from his head-first collision with a concrete barrier earlier this year, who also earned the distinction of the highest single-round score for his 95.1 in the second round. Kane Friesen cracked the top three despite blowing a motor on Thursday and scrambling to get his bike back together (with much help from Sean Colton, Aaron's father) in time for the big show. Finally getting his rematch with Friesen after losing to Mr. Pink at the XDL Stunt competition back in April, Darius Khashabi finished one in front of Kane this time in second and continues to lead the pack with crowd-pleasing stunts like his kickstand/christ air burnout that earned him the nickname #1 Stunter.
But without argument, the top-dog stunter of the weekend was the guy who traveled the furthest, New Hampshire's own Chris "Teach" McNeil. The Teacher combined the technical skill of Khashabi and the crowd-pleasing flair of Friesen to lock up first place. McNeil left Fresno with significantly more luggage than he came with, including a brand-new 2006 Kawasaki ZX-10R courtesy of Wilson Motorcycles (www.wilsonsmc.com), a two-cart diamond Yoni watch (valued at $1,000) and $5,000 cash for good measure. All in a day's work.
Light is hoping to take the Motorcycle Mayhem show on the road in 2007 with Las Vegas, Dallas, Chicago, New York and Miami as possible locations. To bring the Mayhem to your town or find out more information on next year's shows, visit www.motorcyclemayhem2006.com.
Street Freestyle Results1:Chris "Teach"McNeil2:Darius Khashabi3:Kane "Insane" Friesen4:Warren James5:Alex "El Conquistador" Flores6:Aaron "The Prodigy" Colton
Other QualifiersNick "Apex" Brocha, Aaron Bullo, Jamal "J-Beats" Kindred,Joe Molina, "Luxury Joe" Suttefield and Ernie "E-Dub" Vigil.Alternates: Kris Ganem and Tony Medina.