More than 12,000 fans witnessed a night of sky-scraping performances at the 6th annual LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross produced by ASA Entertainment rocked Fairplex Pomona tonight at the L.A. County Fair.
After opening musical acts that included headlining band FILTER played on the Maxell music stage, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg outshined his fellow competitors for the second consecutive year to capture the title of 2008 LG World Champion of Freestyle Motocross and $30,000.
With only four days to practice after recovering from recent hand surgery, Twitch flipped his way to the title with the confidence and skill for which he is known. This win was particularly special as it came at what he terms his “favorite event” and happened on his birthday.
“It is what it is,” Twitch stated when asked for comments about his win. “I came out and got first place. It’s what I do. And, I gave myself a great birthday present.”
When asked if he would be back next year, he remarked, “This year I got the repeat, next year I’m going for the three-peat!”
It was clear that Stenberg’s skill level exceeded his challengers, as he was the only athlete in the competition to perform three back-flip variations in succession and never repeat a trick during a run. His tricks were innovative, death defying and technically extraordinary, leaving no question as to the world’s best freestyle athlete.
Oregon’s Beau Bamberg captured the $20,000 second place prize with an assured performance that displayed his potential and finally exhibited his skill level, something that has been lacking since he suffered a serious injury to the triangular wall of his abdomen two months ago while preparing for a competition.
“This feels great,” said Bamberg. “The last couple of months I have not been able to ride up to my potential due to my injury. Today was the first day that I’ve felt really good and was able to perform like I know I’m can.”
Bamberg’s ability was enough to upset 2008 X Games Los Angeles and X Games Mexico champion Jeremy Lusk in the semi-final round. With his recent success, Lusk entered the competition as the favorite in many opinions.
However, Bamberg executed a run that left judges in extended deliberation about who was the heat winner. When the final points were tallied, Bamberg advanced to the final round, less than a mere point ahead of Lusk.
The evening’s head judge, Regis Harrington, explained the decision to a surprised audience. “That was one of the closest rounds I’ve ever seen, so it was difficult. However, Bamberg did different tricks throughout his entire run, and Lusk repeated two tricks. In a competition this tight you just cannot do that.”
The event’s third place performance came from Adam Jones of Warrendale, Pennsylvania. Jones won $10,000.
Five riders earned the opportunity to compete alongside the world’s best for the LG World Championship of Freestyle Motocross title with successful performances in the open qualifying round earlier in the day—Ronnie Faisst, Cameron Sinclair, Dustin Miller, Jeff Kargola and local hometown favorite Wiley Fullmer. They all turned in solid first round performances but were prevented from advancing by the world’s top pros this season.
All of the LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross action will air on CBS Sports, Sunday, December 7th following the local NFL broadcast, as well as on cable networks to be announced. Please check your local listings for more details.
Check out the photos!
—story and photos courtesy of ASA
