Kyle Loza (center) took gold ahead of Blake Williams (left) and Todd Potter (right).
Judging from the rider introductions alone, Travis Pastrana was clearly the heavy favorite going into the Moto X Best Trick competition in the Staples Center. Kyle Loza was another to receive lots of love from the crowd as the two-time reigning champ arrived looking for a three-peat.
The whole show looked like something out of a Playstation 3 game with riders throwing new tricks that never seem possible. Slow rotations and incredible combinations were incredible to watch, but unsuccessful on all counts. The way that riders took massive diggers and managed to walk away was also more similar to a video game. Big crashes ultimately shaped the outcome of the Best Trick competition.
Willy Watts, an unknown rider from Oklahoma, showed up with some mystery trick but wound up backing out on both runs which drew some disapproval from commentator and freestyle originator, Brian Deegan. With that waste of time over with, the rest of the show could continue. Silly Willy, we won't be seeing him at X again.
Blake Williams laid down a 360 downside Indian air can-can, a brand new combination, on his first run which set him firmly in the lead. The only 4-stroke rider of the night left the rest of the competition to crash their way out of contention.
Wearing classic leather work gloves, Scott Murray attempted a double backflip and twisted off-axis on his first run and under-rotated the second attempt to come up empty handed and dejected yet again. American rider Paris Rosen attempted a front flip only to land on his rear wheel and loop backwards, landing hard on his tailbone. He would not return for a second run, but the crowd wasn’t too concerned about it as Pastrana rolled to the starting ramp for his first attempt.
With twice as many X Games medals than the entire rest of the field, Pastrana went back to his roots and showed up with a RM125. His reasoning for the small 2-stroke was lighter weight and easier rotation of a smaller machine. TP hucked a brand new trick called the Rodeo 720, but he wasn’t able to get the bike back in line and wound up dropping hard on his right hip. After the hard knock, TP managed to limp up the landing ramp and salute the crowd after which he retreated backstage to sip a Red Bull and watch the replay to assess his performance. Ultimately he had to assess his physical condition and was forced to bow out of his second run due to blurry vision. However, his radical move was enough to put him in medal contention.
“I had this dialed a week ago,” he said “…I really thought I had it.”
Loza earned his first gold in 2007 with the Volt body variable and followed that up with the Electric Doom in 2008. Loza would pull the same trick as he did last year and it was good enough to displace Bilko despite the fact that Williams had brought something new. The commentators and riders on the sideline were all remarking on the importance of innovation, but Loza’s repeat trick was impressive enough.
“That was the scariest thing of my entire life,” he said, “except for the last two years.”
Todd Potter, fresh off his gold medal in
Moto X Best Whip, picked up bronze after playing it safe with a pair of extended flip combinations.
X Games 15 Moto X Best Trick Results:
1. Kyle Loza, 89.20
2. Blake Williams, 88.00
3. Todd Potter, 83.40
4. Travis Pastrana, 61.40
5. Paris Rosen, 57.80
6. Charles Pages, 55.00
7. Scott Murray, 51.80
8. William Watts, 37.60
