I've been waiting patiently for this day and it's finally here -- the 2010 Red Bull X-Fighters schedule has been announced. Why do I care so much about what cities the tour will stop in? Well, there are a couple reasons actually.
First off, Red Bull has done an amazing job at globalizing FMX and bringing it to countries that otherwise would've never seen it. And with the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour, I feel like they thrive on picking exotic locations and this proves to me that Red Bull has faith in FMX's popularity and that it's A LOT bigger than most of us presume it to be. Also, once a spectator witnesses an FMX event, they become a fan for life and so the fact that three of the six newly-announced stops are brand new, FMX's fan base will continue to grow leaps and bounds in 2010.
Secondly, if my boss lives up to his promise, I'll be attending each and every event to bring you guys coverage that only ESPN.com/Action could deliver. Two words: passport stamps!
April 16th: Mexico City, Mexico
May 14th: Giza, Egypt
June 26th: Moscow, Russia
July 22nd/23rd: Madrid, Spain
August 14th: London, England
October 1st: Rome, Italy
Now, with that good news out of the way, let's get to the not-so-good news. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated Red Bull X-Fighters Ranking Session has been postponed indefinitely due to the insane California storm that flooded the region. What does this mean? Well, unlike last year, Red Bull X-Fighters will no longer be an invite-only event and riders will required to qualify for the available spots, but they'll be doing it at each event -- sort of like X Games -- not in a prior ranking sesh.
I contacted an insider at Red Bull and here's what he had to say about it all. "The Red Bull X-Fighters Ranking Session, scheduled for February 2-10, has been postponed indefinitely. Unfortunately, the continuous rainy weather in Southern California has prevented the construction of the world class course for the international collection of world class riders to compete on, which is a hallmark of Red Bull X-Fighters. The 2010 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour will go on as scheduled."
So how's it all going to work? Here's an excerpt from the press release.
In 2010, Red Bull X-Fighters is no longer an invitational. Instead of holding a seperate Ranking Session, which was planned to take place this February in Southern California, but had to be cancelled due to bad weather, qualifying will be done according to performance and the World Tour ranking. The top six riders will be pre-qualified. This means that Nate Adams (USA), Robbie Maddison (AUS), Eigo Sato (JPN), Mat Rebeaud (SUI), Dany Torres (ESP) and Levi Sherwood (NZL) are already seeded for the season opener in Mexico, based on their standings at the end of the 2009 season. Four spots will be battled out by six riders, who have been selected by the international Red Bull X-Fighters jury following an own application process which was started in autumn last year. 2 Wild Card riders will complete the starting list. "This method will guarantee a fair competition on the highest sportive level with only the very best riders competing at each single Tour stop," explained Sports Director Tes Sewell.
So there you have it, 2010 is going be an amazing year for the sport ... on a global level. I keep asking the question, but I know it's bound to happen sooner or later ... when will Red Bull X-Fighters have a stop on the moon? Could you imagine?