crankandpiston soaks up the action at the Red Bull X-Fighters 2013 World Tour in Dubai, and wonder where on earth those ladies got their mirror ball suits…
‘Click’
The day started as it meant to go on at the Red Bull X-Fighters 2013 World Tour in Dubai this past weekend.
For those of you unfamiliar with the X-Fighters, it is form of extreme freestyle motocross (FMX) arena motorsport that first kicked off in Madrid in 2001 in which riders perform a variety of tricks, combos and insanely complicated stunts on a bike, in mid-air, at ridiculous speeds, and without a safety net: think Tony Hawk, but on a bike. And if you don’t know who Tony Hawk is…
So, having paid our hellos to the incredibly smiley lady on the main gate on Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard and received our Red Bull merchandise vouchers from another couple of smiley ladies, it was time to crack open the first of nearly a dozen Red Bull cans for the evening (and that included the new Silver, Red and Blue labelled limited edition cans) and cover the X-Fighters as only crankandpiston knows how.
Well, that was the plan anyway. True to form, Red Bull had very kindly supplied the crankandpiston team with several media passes for the event. ‘Quid’s in’, we thought, only to very quickly find out that said passes didn’t get us access to much. A shake of the head from several security guards – plus assurances that the wristbands we had been given were the wrong colour – meant we had to change our strategy: out was an in-depth look at the series, its organisers and the significance to worldwide freestyle motocross; in was the crankandpiston lens pointed at the crowds, the entertainment, and the girls.
Yes, it may be a little childish, but we found it difficult not to go weak at the knees when passing a model brandishing an electric smile and carefully placed Bridgestone logos on her top…
…of course some were finding it a little more difficult to get into the swing than others, so we decided to say ‘hi’.
Gawking and awkward waving over, it was time to take a wander around the new track layout for this year. Anybody who’s seen the pre-event walkthrough with X-Fighters former champ Ronnie Renner will already be well versed with the kickers, the dirt kickers and the quarter pipes, since the track’s relocation from Jumeriah Beach Residence on which the riders have competed for the past two years. Of course, from ground level, this meant nothing to any of us…
Detailed track inspection done and time fast ticking by, we figured we’d quickly check out the paddock’s lifestyle activities. Avoiding Swatch blow-up tubes was a good start (we’re not too sure either), and while the prospect of a go on event sponsor Ford’s Raptor simulator was tempting, the queue was typically groaning with interested punters. None of whom minded having their pictures taken though.
