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Bilko battles bike jetting gremlins at X-Fighters tour opener in Mexico {16 April 2010}
Aussie freestyle motocross (FMX) star Blake ‘Bilko’ Williams will showcase his freakish ability in a new arena this weekend, lining up to compete at his first Red Bull X-Fighters event in Mexico City.
Williams, 25, from Baxter in Victoria, has enjoyed success on almost every stage, with his most recent achievements, gold and silver at X Games 15 in 2009, placing him at the sport’s pinnacle.
The X-Fighters World Tour opener has presented itself as a challenge, with the 5500ft elevation of the region and resulting thin air threatening to play havoc.
Bilko’s opening practice session was cut short when a routine 360-degree trick went awry upon landing. He landed hard on the downramp after being thrown highside from his bike, bruising himself and battering his bike.
It took two hours to repair his ride and the jetting gremlins still remain as he heads into the second day of competition.
“I took a pretty big hit after highsiding off the bike and landing on the downramp,” said Williams. “I took off a bit of skin and there’ll be a fair few bruises but I’ll be fine for tomorrow.
“I’m more concerned about getting the bike to do what it needs to do. I’m confident with my tricks but its just not getting the power it needs - it cut out a few times on the up-ramp in practice which isn’t good.
“I’m really excited about being here and part of the tour, so hopefully I have a better day tomorrow and get to put on a show for the fans. They can fit around 40,000 into this stadium which is huge!”
The competition format will see riders practice and qualify on day 1 before competition on day 2. Riders outside the top 6 ranking will battle it out for 4 of 6 placings. A head-to-head battle (8 riders) will follow before the semi-final (4 riders) is run, deciding the two remaining riders to fight it out for the event win.
The top 6 riders from each event will pre-qualify for the following event. The 2010 calendar consists of a six-stop calendar: Mexico City, Giza, Moscow, Madrid, London and Rome.
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=Z6zfG7hXhBI&feature=related to see a brief wrap of competition format for the X-Fighters tour.
