FMX Phenom
Travis Pastrana is most talented at FMX out of all his extreme sports endeavors. His results speak for themselves. Doing tricks was not new to Travis, of course riding a BMX bike opened up the possibilities to him and at age 14 he had already become the World Freestyle Motocross Champion of 1998. He raced many events fusing his aggressive racing pace with midair acrobatics which proved to be a winning combination. Travis was successfully winning Motocross races and always winning any FMX competition he entered.
The X Games had added FMX as a sub-competition and there was no reason as to why Travis wouldn’t show up. Probably the first time FMX was being shown in mainstream media and Travis wiped out the competition scoring a 99 out of 100. This was and still is the highest score in professional FMX competitions, not even the Double Backflip performed by Travis 7 years later could top that. Travis was ahead of his time when it came to doing tricks however just winning the X Games wasn’t enough. He strapped on a life jacket, drained as much oil and petrol as possible and went out for his run. He then jumped into the San Francisco Bay becoming an instant crowd favorite which would help him secure the next 5 years of FMX success.
The following years would test Travis’ commitment to Freestyle and his professional Supercross and Motocross racing careers. Although doing Freestyle had a decent impact on his racing Travis never quit. The next year he took out X Games claiming he learned about 5 new tricks the day before the main competition. And in true Travis style he attempts a backflip just for the fans. Two weeks prior Carey Hart had done the first backflip in competition. The result from attempting the backflip was a broken foot as for what Travis’ mom had to say; “He was grounded for life.” Travis had owed much of his FMX success to the help from fellow FMX rider Kenny Bartram (who was also dominating the events Travis couldn’t make) and his mom. Now Travis was taking the limits of FMX and fusing them with his imagination to continually push the boundaries time and time again.
Travis had, as expected, competed in the 2001 X Games. The competition had no chance against Travis. He had to go outside the course to clear jumps on his 125cc bike. 2001 would be the last year Travis did freestyle competitions on a 125cc motorcycle. Travis had to miss competing the 2002 X Games due to an injury allowing Mike Metzger to become the 2nd person to win a FMX competion at X Games.
Travis had entered the 2002 Gravity Games and was, like usual, the favorite to win but after attempting a Superman Seat Grab Backflip he crashed out. This was the start of many concussions in his FMX career. Travis came 2nd to Nate Adams that year, ending his undefeated FMX streak in any event. The next year Travis won both X Games and Gravity Games.
Travis Pastrana competing at the 2004 Red Bull X Fighters, which we won :: PhotoCredit: (c)Jürgen Skarwan/Red Bull Photofiles
In 2004 Travis lost his first X Games FMX Event. He was performing a 360 when he crashed in the qualifying round. The next day during the finals he couldn’t compete at the level Nate Adams was and left with a Silver medal. Prior to the FMX event, Travis came 3rd in the Best Trick competition performing the first One Handed 360.
Travis made his debut appearance to the Red Bull X Fighters in 2004 and again, won the event with ease beating rival Nate Adams. This would also be one of the last times Travis successfully performed a 360.
In 2005 Travis was the comeback kid. He attempted a Barspin Backflip during the Best Trick competition at X Games, however the bike broke in half. He returned with his regular bike to perform a Saran Wrap Backflip to No Hander Lander, grabbing a silver medal; the highest he had ever got. At this point Travis had given up on the 360, choosing his health over the hardest trick in competition. Even without that trick Travis won the event convincingly and fellow FMX rider and good friend, Kenny Bartram, would take 2nd place.
Travis was successful in the Dew Tour series throughout the years he competed, from 2005 to 2007, however his lack of attendance to each of the many events would keep him from winning a the Dew Cup.
2006 would prove to be Travis’ most successful FMX year. His “it’s just for fun” approach didn’t stray his focus and determination winning a number of events. He won the X Fighter’s Series followed by 3 Gold Medal at X Games – 2 of which were from FMX. Travis would hang it all on the line in the Best Trick competition, performing the first Double Backflip in competition with a perfect landing. He scored at 98 – it is believed 1 judge did not give him a 100 score. He dominated the FMX competition, beating Adam Jones and Mike Mason to the top step of the podium. He did not however complete a 2nd run after hurting his knee walking to the stands to see a friend.
Travis would also compete in a number of Dew Tour events that year and win as expected. 2007 would turn out to be his last full year of FMX. With pressure from Subaru to focus on Rally he had to give it up. He did however compete and become the X Fighters Champion for the 2nd year in a row. Travis would only compete in Speed and Style events til this day.
Travis is a retired FMX rider, however still isn’t afriad to perform a little backflip for the fans.