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Team Czech wins Season Opener in Berlin

On Friday, after three years, the NIGHT of the JUMPs is back in Berlin. Motorsport fans in the capital had to wait over 1,000 days for the return of the oldest and greatest FMX Series. Accordingly, the crowd was huge and there was a breathtaking atmosphere at the Freestyle of Nations Contest. Here the teams of Czech Republic vs. Spain vs. Team Germany competed against each other. With David Rinaldo, Maikel Melero and Luc Ackermann there were three FMX world champions in the field.

Team Czech Republic started in Freestyle Heat 1 with Matej Cesak. The young Red Bull Spect rider showed spectacular tricks like his new Lazyboy Backflip, the Tsunami Flip, Seatgrab Flip or the No-Hand Flip. With these tricks he beat Spain's Marc Pinyol, who crashed during the Body Varial, and Kai Haase from Berlin and put his team in the lead.

Matej Cesak (CZE) also won the following Whip Contest and secured Czech Republic another 100 points and the lead over the favored teams from Germany and Spain.

In Freestyle Heat 2, David Rinaldo, competing for Germany, was able to bring his team a little closer to the Czech Republic again. With the Californa Roll, the Tsunami Flip and a Rock Solid Backflip he won the second FMX round. But also Filip Podmol showed a very good run with Cliffhanger Flip, Tsunami Flip or Shaolin Flip, which brought him to second place with 65 points. Dany Torres was third here.

In the Synchro competition Team Spain and Team Germany had a spectacular battle. But with two perfect Tsunami Indy Flips Maikel Melero and Marc Pinyol got the 100 points for Spain.

In the third freestyle heat Petr Pilat started spectacularly with Tsunami Flip and the "TP". But Maikel Melero countered with tricks like the California Roll and the Frontflip. Then it was the turn of German World Champion Luc Ackermann, who rode the first contest after his 6-month injury. Massive Tsunami Flip, the best 360 in FMX sport and to top it off a Double Backflip. With 77 points he got the highest individual result of the evening in freestyle and brought Germany within striking distance of the Czech Republic.

The German showed another double flip in the best trick, but he overrotated it a bit and thus could not ride it out. When Filip Podmol then jumped a perfectly stretched doublegrab backflip and Scooter rider Richard Zelinka also delivered, the Czech Republic took the win in Best Trick and also in the overall standings. What a surprise in the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin. Team Germany took silver ahead of the team from Spain.

It for a spectacular comeback for the oldest and biggest international freestyle motocross sport series after three years in the German capital. And on Saturday it continues directly with the second day of the NIGHT of the JUMPs in Berlin. Here Team Germany has the chance to strike back.

 

NIGHT of the JUMPs / Freestyle of Nations

Berlin – 24.02.2023

Overall

  1. Team Czech Republic 437 Points
  2. Team Germany          419 Points                     
  3. Team Spain                   397 Points

Freestyle Motocross Run 1

  1. Team Czech Republic – Matej Cesak 56 Points
  2. Team Germany – Kai Haase 51 Points
  3. Team Spain – Marc Pinyol                   40 Points

Freestyle Motocross Run 2

  1. Team Germany – David Rinaldo         75 Points
  2. Team Czech Republic – Filip Podmol 65 Points
  3. Team Spain – Dany Torres                   50 Points

Freestyle Motocross Run 3

  1. Team Germany – Luc Ackermann 77 Points
  2. Team Spain – Maikel Melero         70 Points
  3. Team Czech Republic – Petr Pilat 61 Points

Whip Contest

  1. Team Czech Republic – Matej Cesak       100 Points
  2. Team Germany – Kai Haase            80 Points
  3. Team Spain – Marc Pinyol            65 Points

Synchro Contest

  1. Team Spain – Melero/Pinyol 100 Points
  2. Team Germany – Haase/Rinaldo            80 Points
  3. Team Czech Republic – Pilat/Podmol   65 Points

Best Trick

  1. Team Czech – Podmol/Pilat/Zelinka   90 Points
  2. Team Spain – Melero/Bonafee           72 Points
  3. Team Germany –Ackermann/D.Godziek   56 Points

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