What a bull fighting arena and an Irish castle look like from a backflip perspective, Red Bull X-Fighters already know. In 2008 they additionally want to explore the air space over Fort Worth, Rio and Wuppertal.

Pastrana and Paso Doble, Can Cans and Corridas, colorful leather and red hankies: it’s the exciting encounter of the FMX world and bull fighting culture that’s made the Red Bull X-Fighters the most atmospheric FMX series on the planet. In 2008 the stimulating culture shock will befall cowboys, samba dancers and quarry workers for the first time – the toreros already being seasoned culture shock-ees. Now Rio, the Fort Worth stockyards in Texas and Wuppertal, Germany, will be initiated into the melting pot of action-packed, top-class motor sports and local culture.

New season begins April 4, 2008

The beginning of this first-ever, six-part series of events will be held in Mexico City, the X-Fighters’ traditional opening city, on April 4. The motto: ‘FMX meets Bullfighting.’ The follow-ups of the event will be held on May 3 in Rio (‘FMX meets Samba’), and, on June 14, in the historical stockyard-quarter of Fort Worth, Texas (‘FMX meets Rodeo’). The end of the season will then return to Europe. On July 4 the venue will be the Oetelshofen quarry in Wuppertal (‘FMX meets Industry’). As always, the end of the season will be held in Madrid. The final contest will take place over two days as never before, on July 17 and 18.

First-class sports show

Since 2001, when the first Red Bull X-Fighters was held in Valencia, not only the number of contests has jumped, but also the sporting value of the event: “I can’t believe the level of riding here,” Red Bull X-Fighters race director Tes Sewell exclaimed after last year’s season final in Madrid. “Even less known riders are doing tricks of incredible difficulty.” Travis Pastrana holds the record for the most victories ever in the series. Since 2004 the American has won four individual events as well as bagging the overall victory in 2007. In its seven seasons to date, Red Bull X-Fighters events have been held a total of 12 times.