Farm Jam A Huge Success
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 17:31
NZ Farm Jam course, looks like moto/BMX heaven to us!
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY SIMON MAKKER
Palmerston North teenager Levi Sherwood made a hell of a return from a eight-month injury lay-off to win the Frew brothers’ epic Farm Jam at the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island.
Levi, who has been sidelined with a wrist surgery and knee reconstruction since July, looked as if he’d never left the saddle as he threw massive Flip Combos and incomprehensibly twisted right-side-up tricks over the 90% natural-terrain course.
Even a crash and whacking his nose on the bars when a Seatgrab Flip went pear-shaped in his opening run couldn’t sway his fellow riders from voting him the best rider on the day in the jam-style format.
“I only caught a couple of fingers on my grab-hole at the beginning of my rotation, and I just couldn’t pull it back around in time,” Levi explained, holding a pack of ice to his nose. “I was pretty lucky to get out of it so lightly. This is an awesome event though, the crowd is right into it and conditions couldn’t be more perfect.”
Unit rider Levi Sherwood shows why he is one the world's best freestyle riders
Jake Bowen’s fellow riders voted him into second place at the Farm Jam, in his first full-fledged FMX competition since 2003. Bones still had ridiculous style and execution, and was frothing over both the course and the event.
“This is the most fun I’ve ever had at a comp,” he said. “Because it’s riders judging each other, you don’t have to stress about having to perform for a judging panel – you’ve just got to go out and have fun. It’s a great way to run it.”
Victoria’s Rhys Hillier, the only other rider to Backflip at the comp, placed a solid third, with his fellow RFDmx team member Joe Sheppard in fourth, and Southland local lad Blake O’Connor placing fifth, after gaining respect for hucking huge Lookback Harts over the 150ft step-up.
An estimated 1500 people turned up for this year’s event that included FMX, BMX and mountain-bike jumping, pit-bikes and a motocross race.
Aussie BMXer Dane Searle was voted as having the best style out of all the disciplines after boosting a seemingly impossible tabletop across an all-dirt half-pipe at the bottom of the dirt-jump run.
Meanwhile, fellow BMXer Brian Anzelotti was the landslide winner of the Best Trick award after Front-flipping a drop-off to dirt transition. He’s one crazy bastard!
Check out the gallery of bangers below. Expect to see a big feature on this year’s Farm Jam in an upcoming issue of Freerider MX.
Also, massive props to Dan and Brett Frew for their hospitality, letting us crash at their house, and showing us a great time in the deep dark south. We’ll be back next year for sure!
Aussie Dane Searle, serious air over one big Tabletop!
Aussie Jake Bowen all style
FRMX Rider Of The Year Joe Sheppard in MX mode
360 degree action from one of the BMX lads
Event organiser Dan Frew jumping in front of the lens for Unit crew
Great to see Rhys Hillier back on it
Steve Sommerfeld sideways before injury put him out of the event
Nick Franklin and Steve Sommerfeld showing off their injured wings
Sun sets on what was an epic NZ Farm Jam event
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Comments
Levi has switched back to KTM for 2010, and has opted for the two-stroke, as the 250F power kinda held him back on the bigger X-Fighters courses last year. Now that he's on the dinger he shouldn't have that problem any more!