Adelberg Wins at Glen Helen

Red Bull X Fighters

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www.fullnoise.com.au  Freestyle News
Aussie Rob Adelberg wins shortened Glen Helen Red Bull X-Fighters event

Australia's Rob Adelberg won the third stop of the 2013 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour by virtue of his victory in qualifying earlier on Saturday after heavy, gusting winds caused the cancellation of the finals.


France's Tom Pages was second and moved ahead of Spain's Dany Torres in the overall standings halfway through the season.

Adelberg scored his first Red Bull X-Fighters career victory on Saturday in Glen Helen thanks to his thumping triumph in the Qualifying session, taking top honors when heavy winds caused the cancellation of the knock-out rounds.

The wind gusts of up to 20 mph made the already challenging track too dangerous for the world's best freestyle motocross riders. Tom Pages took second place on the biggest Red Bull X-Fighters course ever built, moving back into the overall World Tour lead with 245 points, ahead of Dany Torres (210). Japan's Taka Higashino finished third before his home race next month in Osaka, Japan.

The strong winds had forced the postponement of Qualifying from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning. Adelberg, who has a hot hand at the moment and just won the silver medal in Moto X Freestyle at the X Games in Brazil, had a brilliant first run in Qualifying with a perfect cliff-hanger flip, getting 85.1 points.

That was more than enough to beat Pages (83.8 points) into second and Higashino into third (83.6 points). Torres, the 2011 World Tour winner, struggled on the treacherous course in Qualifying and could finish no higher than seventh.

"I started my run with one of the hardest tricks I've ever done, the cliff-hanger flip and it was the best I've ever done," said Adelberg, 24, a tough-as-nails rider who broke his jaw in Glen Helen last year but still managed to finish sixth. His previous best was second in Dubai in 2012.

Torres was disappointed that the knock-out rounds were cancelled. "The wind was also blowing in the morning during the Qualifying," he said.

Australia's second rider in the even Josh Sheehan was credited with 8th position after qualifying on Saturday. The results see Adelberg move in to equal second in the standings on 210 points, with Josh Sheehan in 5th place, one position behind New Zealands Levi Sherwood.

Sherwood who was entered to ride the Glen Helen round, was unable to it the course due to a shoulder injury, but is confident that he will be fit and ready for the next round being held in Osaka, Japan on the 1st of June.

Final results Red Bull X-Fighters Glen Helen - USA
1. Rob Adelberg (AUS)
2. Thomas Pages (FRA)
3. Taka Higashino (JPN)
4. Javier Villegas (CHI)
5. Adam Jones (USA)
6. David Rinaldo (FRA)
7. Dany Torres (ESP)
8. Josh Sheehan (AUS)
9. Wes Agee (USA)
10. Brody Wilson (USA)
11. Todd Potter (USA)

World Tour Standings after Glen Helen Event
1. Tom Pagès 245 Points
2. Dany Torres 210 Points
3. Rob Adelberg 210 Points
4. Levi Sherwood 145 Points
5. Josh Sheehan 90 Points
6. David Rinaldo 80 Points
7. Taka Higashino 65 Points
8. Maikel Melero 60 Points
9. Javier Villegas 60 Points
10. Todd Potter 50 Points

Top Image: Aussie Rob Adelberg (Centre) claimed his first ever Red Bull X-Fighters win at Glen Helen on the weekend.
Credit: Sebastian Marko - Red Bull Content Pool

 
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