Tom Pages, Taka Higashino and Luc Ackermann are the big winners at the FMX Awards 2012
French freestyle star Tom Pages has been voted Best International Freestyle Motocross Rider by the international FMX community. Garnering 35.3% of the vote, he was a clear winner over second-placed Levi Sherwood (NZL, 23.7%). Pages also picked up the Best European FMX Rider award, another of the major accolades being contested. Only in the Best FMX Trick Innovation category did Tom Pages have to settle for second place, his “Special Flip” edged out by the “Rock Solid Backflip” of Taka Higashino.
The users also voted Higashino Best Asian FMX Rider, putting him on a par with Pages with two first places to his name. The up-and-coming German Luc Ackermann, too, triumphed in two categories. The Thuringian was voted Best European FMX Rookie and Best German FMX Rookie. For the second season in a row, the title of Best German FMX Rider 2012 went Luc’s elder brother, Hannes Ackermann, who came fifth overall at the NIGHT of the JUMPs / FIM Freestyle MX World Championship 2012.
As in 2011, Nate Adams was named Best American FMX Rider. On the other side of the globe Josh Sheehan took Best Australian FMX Rider.
The Australian FMX community can be proud of another victory, too. By a clear margin, users voted Emma McFerran as the winner of the newly created Best Female FMX Rider category. The Australian picked up almost 60% of the votes, with second-placed Jolene van Vugt of Canada impressing 31.6% of the users.
For the first time the Awards featured a rating for Best South American FMX Rider. There was no doubt about the winner – the 2012 FIM FMX World Champion, Chilean Javier Villegas, with 75.9%. Another Latin American taking a top prize at the FMX Awards 2012 was Erick Ruiz of Mexico, whom users voted Best International FMX Rookie. Alistair Sayer of Botswana took the laurels as Best African FMX Rider for the second year in succession.
The Red Bull X-Fighters grabbed the title of FMX Series of the Year, with runner up the NIGHT of the JUMPs / FIM Freestyle MX World Championship. Best FMX motorbike in 2012 was the Yamaha YZ 250, for the third year in a row. Finally, most votes in the Best FMX Website category went to fmxworld.com.
The FMX Awards were created by the Berlinièros Sports Agency in 2006. The awards recognise outstanding performances by FMX riders in the previous season. An independent international jury of experts draws up a shortlist of five riders in each category, with the winners decided by the users.
All categories and winners are listed below:
Category Winner:
Best International FMX Rider Tom Pages (FRA)
Best European FMX Rider Tom Pages (FRA)
Best American FMX Rider Nate Adams (USA)
Best Australian FMX Rider Josh Sheehan (AUS)
Best African FMX Rider Alastair Sayer (BOT)
Best Asian FMX Rider Taka Higashino (JAP)
Best German FMX Rider Hannes Ackermann GER)
Best South American FMX Rider Javier Villegas (CHL)
Best Female FMX Rider Emma McFerran (AUS)
Best International FMX Rookie Erick Ruiz (MEX)
Best European FMX Rookie Luc Ackermann (GER)
Best German FMX Rookie Luc Ackermann (GER)
Best FMX Series / Event Red Bull X-Fighters
Best FMX Bike Yamaha YZ 250
Best Trick Innovation Rock Solid Backflip – Taka Higashino (JAP)
Best FMX Website www.fmxworld.com