| Nate Adams upsets Pastrana in FMX Finals Undefeated Champ Unable To Return After Backflip Crash By Rob Campbell |
| The Gravity Games has seen its share of freestyle motocross history. From Carey Hart's first backflip in 2000, to the backflip showdown between Pastrana and Mike Metzger just a year ago, fans have come to expect surprises and progression. In keeping with tradition, today's event was the first to be broadcast live throughout the country on NBC. It was also the first time Travis Pastrana has ever lost. Pastrana crashed hard at the end of his first run on a one-handed, one-footed backflip attempt. A few scary moments passed before he was helped to his feet and could be heard saying, "I hate getting knocked out." Although he seemed a little woozy, the FMX legend tried convincing everyone he was fine by adding, "Let's go...I'm at the Gravity Games, right?" The defending champ then proceeded to give his fans a treat by hopping over a fence and wandering up into the bleachers, getting hugs and high-fives the whole way. When he was finally brought up to the athlete area and interviewed live on NBC, it was obvious something wasn't quite right. A clearly dazed Pastrana admitted that he couldn't remember his run and was taken to the medical tent for observation. He appeared on TV again shortly afterward to say he was fine, but would not return. |
| Other Notes: Just one spot off the podium in fourth place was Drake McElroy. Drake opened his runs with his signature trick, the dead body, which he still does better than any other rider. His great extensions and ability to finish off every trick really shows on classics like the cliffhanger and lay-z-boy. He also had no problem launching a perfect rock solid over the 80-foot gap, but came up a bit short and almost went over the bars after a Shaolin on his final hit. The impressive outing was a strong statement for Drake, who was recovering from a shattered jaw about this time last year. Dustin Miller was hesitant to ride because of the wind, but attacked the course anyway with tricks like the rock solid, and the ladder (a Superman seat grab that starts with one hand, then switches to the other). Things got scary when Dustin crashed on what looked like a late Hart Attack. He was bucked off the bike, hit his face on the crossbar, and wound up against the wall with his legs in the air. Dustin's bike wedged into the scaffolding so hard that it took a team of guys to pull it out. "The jump was a little weird," Dustin said later. "I threw something there and it didn't work." Despite the mishap, he returned for a second run and upped his score to a 72.5, leaving him in a tie for fifth place. Doug Parsons, who shared a fifth place finish with Dustin Miller, was the best-dressed rider in the 2003 FMX final, probably because he wanted to impress the live NBC audience. Usually a guy doesn't put on a dress shirt and tie to do a perfect kiss-of-death over an 80-foot gap, but it worked for Doug. He also impressed fans with a no-handed lander into one of the course's tightest corners. Matt Buyten recently exploded onto the scene by beating longtime Step-Up champ Tommy Clowers at the 2003 X Games. In the Gravity Games final he showed fans that he also has a healthy freestyle arsenal. Matt was impressive with excellent extensions on all his tricks, including the heel-clicker, look back Hart Attack, dead body, and stripper. He also mixed in solid combos with multiple grabs to earn points on every hit and put in an effort that was about as good as a non-backflip run gets. The judges weren't quite as impressed as the spectators and only awarded Matt a 71, a score that many found a bit low. He had to settle for seventh place today, but it's probably not the last time Matt Buyten will appear in a Gravity Games FMX final. Wildcard entry Jimmy McGuire made it to the finals with solid runs and variations including his signature "Christ Air," which is a laid back version of the cliffhanger with arms stretched out like a cross. His McMetz to no-handed lander was also impressive. FINAL STANDINGS 1. Nate Adams 91.0 2. Travis Pastrana 87.5 3. Ronnie Renner 79.0 4. Drake McElroy 77.5 5. Doug Parsons 72.5 6. Dustin Miller 72.5 7. Matt Buyten 71.0 8. Tommy Clowers 68.0 9. Jimmie McGuire 65.5 10. Trevor Vines 63.5 |
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| Although he was out of the contest, Travis was still in the lead and the only rider with tricks that could possibly match his score of 87.5 was Nate Adams. Adams has put together a series of strong runs all year, only to find himself in second place each time. Even when he recently broke out the heelclicker backflip at the X Games, Pastrana was there to beat him with a 360. Now Nate had another opportunity to take home gold, this time in front of a live audience of millions. He stepped up with a solid run that had the necessary backflips (2 of them to be exact) and a slew of other solid tricks. But with time running out, it didn't feel like he had gone over the top. In an amazing final push, Adams pulled a gutsy backflip over the transfer and landed himself on top of the podium with a score of 91. In the end, Travis was standing right there to congratulate "Nate the Destroyer" when the score was announced and history was made. While it's unlikely this victory will be seen as a "changing of the guard" in FMX, it is a strong statement that the pressure on the leaders is getting tougher. Nate will return home to Arizona the 2003 Gravity Games FMX champion and the first person to beat Travis Pastrana. Winning the other contest that went on between riders that didn't do a backflip was the entertaining Ronnie Renner. The difference may have been attitude. While some riders were apprehensive about the all-dirt course, Renner didn't seem to mind it a bit. "We're used to ramps, but Gravity Games keeps it old school," he said, referring to how FMX was born on dirt courses. The large dirt mounds also provided Renner with the perfect center stage to perform his infamous victory dances like "the sprinkler" and "who's your daddy?" smack down. When he wasn't dancing, Renner was demonstrating textbook execution of just about every trick in the sport, including his signature move, the stripper. |
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