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MOTO X FREESTYLE
Patrick G. Cain
Lerner Publications Company Minneapolis
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Copyright 2013 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except
for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Lerner Publications Company
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Content Consultant: Jason Weigandt, Senior Editor, Racer X Illustrated
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cain, Patrick G.
Moto x freestyle / by Patrick G. Cain.
p. cm. (Extreme summer sports zone)
Includes index.
ISBN 9781467707534 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
ISBN 9781512417579 (Audisee ISBN)
1. MotocrossJuvenile literature. I. Title.
GV1060.12.C33 2013
796.7'56dc23
2012033889
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 BP 12/31/12
Photo credits: The images in this book are used with the permission of: Backgrounds: Henny
Ray Abrams/AP Images, ;
Raymond Kleboe and Charles Hewitt/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, ; AP Images,
; Steve Bruhn/Getty Images,
12; Mark Sullivan/WireImage/Getty Images, ; Ovidiu
Sopa/Shutterstock Images, ,
19, ; Margo Harrison/
Shutterstock Images, ; Jeff
Gross/Getty Images,
Front cover: Dean Treml/AFP/Getty Images (main); RTimages/Shutterstock.com (background).
Main body text set in Folio Std Light 11/17.
Typeface provided by Adobe Systems.
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TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
WHAT IS
MOTO X FREESTYLE?
MOTOCROSS BEGINS
FREESTYLE BRANDS,
EQUIPMENT, AND MOVES
GOING PRO
Glossary
For More Information
Index
About the Author
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CHAPTER
ONE
W hat
I S
M OTO
X
FREE STYLE?
F reestyle motocross (moto X) rider Travis Pastrana was an
awesome young rider. He won the world freestyle championship
in 1998.
Before that he had spent years riding and practicing new
tricks. All that experience had led to 18 broken bones. Not many athletes
continue competing after so many injuries. But Travis always got back
on his bike. He was also a good student. He graduated from high school
three years early. In 1999 he enrolled at the University of Maryland. Still
only a handful of people knew about Travis. But his stardom was about to
change. In 1999 ESPN invited the 15-year-old rider to the X Games.
THE X GAMES
ESPN has held an action sports competition called the X Games
since 1995. But freestyle motocross wasnt added as an event until
1999. Many fans consider the X Games to be the most important
extreme sports competition of the year. Like the Olympic Games, X
Games riders compete for gold, silver, or bronze medals. X Games
winners also get prize money. Pro riders usually work for months
on trying to perfect their routines or specific moves.
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Stars like
Travis Pastrana have
helped make freestyle
motocross one of the
most popular action
sports.
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Travis Pastrana
celebrates after winning
the 2003 X Games moto X
freestyle competition.
In 1999 freestyle motocross was still young. Few people
knew what was possible on dirt bikes. Motocross racers had
been racing off-road motorcycles for years. But these races