Swiss rider Mat Rebeaud soared to take the title at the inaugural event of Red Bull XFighters 2008 in Mexico City. The 2006 champion fought his way through the qualification rounds and into the final where he overcame Dany Torres from Spain after a monumental battle. Jeremy Lusk (USA) grabbed third place. The 43,000 fans packed into the Plaza de Toros in Mexico’s capital city were treated to a non-stop feast of FMX action, with the twelve members of the sport’s elite pulling tricks including backflips, cliffhangers, lazy flips and much more in the sold-out bull fighting arena. After an impressive performance against Jeremy Stenberg (USA) in the semi-final, insiders’ tip Rebeaud risked everything in the final. Dany Torres put up a heroic fight in but was forced to congratulate the worthy champion after the judges’ decision: “Rebeaud was just too good today. He’s obviously put in a lot of hard work and he surprised me today with a few tricks.All in all we’re at about the same level.” The night’s star was Rebeaud, delivering a perfect combination of show, acrobatics and more than just daredevil jumps. “That was just incredible, I’m over the moon. I want to thank all the fans. Here in Mexico everyone really lived the emotions, including me”, explained the KTM rider. French rider Thomas Páges was lucky to escape relatively unscathed after trying a high-risk backflip in the dying seconds of his 130-second quarter-final run against Jeremy Lusk, who would later go on to take third place. Páges crashed heavily, injuring himself in the process: “My shoulder is black and blue and badly grazed, but I’ll be back; I want to get back on the bike as soon as possible”, explained Páges, who was on course for the semi-finals until hisfall. The victory gives the 26 year-old superstar Rebeaud an early lead in the first overall classification of Red Bull X-Fighters 2008. The international FMX elite next meets to do battle on 3rd of May at the Sambadromo in Rio de Janeiro (BRA). The tour continues with visits to Fort Worth (Texas/USA), Wuppertal (GER) and Madrid (ESP). (Source: Red Bull Press)