On Saturday, October 23rd, 14 top regional BMX riders arrived in downtown Austin at Empire BMX on their own version of the steel horse and tracked down some of the most criminal tricks this side of the Rio Grande. In the end, Morgan Wade landed the toughest and most valuable trick, the Green Goblin Rail, and won $600 prize bounty.
Red Bull Most Wanted, based on the notorious bounty hunting of the Wild Wild West, led top regional BMX rider up alleys, down rails, over obstacles and through iconic ride spots around Austin where blood was shed in search of the most wanted BMX tricks.
Riders met in the Empire BMX bowl, where 40 bounties – or a specific BMX trick performed at a specific location – were snatched off the wall one by one as riders made a mad dash to “capture” them and earn the amount of cash that each bounty was worth. A total of $4,000 was up for grabs. X Games competitor, Morgan Wade, successfully completed the most difficult tricks to take home the highest bounty.
“I’ll go for any trick you put on paper,” said Morgan. “The second I saw the green goblin bounty, I had to have it. I’ve wanted the chance to capture that rail on film for years, and this event gave me a reason to go for it.”
“Austin has such an amazing reputation as a national BMX hot spot, and it’s great to see an event of this magnitude happen here,” said rider Kevin Porter. “The success of this event was really a testament to Red Bull’s innovation and to the passion of the local BMX community.”
Following the competition, over 200 gathered at the infamous Ninth Street Trails. A BMX jam session open to the public gave young locals the chance to ride with the respected BMX riders participating in Red Bull Most Wanted.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.