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The night kicks off with a ‘jam’ session, as the riders showcase their talent, wowing the crowds with their outstanding vert abilities. Starting with the skaters, Ali Cairns and Pete King are amongst the riders taking to their boards to pull off “backside tailslidesâ€?, “360 flipsâ€? and “frontside smithsâ€? hoping to win over the judging panel, as well as the first ever Red Bull Vertical Battle Skate title. After a tough battle for the skate trophy, it’s the turn of notorious BMXers, including Jon Taylor and Bas Keep alongside, Spanish rider Eduardo Terreros – known as ‘The Spanish Fly’ for his small size and gigantic airs – as they wow the audience and judges with their most impressive tricks. As with the skaters, the BMX’ers each take three runs, with the winner being the rider awarded the most points. Jon Taylor commented: “This will be a great event, as it’s pretty inspirational for young riders –there should be something for everyone with the mix between skate and BMX to entertain the crowds.â€? Prizes will also be awarded for the ‘biggest air’ and ‘best trick’ in both disciplines. This contest will undoubtedly challenge the riders to perform their most gravity-defying moves, with the stakes stepped up a notch as each rider takes his attempt at the title. All this excitement will be carried out to a musical backdrop hosted by one of Kerrang’s favourite DJs. Some great tunes will be blasted out, as well as some fantastic prizes give-aways. The night will wrap up with a live band (tba) keeping the crowd rockin’ long after the riders have dismounted the ramp. Serious about skate/bmx? Then why not learn more at the Red Bull Vert Sessions tour – going back to it’s original format, the grass-roots tour offers amateur riders the chance to get to grips with vert riding with help from the pros, visiting the following stops in the lead up to the Red Bull Vertical Battle: •Monday 25th July: Skaterham, South London •Tuesday 26th July : Newport Skate Par, SK8-Extreme, S.Wales •Wednesday 27th July: Bones Skatepark, Stockport •Thursday 28th July: Y2SK8, Peterborough •Friday 29th July: Epic Skatepark, Birmingham For more information on the Sessions tour, read on: The Red Bull Vert Sessions tour is back for the summer – this time, returning to it’s original grass-roots tour format. After the continual success of previous Vert Sessions tours, Red Bull is re-instating the popular vert clinic back, to teach the most eager youngster the skills needed to master vert riding. Comprising of five workshops throughout the UK, the ‘pro-riders’ will be on hand to introduce youngsters to, or develop their existing talent in vert riding by using their skills and knowledge to develop the youngsters into vert masters!. Coaching the amateurs will be skateboard heroes Ali Cairns, Dave Allen and Pete King, joined by BMX riders Jon Taylor and Bas Keep. If you’re serious about skate or BMX and want to top tips and advice from professional riders themselves, come along to the free tour. In recent years vert riding has become less popular, with street being the preferred choice of most youngsters. As part of Red Bull’s continual commitment to the scene, they are taking all riders on the Red Bull Vert Sessions tour 2005 back to its roots in vert, encouraging youngsters to dedicate time and patience to master the discipline - particularly as BMX vert riding will be part of the 2008 Olympics for the very first time! Whether you’ve been riding for years or never picked up a board or bike in your life, you’ll be given the opportunity to master new tricks and talents from ‘dropping in’, to ‘getting air’. The sessions fill up quickly so, if you want to learn from the pros, get down to one of the participating parks to sign up in advance. For more information go to: www.redbull.co.uk