event’s inception in 1995. For three days, the global sports action community will focus on Ventura County Fairgrounds & Events Center for history-making sports performances and full-fledged festival experiences featuring fan activations alongside special musical guest performances headlined by Kaskade and Wiz Khalifa.
X Games Ventura 2024 will feature 150 athletes from 21 countries competing for 57 medals in 19 events across three sports. The contest will elevate women’s action sports by introducing two new medaled disciplines: Prepare for the debut of Women’s BMX Park and Women’s Skateboard Vert Best Trick in Ventura. Maintaining the highest level of riding, X Games California is contested as an invite-only event reserved for multiple-time X Games medalists and highly competitive newcomers.
All competitions will be live-streamed on YouTube and Twitch, as well as broadcast during specific windows on ABC/ESPN2. Also, look forward to special live episodes of the sports and pop culture podcast UNLEASHED with The Dingo, Danny, and Brittney, Fueled by Monster Energy, streamed on Twitch from behind the scenes at X Games Ventura on June 28 from noon to 1 p.m. PT, June 29 from 11 a.m. to noon PT, and June 30 from noon to 1 p.m. PT.
As the official energy drink sponsor of X Games Ventura 2024, Monster Energy is ready to bring the stoke with a stacked team of riders, including defending X Games gold medalists, action sports icons, and upcoming rookies. Look out for the following Monster Energy athletes at X Games Ventura 2024:
The big weekend inside the Ventura County Fairgrounds & Events Center kicks off on Friday with the brand-new Women’s BMX Park contest. In this new medal event, look for 28-year-old Olympic athlete Macarena Perez Grasset from Chile, with several silver medal finishes in global BMX competitions under her belt. She will face heat from the youngest rider in the field, 18-year-old Monster Army rider Nene Naito from Kanagawaken Chigasaki, Japan, fresh off a third-place finish in the 2024 Japan Cup Nagoya. Also look for reigning German champ Kim Lea Mueller from Remscheid in this debut event where anything can happen.
For yet another epic showdown, the BMX Street final promises a rematch between last year’s gold medalist Kevin Peraza from Tucson, Arizona, and silver medalist Boyd Hilder from Gold Coast, Australia, who also took gold in the event at X Games Japan 2023. Challengers for the throne also include German tech powerhouse and multiple X Games medalist Felix Prangenberg, Australian X Games gold medalist Lewis Mills, and UK rider Jordan Godwin, looking for his debut X Games medal. Don’t miss it!
Further raising the stoke level at X Games Ventura, the BMX Dirt event will feature a heavy Monster Energy squad. The man to beat will be 21-year-old Brady Baker after making history in 2023 by clinching gold in his rookie X Games appearance. Will history repeat itself? Not if certified BMX Dirt beasts get their way, including A-listers such as Ryan Williams, Andy Buckworth, Mike Varga, Jaie Toohey, Bryce Tryon, and Daniel Sandoval. They’re not the only ones posting clean tricks on dirt terrain: Watch out for Monster Army young guns Kaden Stone and Gustavo Batista de Oliveira, also known as Gustavo Bala Loka, in the mix, alongside Brazilian BMX icon Leandro Moreira, for an unforgettable throwdown.
A day of high-stakes finals also includes the Men’s BMX Park event, where previous year’s gold medalist Jose Torres is the rider to beat. Close competition will come from 2023’s silver medal finisher Kevin Peraza and BMX icon Daniel Sandoval, looking for his eighth X Games medal. The Monster Energy squad also boasts heavy hitters including two-time X Games silver medalist Justin Dowell, alongside certified park challengers such as Boyd Hilder and Bryce Tryon, looking to take the gold. Don’t miss it!
On that note, get ready for a showdown of BMX innovators in the Dave Mirra BMX Park Best Trick event. Will defending X Games gold medalist Kevin Peraza up the ante with a groundbreaking trick once again? Or will 2023’s bronze medal finisher Daniel Sandoval have the final word? It’s anyone’s guess in a premium field replete with the raw talent of Ryan Williams, winner of BMX Park Best Trick at X Games Japan 2023, and three-time X Games gold medalist in Best Trick, Mike Varga from Canada. And with wildcards such as Brady Baker (BMX Dirt gold medalist) and Boyd Hilder (BMX Street gold winner) bringing their skills to the battle, all the pieces are in place for a legendary session.
Wrapping up the 70th edition of X Games with a bang, BMX Dirt Best Trick will be contested for the third time in X Games history. The man to beat is clearly 2023’s gold medal winner, nine-time X Games medalist Ryan Williams from Sunshine Coast, Australia. Also, remember last year’s upset story: Young Monster Army rider Kaden Stone from Corona, California, clinched the silver medal with a never-been-done trick. It’s wide open this time when a squad of BMX trailblazers joins the session, replete with Mike Varga, Brady Baker, Jaie Toohey, and Andy Buckworth, winner of the event’s first edition in 2021. A worthy finale to an epic weekend for action sports in Ventura!
Make sure to watch X Games Ventura 2024 from June 28-30 when the Monster Energy team steps up, ready to Unleash the Beast!
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.