The Battle to Make the World Final Continues Across Europe

Aug 21, 2018

Written by Bart de Jong

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As the the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship Final fast approaches and the chance to qualify becomes more limited, riders from all over Europe came out to try and secure their ticket to The Jones Center, Springdale, Arkansas. In Estonia the local BMX community brought the heat and with a deep pool of talent across the region the field of riders was as strong as ever. With a Storm hitting Parnu earlier in the day, heavy winds and rain looked to jeopardise the race but as the skies cleared the riders began to put on an incredible show of speed.

In the men’s category the favourite on the day was Estonian BMX National Champion Ardo Oks. Oks was carrying incredible speed but struggling to link the entire run together and it fell to Latvian Helvijs

Babris to put his pump track racing experience to the test. Having finished 4^th in Latvia he had it all to prove and claimed the top step of the podium on the day.

In the Women’s field, Latvian National Champion and 2017 Junior Women World Number 3 Vineta Patersone was no match for the other women and from start to finish dominated the day of racing securing her ticket to the World Final.

In Balzers, Lichtenstein, the racing put a field of World Cup MTB athletes to the test. With the Swiss National team on a training camp nearby, they used the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship to challenge themselves further. Current National Champion and World Cup Rider Noel Niederberger continued his winning streak in recent weeks by securing the top spot and the fastest time of the day.

For Christa von Niederhäusern the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship was her return to competitive racing after being injured and she did so in incredible style. Not only did Christa take the win but she secured her place at the World Final.

With two more European qualifers ahead of the LCQ at the Jones Center, the World Final is gearing up to be an incredible showdown of the best talent from around the world.