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Whipping Up a Frenzy of Excitement at Montecasino

Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira / ZA Bikers

No, this has nothing to do with winning big on the tables in the casino, but rather the daredevil and death-defying stunts taking place in the outdoor arena at Montecasino on Saturday 23rd November as an international cast congregated for the King of the Whip 2024 competition.

Belgian Freestyle Motocross rider Julian Vanstippen successfully defended his King of the Whip crown, claiming his third title in a row in front of a sold-out crowd.

Photo credit: Eric Palmer

Over 20 of the best Freestyle Motocross and Motocross riders took to the ramps to compete in the Best Whip and Best Trick contests. Up for grabs was a share of the R225 000,00 cash prize and various prizes from the official event partners. The 2024 edition saw the biggest list of international riders come out to compete – Julien Vanstippen (Belgium), Tom Parsons (USA), Pat Bowden (Australia), Genki “Wanky” Watanabe (Japan), Andreu Lacondeguy (Spain), Sebastian Westberg (Finland) and Antonio Navas (Spain).

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Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira / ZA Bikers

Event organiser Ryan van der Spuy, said: “Every year this event exceeds expectations. It has gone from strength to strength and is now an event with international acclaim. We’re in our third year at this venue, sold out again, and saw seven international riders competing against our local stars, our most ever, which shows the event’s growth and recognition both locally and internationally.

“There were also two firsts for this event, and the sport itself saw an official pre-event riders press conference as well as betting partner playTSOGO joining to allow fans the opportunity to bet on their favourite riders.”

Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira / ZA Bikers

The action for the Best Whip competition began with the riders going head-to-head in four qualifying rounds. Judges were on the lookout for amplitude, style, and variation when deciding which of the 15 riders would qualify for the semi-finals. Seven more riders were eliminated in the semi-finals, leaving only eight to compete in the Finals.

Before the King of the Whip could be crowned, FMX riders had a chance to show off their crowd-thrilling freestyle tricks in the Best Trick Right-Side-Up and Upside-Down competitions where Pat Bowden proved to be the King of the tricks.

Photo credit: Eric Palmer

In the Best Trick Right-Side-Up competition, each rider had two chances to take to the ramps and pull off the best trick possible. Bowden claimed victory by showcasing his heart-stopping tricks like a Holy Grab to Double Heart-Attack Lookback and a Holy Grab to Rock Solid Indie. He was joined on the podium by crowd-favourite Genki Watanabe in 2nd place and Julien Vanstippen, who finished 3rd.

Photo credit: Eric Palmer

For the Best Trick Upside-Down, the riders had three jumps each to stake their claim. Not content with one first place, Bowden took the top step again to claim the title with a Backflip No Hander, Backflip Cliffhanger and a Backflip Double Grab. Rounding out the podium was Watanabe, who slotted into 2nd place and Dallan Goldman, who grabbed 3rd.

Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira / ZA Bikers

Bowden, winner of the 2024 Best Trick Right-Side-Up and Upside-Down competitions, commented: “It feels awesome as I had no expectations coming here. I didn’t even know if I would be riding until two days ago, as I broke my ankle around 10 days ago. I just taped my ankle as best I could before riding, so going home safe with two medals in the bag feels incredible.”

After the Best Trick contest, it was time for the evening’s premier event: The Best Whip final. As the sun set, the tempo began to ramp up, with the action only aided by a dazzling pyrotechnics display and a crowd on the edge of their seats. The Best Whip final saw the riders pull out all the stops to unseat reigning champion, Vanstippen as King of the Whip. It was a hotly contested battle between Tom Parsons, on-board the Stark Varg electric bike, and the defending champion Vanstippen. Vanstippen stepped it up a level to ultimately emerge as the 2024 winner and claim the Triple Crown. Parsons followed him in 2nd and Watanabe claimed 3rd, rounding out the top five were local riders Dalton Venter and Dallan Goldman, respectively.

Photo credit: Eric Palmer

Vanstippen, winner of the 2024 Best Whip competition, commented: “Third time in a row, baby. I’m so stoked and thankful to be back here. The crowd was insane, so claiming my third King of the Whip title in front of them was a fantastic experience. King of the Whip always puts on such a great event, and I can’t wait to be back next year battling it out with these amazing riders in front of this crowd!”

King of the Whip is presented by LW Mag in association with Ford, Monster Energy, Yamaha, Garmin, Motul, GoPro, PlayTSOGO and Estrella Cerveza.

KING OF THE WHIP 2024 FINAL RESULTS

Best Whip

1st Julien Vanstippen (Belgium)
2nd Tom Parsons (USA)
3rd Genki Watanabe (Japan)
4th Dalton Venter (South Africa)
5th Dallan Goldman (South Africa)

Best Trick Right Side Up

1st Pat Bowden (Australia)
2nd Genki Watanabe (Japan)
3rd Julien Vanstippen (Belgium)

Best Trick Right Side Up

1st Pat Bowden (Australia)
2nd Genki Watanabe (Japan)
3rd Dallan Goldman (South Africa)

Harry Fisher
Harry Fisher
From an early age, Harry was obsessed with anything that moved under its own steam, particularly cars and motorcycles. For reasons of a financial nature, his stable of fine automobiles failed to materialise, at which point he realised that motorcycles were far more affordable and so he started his two wheel career, owning, riding, building and fixing many classic bikes. Then came the day when he converted his love of bikes into a living, writing, filming and talking about them endlessly. The passion for four wheels never left him, however, and he has now converted his writing skills into singing the praises of cars in all their infinite variety. Bikes are still his favourite means of getting around but the car in its modern form is reaching a level of perfection that is hard to resist. And they're warmer in winter....
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