One rider in particular heads
towards the ramp swinging his
swagger out wide, setting up for
the ultimate carve up the ramp.
Steering the bike underneath
him as he moves through the
trajectory past horizontal - he
continues on to a vertical state
of flight, but this time completely
upside down. Using his body as
a counter-balance to keep from
continuing on that axis, he rolls
the bike back into a Turndown
Whip to bring it back around for
the landing. You’ve just witnessed
Josh Hansen win the gold medal
by throwing the biggest Whip
in the history of dirt bikes at the
sport’s most elite event - LA X
Games 2013.
Widely used as a way to express
your style or entertain crowds and
cameras, the Whip is when a rider
leans or carves up the take-off of
a jump, using his body to lay the
bike over flat horizontally through
the arc of the jump, and then
standing the bike back upright for
the landing.
In the very beginning when
Johnny O’Mara, Jeff Ward, Jeff
Stanton, Bob Hannah, and others
raced, the Whip was more about
setting up to go faster through
turns and straightaways than
looking cool.
Back in the day - we’re talking
early 80’s era - you saw the birth
of the Whip and the start of what
the Whip would evolve into. You
saw riders throwing the bike
sideways or doing a BMX-style
“cross up” or “X up” Whip.
62 | FreestyleXtreme.com
“It wasn’t just about the photos
and style - it was also about set
up. Landing off a jump, pitching
the bike sideways, landing next
to the hay bail to apex faster
through the turn.” said Johnny
“The O’Show” O’Mara. “There
was always a reason behind it, it
wasn’t just about showboating.”
Although the Whip may have
started out as a way to set up and
go faster, it wouldn’t take long
for both the fans and riders to
recognize that the Whip garnered
a certain kind of attention that
everyone liked. The riders liked
it because it was a form of
expression – usually done once
the race was won or when freeriding. Whipping in the hills was
considered play riding, and was
majorly frowned upon in the early
days by team managers. For fans,
a finish line Whip was simply the
icing on the cake to a great race.
before
before
there were
there were
TRICKS,,there
TRICKS there
were WHIPS...
were WHIPS...
£ 250 world champion Alex
Puzar 1990
The Whip was something cool
that everyone liked. Whether you
were a fan or not, if you knew
every stat about motocross or it
was your first time to the races
- everyone knew that when they
saw someone throw a good Whip
there was something remarkable
about it.
“I think because when you see
a dirt bike jump straight, people
go: wow he jumped real far or
something.” said Jon Freeman
of Crusty Demons Of Dirt. “And
then when you start laying it over
flat there’s a sudden excitement
there. I don’t know, it probably
looks beautiful and dangerous
at the same time to people, so
it’s that mix of excitement and
showing off.” u
p. Jack Burnicle Archive
R
OLLING INTO A NOISY,
chatter filled arena you
take your seat and
settle in for the night’s
show. The six most respected,
accredited FMX riders in the
world roll out onto the floor for
the opening ceremonies. The
lights come back on and the
four-stroke engine revs break
through the air, silencing every fan
with anticipation. One by one the
riders hit the jump, beginning the
jam session format.