p. Metal Mulisha / Shane Ruiz
p. Simon Makker
£ Jimmy and the boys
take 5 during a session at
Fitzland
ITH FREESTYLE
MOTOCROSS
BEING at the level
it is, you can often
think ‘what does it take to rise
to the top of this sport?’ Simple:
1 - have your own FMX utopia of
a compound to practice on every
day; 2 - use this compound to
hone in and improve your skills
until you’ve reached a level of
insanity most of us two-wheeled
enthusiast have no desire of
achieving. For FMX legend Jimmy
Fitzpatrick, best known for his
wild stunts and antics on and off
his bike, having such a facility has
definitely been a big part of his
success. Two wheels up and four
wheels down - there’s never a dull
moment at Fitzland.
W
The Fitzpatrick property - which
Jimmy shares with his mother,
father, and brother Brent - is
located in a prime spot: the
mecca of the Californian
motocross community. Jimmy’s
family moved to the FMX holy
land known as Temecula wine
country when he was 16 years
old. The property spans an
astounding 50 acres of beautiful
rolling hills and is covered in
picturesque vineyards and huge
dirt bike jumps.
The nine acres that make up
the compound itself are littered
with features, ranging from a
basic 50-foot ramp gap to huge
natural-terrain jumps upwards of
160 feet and everything else in
between. The biggest jump on
the property is the 164-220ft dirtto-dirt double. The approach to
this jump starts one valley back.
As you get up to speed, third
gear is clicked, then fourth, then
fifth if you’re going for maximum
distance. The landing is angled
so that the left side is the shortest
gap distance spanning out right
to the farthest distance. This
one will definitely get the heart
pumping!
One of the scariest jumps at
Fitzland is definitely the fifth gear
wood ramp. This particular jump
is so sun bleached from years of
baking in the Temecula sun, that
the wood has turned almost white.
This creates an optical illusion
as you come screaming into the
property through an open (white)
gate. You have to approach this
jump so fast that it’s hard to make
out the transition in the ramp.
When you add in the sheer length
of this ramp, the four foot wide
take-off looks more like two or
three feet wide. But as soon as
you hit it, you glide effortlessly
over the hilltop, landing smooth
as butter, with adrenaline coursing
through your veins. The compound
is also home to a big quarter pipe,
a unique 3 ramp-wide take-off
and the good old foam pit; this is
where serious riders come to learn