FreestyleXtreme Magazine Issue 5 | Page 32

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