Freestyle Motocross Star Jeremy Lusk Dies, Is This a Sign That FMX Has Come Too Far?

February 24th, 2009 • Motocross News, My Thoughts

The Metal Mulisha Crew. Lusk on right. Photo from Jeff Kargola.

The Metal Mulisha Crew. Jeremy Lusk on right. Photo by Jeff Kargola.

Tragically, on February 10th, 2009, freestyle motocross star Jeremy Lusk passed away due to head injuries after a failed heart-attack backflip attempt. Lusk was a star in the FMX world and a member of the renowned Metal Mulisha team. The entire motocross industry was automatically sent into a sense of shock and mourning after hearing the news. As a community, we all pulled together to remember the great rider that was Jeremy Lusk.

Looking past his death, however, I believe that this incredibly tragic event is a sign to the entire freestyle motocross industry that perhaps the evolution of the stunts performed by FMX stars has gone too far. The FMX industry has been pushing the envelope for too long, and maybe it is time for something to change.

I don’t want to make the impression that the current crop of FMX tricks don’t require incredible skills, however, it has definitely gotten to the point that a rider with the guts to huck out the latest tricks will beat out a rider with serious motocross skills.

What Caused This Transition?

The Backflip is responsible for the denaturing of FMX GuyB Photo.

The backflip is responsible for the downfall of Freestyle Motocross. Photo by GuyB.

I believe that the backflip and subsequently the variations of the backflip are 100% responsible for the mutation of FMX from a display of skill to a display of guts. The backflip has become a necessary trick in any freestyle routine. Throwing multiple backflips and backflip variations is almost a guarantee for a good score, but if you don’t do one, despite how much skill you display in the rest of your run, your chances of a top 5 or even top 10 score are slim to none.

The backflip began as a demonstration of how skilled freestyle motocross riders have become, but it has readily transformed the sport. Now the backflip has turned into an avenue for aspiring FMX stars to be skyrocketed into fame without developing the necessary skills.

Why is This Bad for the Sport?

Scott Murray did not have the skills of the real freestyle motocross stars when he attempted the double backflip. Photo by GuyB.

Obviously, this transition has been horrible for the sport of Freestyle Motocross. As the number of riders who can do a backflip has increased, more and more of the top FMX riders have become riders who are not necessarily more skilled than their competitors, but simply have more guts to, quite literally, risk their lives.

Examples of this can be seen in a very real way in the evolution of both the backflip and double backflip in freestyle motocross competitions. Arguably, the first person to ride away from a backflip in competition was Caleb Wyatt. Even as a fan of motocross in general and of FMX, I had never heard of Caleb Wyatt until he landed the first backflip. He was an absolute no one. He had not honed his skills to the level of Travis Pastrana, Mike Metzger, Brian Deegan, or any of the other old guards of FMX. He just happened to have the guys to put his life in danger time and time again in order to land the backflip.

Almost exactly the same scenario occured with the Double Backflip. While Travis Pastrana is credited with landing the first backflip in competion, before him came “stunt man” (I do not believe he deserves the title of freestyle motocross ride) Scott Murray who attempted it multiple times, and in the process made himself and the sport of FMX look like a total joke. Skill wise he was clearly on a lower level than every other of the competitors he was riding with, yet he continuously threw himself into double backflips, constantly crashing and making FMX look more like an exhibition than a sport.

Almost all of the “old guards” of FMX will tell you that the backflip is not a necessarily hard trick. It just takes guts. As a result, many riders have begun to rise in the sport of FMX without having the right skills to put a flowing, consistent and stylish run together. This has ultimately dumbed down the sport and devalued the work all of the past stars did to make it a legitimate motocross sport.

It is a terrible tragedy, but I believe that it has taken the death of a comrade, Jeremy Lusk, into shocking the FMX world back into reality. This tragedy will, I hope, help bring FMX back to the grassroots and back to the times where skill, not bravery dominated.

What Can Bring the Sport Back?

Travis Pastrana is an example of a skilled FMX rider. GuyB Photo.

Travis Pastrana is an example of a skilled FMX rider. Photo by GuyB.

While I do not believe that the Backflip should be banned from freestyle motocross motocross alltogether, I do believe that some serious changes must be made. While the backflip is an amazing trick and one that I believe will continue to influence the sport, I firmly believe that the influence of the backflip on the sport needs to be reduced. I am unsure of how exactly this can be accomplished, but there are a number of viable options.

Maybe the number of backflips allowed in one run should be reduced, or maybe their point value needs to be considerably reduced so that a winning run can be put together with the prescense of only one or two backflips. I believe that it needs to be possible for riders to win by displaying that they have extreme freestyle motocross skills without actually doing a backflip. Sure, it was a great way to bring the sport to the next level. But in my opinion, its value has been considerably reduced and now it much be treated like any other trick, and must not be the deciding factor in a riders run.

A more viable option, in my opinion, is to change to layout of the freestyle courses. Return the courses to primarily, or all natural terrain hits to promote the evolution of new tricks, and limit the use of the backflip. With natural hits, the riders skill becomes more important than the ability to throw useless tricks such as the backflip and the riders who truly are the best rise to the back through difficult maneuvers perfected through years of time perfecting their skills.

Various competitions have already been formed with this format, and the response has been incredible. They have allowed skilled riders to rise over lucky or brave ones and has promoted the reemergence of basic, yet skillfully complicated tricks which ruled the FMX world prior to the evolution of the backflip.

What Will I Do Until This Happens?

As a display of my disgust at the current state of the Freestyle Motocross World, I will refuse to follow the freestyle motocross community until something changes. I am sick of riders putting their lives in danger performing stunts which are not even good indicators of their skill. I want to see FMX return to the times when skill rules and talented riders rise to the top of the field.

What are your opinions regarding the current state of Freestyle Motocross? How has the death of FMX star Jeremy Lusk affected your view of the sport? Let me know in the comments!

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Viewing 16 Comments

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    Great post, and I think it's about time that we make more rules for this extremely dangerous sport. For this sport to be safe I think more rules need to be in place and all "New" tricks must be discusses or something so it's not such a push to everyone else to run out and try to do that trick. Something should be implemented and fast. This sport has pushed past the envelope and I think for the most part they have been very lucky.

    I also think that the same can be said for MX/SX as well. Bigger more technical jumps, faster outdoor tracks have created more injuries in our sport as well. I think it's time to dial back a little and make to sport of MX/SX/FMX safer. When riders like Hepler can't seem to stay healthy and as the series goes on we have less of the top racers at events due to injury I think that hurts the sport.

    I have noticed that amateur tracks are getting tougher also.
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    Hey Mike, Thanks for the great comment I appreciate it! I totally agree with almost everything you have said. The entire sport has gotten to the point of insane risks. The Leatt brace (http://is.gd/kTTn) is a good solution for right now, but it is not "scalable" to the future. More protective gear is not the answer. More sensible tracks and more limits on what is and isn't safe is what's needed to return the sport to a safer level where riders feel safe riding to their abilities rather than being forced to ride at a sub par level in order to return home at night.
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    While FMX is cool to watch, (I have to admit to watching it), I wonder how many of these guys could actually compete? The true mettle of a motocrosser, imho, is on the track.

    Wayno
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    The truth is that many (almost all) of the FMX riders could not compete in professional motocross or supercross. However, the thing is that motocross and supercross are not their sports. They have trained and practiced their whole lives to be good at freestyle motocross which is, essentially, a whole other sport when compared to motocross and supercross. THe stars of FMX are very skilled at their discipline and thus it is unfair to compare them to supercross and motocross when they are, essentially, different motocross disciplines and almost as different from each other as supercross and Moto GP. Thanks for the comment and the question, I appreciate it!
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    hey im tylor and from usa michigan and im 13 and ive hurt myself many times but not that bad im sorry for the parents and friends loss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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    Hey Tylor, thank you for your comment, I appreciate you reading my work! I've never been seriously injured on my motocross bike, but it is only a matter of time. I hope all of your injuries were never too serious, and I'm sure that Jeremy's friends and family would be extremely happy to hear your sympathy, I'm sure they need it right now.
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    What up man, I feel that you have argued your point pretty good. However, the thought of making this sport safer is very unlikely. I feel that a lot this sport is about innovation and skill. These guys put their lives on the line for a reason. If the are limited to what they can and can't do it will kill the sport and not be as exciting as it was. Freestyle Motocross evolved from pushing the limits and seeing how far someone could go. Take that idea out of the sport and it will be an imitation of motocross with ramps and more tricks. Yes, the risk factor is getting high but these professional riders would not be using foam pits to try or perfect these new tricks. I guess we will see what the future has in store for us.

    My heart goes out to Jeremy Lusk and his family and wish it could have turned out for the better instead of the worse.
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    Hey Hans, thanks for the comment, and let me start off by saying that I agree with your point of view, and that I totally agree that taking the skill out of FMX would devalue the sport. However, what I am calling for is not for limitations on the skill the riders can exhibit, but more of a change in the way the courses are designed so that skilled riders can flourish. Whether dirt hits or just new and technical obstacles, something must be done to bring this sport back to a point where skill reigns supreme.
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    Not really feeling anything you say! You can't judge pro talent by who does the best knack knack or heal clicker...for ameteur level riders yes, but when you are dealing with pro's that have been doing this the majority of thier lives... you have to have the ability to show off what your about... with the exception of only a coulpe of people, these guys live, breethe bleed and die Freestyle Motocross... this is what they train for every day of there lives. that is there job, and they know the risk involved, thats why they get payed... dieing is no suprise, its a shock and its a horrible thing but thats what you have to expect! I fill for Lusk and his family and would not wish that on anyone!

    R.I.P. Lusk...my prayers go out to you and your family, and the rest of the Metal Mulisha!!!
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    Hey Brett, I totally respect your opinion, even if I don't agree totally. I understand that if FMX returns to simple tricks like knack knacks or heel clickers, then it will loose its value, however, the same can be said for the scenario in which multiple stars of the FMX world loose their lives. If too many of these incredibly skilled riders suffer severe injuries or death, the sport will suffer even greater than if something is done to make it safer. In addition, I truthfully do not want the sport to return to simple tricks like knack knacks, but rather tricks which demonstrate skill rather than just guts. Like I've set, i would love to see more natural hits and more of the new age obstacles which take skill to conquer yet will not result in death if failed. Maybe this is actually the wrong approach, and it would be more sensible to increase the level of safety gear on the FMX stars. Truthfully, I am unsure as to what exactly I believe needs to be done, yet I know something must be done.

    Thanks again for your comment and your opinion!
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    i dont think you have room to talk about who is or isnt a fmx'er. are you out hucking ramps and preforming tricks? didnt think so..
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    Hey Blake, I definitely respect your point of view, and I have to say that everyone who rides FMX is definitely brave and it definitely takes so serious guts to huck your bike and your body over such huge gaps. That being said, it is clear to me that certain FMX riders are much more skilled, while others are simply relying on bravery. To me, it is simply not fair that the less skilled riders are forced to ride out of their comfort zone just to compete with less skilled riders.

    In addition, I do ride motocross every weekend, so I know what it feels like to be forced to do things you are not entirely comfortable with just to compete. It can be tough, and in the case of FMX, it has resulted in the deaths of some of the biggest stars of the sport.
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    type ooos
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    fuck flips i would love to do one but seriosly what happend to the big rock sollids and the huge lazy boys. extension not not quantity! fuck!!!!!!
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    You don't have any idea what you are talking about when it comes to FMX or Scott Murray. I personally know Scott. My younger brother has been riding with him for a long time. They learned to backflip together in Scott's foam pit years ago. Scott has been doing freestyle motocross since you were in diapers. He definitely has the skill of most other riders in FMX and deserves to showcase himself as a full fledged rider in other comps besides best trick, he just hasn't been given the right opportunity. Scott deserves respect. Respect that he does not get from most of his peers or people like you. I would bet most other riders who go out and try a double flip would have had a hard time with it also. Especially if you were thrown onto national television in front of millions of viewers expected to land one of the hardest tricks in freestyle motocross. I agree that FMX is dangerous. Riding motorcylces in general is dangerous. But, there is no reason for someone to not do it because of this. In regards to Jeremy Lusk. He went out doing what he loves. I can't imagine he would have had it any other way. Professionals deserve the right to do what tricks they can and help evolve the sport. I think your ideas about safety are absurd. Everything you speak of above would reverse the progress that's been made in this sport over the past few years. I understand everyone has an opinion, even you, and your entitled to it, but my opinion on you is you should always refuse to follow freestyle and stick to your amateur motocross racing on the weekends. You'll be safer. And if you aren't going to follow the sport I would recommend not posting about it either.
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    Wel im a 14 year guy tht duz freestyle motocross and i do flips aswell, evry1 arguing about the tricks in freestyle r all shit, freestyle is a sport where you take your skills and abilities on your bike 2 tha nxt level, if riders didnt feel safe doing tha sport thn they obviously wuldnt do it. Evryone doing freestyle is just out there 2 hav fun an express there skills in tha best way thy thnk thy can. All freestyle riders know tha risks involved but its just there decesion 2 take their chances. Also, it is up 2 thm 2 decide if what thy r doing is safe and unsafe, if thy are not confident and dnt feel safe with wat thy r doing thn lyk i sed, thy wuldnt b doing it. So if you dnt or havnt dun freestyle before thn i realy dnt thnk u shuld b making judgements about tha sport. Its up 2 tha riders 2 decide wat thy wnt 2 do, NOT YOU!

    Cheers
 

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