HIGH FIVES - Robbie Maddison

September 05, 2008

Robbie Maddison is undoubtedly one of the best FMX superstars out there, not only can the kid freestyle with the best of them but he has the uncanny knack of jumping a motorcycle a very very long way. MOTO had the pleasure in chatting to the aussie wonder kid for another dose of high fives.

MOTO - When and what made you decide that FMX was the life for you?
I think I decided when I saw the photographs that were coming through when the sport first originated. I grew up riding dirt bikes my whole life, I had my first bike at 4 years old, so I was a huge fan. I was national champion at that stage and I left the sport to make a living, I was getting to the age where the parents were kicking me out of the house! I was just totally captivated by the sight - I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It grabbed a hold of me, it just captivated me and I couldn’t not give it my attention. It captured 110 percent of my mind and my imagination and I just couldn’t stop thinking about fmx.

MOTO - Was the scene big at home when you fist got into it?
No the scene was so fresh. The whole fmx thing hit Australia and the guys that I was in really tight competition with as a child were the guys who were in the magazines doing the tricks, so to see them doing these tricks enticed me even more to go out and do it. I think the decision was made the second I saw it and saw the movies and what was going on. I knew I could do it and I knew I could be a part of it but I didn’t know at what level, I never set out to set a goal of what I wanted I just knew I wanted to be a part of it and do it. So as soon as I saw fmx it grabbed a hold of me and it pushed me to do it right away - as soon as I saw it.

MOTO - How did you find moving away from your native Australia to further progress your career in the U.S.A?
Moving away was a tough call in that it was a big step forward but it was also a dream. It was something that I had worked towards and something I thought for a long time was out of my reach - I thought that going to America wasn’t going to happen. A lot of the guys I had grown up racing with were part of the freestyle scene and part of the US freestyle scene and were legends of the sport when it first started out, so going to America was like the ultimate in freestyle motor cross.
I was lucky I had a quick road to the top. I managed to conquer the backflip at an early stage when not a lot of guys were doing that and with that I got a lot of recognition around the world. It enabled me to come to Europe and travel around the world but I think what really set things straight was when I met Amy. We gelled as a team and I got a lot more focused because she kind of kept me on track. Before I was with Amy I would ride and impress a lot of people and then I would not keep pushing myself. I would party and I wouldn’t make decisions based on what I wanted in the future but a decision on what I wanted right now. When Amy came along we had two minds thinking of what was the best thing and we soon realised that going to America was where it’s at. I wanted to be good at the sport and to be good at the sport you have to recognised as the top guy and to be recognised as the top guy you have you have to compete against them, so all these things were pointing, what I wanted was pointing to me going to America so it was inevitable for what I wanted out of the sport from the start and still, I want to do as much as I can and try my hardest and give it all I have got and to do that I kind of need to be based in America so that’s where I am at.

MOTO - What gives you the greatest buzz, nailing a big trick or jumping further than anyone else has?
Not to be long winded but they are two totally different things. To walk away from the furthest jump in the world is such a huge experience to go through. The level I put my body through, the intensity of what I am doing, the realisation that if something was to go wrong there you are going to die! To realise that and to be down with that and to work through the whole project and to do the jump knowing that is the consequence is a hard thing.

So when you are finished doing the world record and set the world record it’s a huge achievement and one of the greatest things I have ever done in my life. I was so proud to be there and to be safe more than anything and to achieve it was incredible. But then on the other hand to land a new trick, I mean it’s an uplifting feeling. Its honestly one of those feelings like learning to ride a bike, learning to surf, learning to do something that really takes a lot of dedication. It’s probably even more than riding a bike and stuff, with our tricks we are so calculated. A gymnast would know the feeling or a diver - people who have consequences if it doesn’t work out. There is a consequence there that you are going to get hurt. I mean to walk away from a new trick and to land it is a great feeling but I don’t like to try and compare the two one is an incredible feeling and the other one is like, you are glad you are alive!

MOTO - You've set a few long distance jumping records, how did you get into that aspect of the sport?
The long distance stuff came about for me when the Crusty Demons promoters were doing the Night of World Records in Australia. They had originally contracted Seth Enslow to set the world record but right before the jump Seth broke his ankle and couldn’t be part of it so it opened up an opportunity for me to become part of it. They just voiced it to me on a phone call one day that they were looking for someone to do a world record and jokingly the guy said you wouldn’t be interested would you and I was like I’ll do it for sure if you want me to! He asked what kind of experience I had and I really had to sell myself on the fact that I wanted to do it - but the promoter didn’t expect me to put my hand up and I didn’t expect to have the opportunity to do it but deep down without anyone knowing, that’s what I wanted to do.
I knew inside that I could do it. I’d done some really gnarly jumps out in the hills with my friends that had never been caught on film before. In particular in one spot on the south coast of Australia, I bought a ramp but I never had a landing on it. We found a landing but the closest you could get the landing was 100 feet from the ramp. I had never hit a ramp before and my very first jump I hit the ramp so it was like a gnarly thing for anyone in the sport at that time and I don’t think anyone had landed a freestyle ramp like that so before I even knew it I was already setting records. I think just doing that actual jump and having the balls to step up and believe in myself enough to convince myself to go for something that I had never even attempted is a big thing. You’ve got to sell yourself, it takes a lot of confidence and I think I proved to myself a few times out in the hills that I was capable of such a feat as the world record and when the opportunity came up I was more than willing to give it my all.
I didn’t practice for it, I just rolled up and on the day they pulled the ramp out and I just had this little man sitting on my shoulder and I had the gut feeling I knew I could do it. I mean it isn’t like I just got lucky and it just happened overnight. I grew up riding dirt bikes from 4 years old. I raced as a professional for 10 years and I had another 4 years of experience under my belt where I wasn’t competing I was just riding
It was a very educated decision…
 It was very educated but I am very at home on my bike, my bike and I are one. You know I feel more comfortable getting around on my motorcycle than I do walking so it’s a big part of me and to go out and do the world record it was just the next step. It was just an opportunity that came up and I put my hand up for it. For me it was a breath of fresh air, it really opened up a lot of doorways and paved my way to get to where I am at but not just because someone did a world record that was who I am on a bike. It really showed the Robbie Maddison. There are a lot of guys that will jump as far as me but cant put together on a freestyle course and cant race speed and style and I can do all those kinds of things so I guess it made me a little unique in that fashion. It was a natural decision for me I wasn’t pushing myself, I wasn’t trying anything I wasn’t confident in at the time - it wasn’t a big deal for me but when we looked at the footage the people around me were all terrified for me, but the whole time I stayed confident. I think I put my family and my fiancée through more torture and stress, I didn’t stress at all I just for some weird reason I just knew I had it…..
It’s one of those jumps that is gnarly enough to kill you so it’s not like a walk in the park, that anyone can step up and do it. I just think at that time I had 20 years experience under my belt and it was time for me to set a world record and it happened.

MOTO - What is the best thing about being part of the Red Bull X-Fighters tour?
Just being a part of it is insane. The best thing about it is all the great people involved with it, being able to be an ambassador and travelling the world is insane. Visiting all these exotic locations we’ve visited this year is unimaginable and one of the greatest times of my life this year. Just meeting people and being able to be influential to people and feel like you are passing on a good message. Knowing that stuff is really cool to me. I like the fact that people are in to what I do and I’m even more excited to show people a good time. When we do finally get to meet them face to face if they have the respect to come up and say hello I’m even more happy to take the time out of my day and sit down and meet a new face and get to know another story and shake a different hand its pretty cool.

Thanks for that Robbie and good luck for the rest of the year.

Checkout Robbie and the rest of the crew from the Redbull X-fighters in Madrid on Dave at 4pm Sunday 7th September.

Images Redbull Interview by Ade Threasher

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