Frankfurt turned out not to be such a happy hunting ground for the 2010 world champion from the Czech Republic. In the third round of free practice, Podmol tried to pull off a Flair over the Quarter but slipped on landing and had to retire injured. He was instantly out of contention for the title and headed home early. The championship battle was thus down to a two-horse race between Melero and Bizouard who went to the final rounds separated by only eight points.
Maikel Melero
Remi Bizouard
The tension was already palpable in the qualifying heat, as failure for either would have brought a premature end to the title chase. But luckily for the fans, both were in excellent form to take them through to the final. The same couldn't have been said of the local riders though as the German contingent were out of luck. Hannes Ackermann missed out on the Top Six by a wafer-thin margin, Lukas Weis was ninth, and Luc Ackermann dropped to the back of the field after a hard fall on his Surfer Tsunami Flip.
Lukas Weis
UK veteran Jamie Squibb also went out at this early stage but at least took the victory in the LifeProof Best Whip contest. With the younger Ackermann still nursing his wounds, the Maxxis Highest Air was reduced to a two-horse race. But to the great delight of the spectators, Lukas Weis and Jose Miralles pushed the bar up to nine metres. The ultimate winner was Miralles due to fewer failed attempts.
Jose Miralles
Next up was the championship showdown. Bizouard not only needed to finish ahead of Melero to land his fourth title, he also had to have three other riders between himself and the Spaniard to close the eight-point gap. So the Frenchman pulled out all the tricks in his extensive repertoire, including Ruler Flip, Cliffhanger Flip, Hart Attack Flip and Whipped Seatgrab Flip. For the double-up, Remi shrewdly selected the Body Varial to put himself in the hot seat and pile the pressure on Maikel.
Maikel Melero
The Spaniard opted for a safe run with Doublegrab Flip and various combos. He chose to omit the Flair which had ended in a tumble the day before, a tactic that proved to be the right one. Although his less than ambitious run was nowhere near strong enough to dislodge Remi from the hot seat, it was enough to keep him ahead in the standings, with only David Rinaldo splitting the two leaders on the night. After a long season, Maikel was a worthy champion. Remi not only took the win on the day with his fantastic Body Varial but also picked up the Rockwell Best Move Watch.
David Rinaldo
With this last competition of the 2014 season, NIGHT of the JUMPs now goes into hibernation. The new season begins on 10th January in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. A week later, the European Championship starts in Linz. The first world championship points will be awarded in early March at NIGHT of the JUMPs in Berlin. Stay tuned!
| 1 | Maikel Melero | ESP | Yamaha | 146 Points |
| 2 | Remi Bizouard | FRA | Kawasaki | 142 Points |
| 3 | Libor Podmol | CZE | Yamaha | 114 Points |
| 4 | Rob Adelberg | AUS | Yamaha | 112 Points |
| 5 | Brice Izzo | FRA | Yamaha | 97 Points |
| 6 | David Rinaldo | FRA | Yamaha | 92 Points |
| 7 | Petr Pilat | CZE | KTM | 92 Points |
| 8 | Jose Miralles | ESP | KTM | 82 Points |
| 9 | Dany Torres | ESP | KTM | 80 Points |
| 10 | Hannes Ackermann | GER | KTM | 74 Points |
| 11 | Luc Ackermann | GER | KTM | 57 Points |
| 12 | Massimo Bianconcini | ITA | KTM | 43 Points |
| 13 | Mat Rebeaud | SUI | KTM | 20 Points |
| 14 | Lukas Weis | GER | Honda | 18 Points |
| 15 | Jamie Squibb | GBR | Kawasaki | 16 Points |
Photos: ©NOTJ
Source: http://www.nightofthejumps.com
