News

Riders twists and turns for the best whip king title

Ryan van der Spuy organised an exciting freestyle motocross for riders to enjoy.

December 11, 2023

Provided Content 2 minutes read

Julien van Stippen is up in the air doing what he does best. Photos: Eric Palmer and Grant Mclachlan.

Ryan van der Spuy feels incredible about the success of the King of the Whip (KOTW) contest which took place at Montecasino. He said the 2023 edition of the contest was presented by LW Mag in association with Ford, Monster Energy, Yamaha, Garmin, Motul, GoPro, and Estrella Cerveza.

Riders lined up in the air as they give fans a show.

About 6,000 spectators got to enjoy a day filled with non-stop action and a showcase of the biggest whips ever seen on African soil. They saw 26 freestyle motocross and motocross athletes from all over the country, including three international riders Julien Vanstippen, Edgar Torronteras, and Marc Pinyol taking part in the competition.

“I am incredibly proud of King of the Whip. The event gets bigger and better every year, and this wouldn’t be possible without the fans and the riders, which I have a huge appreciation for. KOTW has solidified itself as the biggest locally produced Action Sports event in the country and I cannot wait to see what 2024 holds,” he shared.

KOTW riders on the podium. Photos: Eric Palmer and Mclachlan.

The Jam Session style was used for qualifying rounds as the riders went bigger and more extreme with each attempt. Judges took amplitude, style, and variation into account when making their decision of which 14 riders would qualify through to the semi-finals, this means, they would have to battle it out for a Top 7 spot to advance to the final.

The riders at the podium after a good game. Photos: Eric Palmer and Grant Mclachlan

The freestyle motocross riders geared up for the Best Trick contest as the sunset. Marc Pinyol put it all on the line landing the California Roll, his first time to dirt since 2017, to take the win. South Africa’s Dallan Goldman slotted himself into second place with a huge Airplane Indian Air, and Edgar Torronteras rounded off the podium in third with a Saran Wrap to 1 Hand Superman Indian Air to No Hander lander.

Marc Pinyol said: “I enjoyed South Africa, Montecasino, and the King of the Whip. I’m leaving the country with a great experience, I loved the crowd, they were killing it too, so they deserved me to go big. What I enjoyed too was seeing a lot of riders pushing each other to go big, helping between them and showing a lot of respect and passion. It’s a place I’d love to come back to. The organisation, public, riders and now I can say some friends, I have to give them all a 10.”