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There’s been a lot happening in the local Freestyle Motocross scene over the past few months, and who better to bring us up to speed than Dallan Goldman! Regarded as the top rider in the country at the moment, we catch up with Dallan to discuss events, sponsors, shows, riding and more… As well as the latest addition to the Jungle Rush FMX artillery – the BigAir Bag FMX landing.
Full name: Dallan Goldman
Age: 30
Hometown: Fourways , Johannesburg.
Years riding: 15
Sponsors: NEWORDER Group, Bloodhound MMA, KTM South Africa, TRP Distributors, Thor MX, Ride 100 Percent, Motorex, Pro Taper, Bridgestone, Shock Logic, Bandit Graffix and Storage King.
Give us some background into your FMX career?
I started my Freestyle journey in 2008 when my father (Lyle Goldman) gave me the opportunity to ride at Nick de Wit’s FMX compound instead of the usual race scene, I was instantly hooked after jumping the big gaps and never looked back .
What have been your highlights so far?
Even though I attempted my first Backflip in South Africa at the age of 17, I finally rode it out at Robbie Maddison’s compound a few years later. I have placed 1st and podiumed every King of the Whip contest I have competed in. Starting Jungle Rush FMX with my dad and giving riders the opportunity to progress and live the FMX show life has been an amazing experience .
What are your goals and plans for the rest of 2023?
We have some more Jungle Rush FMX shows coming up over the next few months, we also have some upcoming Flight Night shows, which is always an event you want to see. We plan on hosting an Open Day at the Jungle Rush FMX compound later on in the year, so stayed tuned to dates being announced. NEWORDER Group will be hosting an event later on in October this year, which will host some of South Africa’s best pilots in action!
Which events, competitions and shows are you looking forward to most?
The Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg is always a fun one, we have over 10 000 screaming fans going crazy and it’s always a highlight of the show season locally.
King of the Whip, nothing better than having Africa’s top motorcycle athletes get together and battle it out to see who is crowned King of the Whip .
The FMX showdown at King of the Whip is also always exciting as you see athletes perform tricks you have never seen them do down before. Having international riders at this event definitely motivates everyone to push harder .
How would you sum up the King of the Whip event last year and your results?
I would say the event was a huge success, for the first time being at Montecasino with a sold out crowd, not much more you can ask for .
I was happy with my results . A 1st in Best Whip would have been better but that motivates me to push harder this year.
What would you like to see happen at this year’s KOTW?
I think it would be great to have a press conference with all the podium riders, fan favourites and international athletes to promote the event on local TV and social media platforms, this gives the event and athletes an opportunity to create more awareness and get the audience to know about the athletes performing .
It’s always nice to have some international riders competing again, gives the local boys an extra push to get on the podium .
How often do you get to ride and practice to make sure you’re prepared for events, competitions and shows?
I am only able to ride three times a week at the moment, if I had the opportunity I would ride for a couple hours every day. I feel if you can ride a couple hours every day, your riding level will be at its highest.
Now with your BigAir Bag FMX landing finally up and running, how does it change the game for the local FMX scene?
It creates an extra safety aspect to our shows, unfortunately in this game things can go wrong and now that we have a BigAir Bag FMX landing, if something does go wrong the rider can at least walk away. We’ve had two of our Jungle Rush FMX athletes crash to the BigAir Bag trying to Backflip and they both walked away and were able to ride a show the following weekend.
With the bag being able to fold up into a small unit it makes it a lot easier to transport and set up in spaces we were not able to set the FMX rig up in before. It’s a game changer.
Can we expect to see you working on any new tricks, and If so what tricks are you looking at?
Once I have my 2023 KTM 450 SXF 100% dialled in, there are a few tricks I would like to play with, hopefully I can have them ready for King of the Whip 2023.
Right now I’ve been trying to focus on getting the team flipping, it’s been a real confidence boost for the team flipping to the BigAir Bag, so hopefully later this year we will have another two pro gap flippers in the country.
For anyone wanting to get into FMX, what’s the next step?
For anyone wanting to learn FMX, come join us at the Jungle Rush FMX compound located at the Terra Topia motocross track. We often do weekend training sessions for the kids, ladies and anyone else wanting to learn how to jump a ramp or learn basic bike skills.
Follow us on Instagram @JungleRushFMX and reach out, alternatively you can get hold of us from our website www.JungleRushFMX.co.za.
Touching on your sponsors, NEWORDER Group is one of the Jungle Rush FMX’s newest sponsors. How does their brand of cybersecurity fit into your daily life?
Well, NEWORDER is more than just a cybersecurity company, it’s a lifestyle brand that closely aligns with our values, ethics, and overall vision. Their focus on promoting safe and responsible online behaviour is something that resonates with us, and we are proud to be associated with their brand. So whether we’re performing high-flying stunts on our Freestyle Motocross bikes or going about our day-to-day routines, we know that NEWORDER has our back when it comes to protecting our digital assets and personal information.
What have you learned about cybersecurity since partnering with them?
Just as we strive to enhance our abilities and skills in the Freestyle Motocross world continuously, the same holds for professionals in the cybersecurity field. With the cybersecurity landscape evolving on a daily basis, we understand the importance of remaining vigilant and adaptable to new challenges. At its core, cybersecurity is all about staying ahead of potential threats and ensuring the safety of our digital lives. By keeping pace with the latest developments and technologies in the field, we can better protect ourselves and our audiences against cyber threats.
Get the full introduction NEWORDER and the Cyber Resilient Lifestyle HERE.
Visit the NEWORDER Group website for more details – www.newordergroup.net.
Where can fans watch or see you ride over the next few months?
I have just finished the Monster Jam South Africa series, during that time I also attended New Castle Winter Festival and the Bloemfontein Flight Night show.
Next up we have Royal Show Flight Night on 3 June followed by Gas Motor Show on 15-16 July.
The NEWORDER event details to be released soon…
Make sure you follow @NEWORDER_Group, @JungleRushFMX and @Dallan_Goldman for updates.
Any shout outs?
Big shout out to the following companies that keep me in the FMX game:
NEWORDER Group for pushing the team to greatness.
Blood Hound MMA for making sure I am always ready for or my events .
KTM South Africa for always looking after the team and making sure we’re ready for our events. Our bikes are always on ready to perform thanks to them .
TRP Distributors for looking after me for the last decade of my career with their brands; Thor MX,
Motorex Powersports, Pro Taper, Ride 100 percent and Bridgestone.
Bandit Graffix for making sure I have the best looking bike in SA.
Shock Logic for all the time and effort making sure my suspension is setup perfect for me.
Thrill Seekers for keeping the team looking good and feeling good with the best seat covers and apparel.
The Machining Man – Thank you to Gary Law and the crew for always making sure my after-market FMX parts are ready for my events .
Storage King for housing the Jungle Rush FMX portable landing.
Photos by Eric Palmer and Ed Templemore.
