Clinton Moore talks Red Bull X-Fighters Pretoria

Leading up to the penultimate stop of the 2015 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in Pretoria (12 September), we’ll be bringing you exclusive interviews with the world’s top Freestyle Motocross riders who’ll be competing.

We kick off these exciting interviews with the current tour leader, Clinton Moore. See what the Australian has to say about the 2015 tour and returning back to South Africa.

Give us a quick rundown of some of your highlights of your career?
I’ve travelled far and wide competing at events like Night Of The Jumps to X Games. Always pushing for that new level of riding, I was the first in Australia to land Body Varials, plus I’ve been on tour with the Nitro Circus crew since day one.

You’ve had a cracker of a year on the X-Fighters World Tour. What would to attribute your successful year to?
Riding smart and consistent would have to be it. The goal is to eliminate mistakes. I rushed myself a little too much to learn new tricks that I wasn’t totally comfortable with over the years, now I feel confident and well practiced.

With two 1st places and a 3rd place finish under your belt, how are you feeling coming into the penultimate round in South Africa?
The other riders are riding unreal. They are learning new things round by round, it’s pretty crazy to see the progression this year. I feel that I will stick to what I know and play the consistency card, so I’m not too nervous. Just excited and will try my best.

What have your thoughts been on this year’s X-Fighters courses, and which one suited your riding style the most?
I’m loving the creativity off it all. There are no courses that have ever existed like this before and X-Fighters turn dreams into reality. Keeps it really interesting for not only riders but for the fans too. X-Fighters literally reinvented the Madrid layout, so they are always pushing the course designs each year. I think Athens, Greece suited me the most, it was a bit loose but I loved how it flowed from each level. It was awesome to ride.

Have you changed anything up in your preparation for the upcoming Pretoria, South Africa stop?
I have more time to prepare, so I will be less rushed and more focused. I still want to be consistent though. So I think just fine tuning runs at home before I leave will be the only change, lately I’ve had to wing it. If I feel good you will see a few combos thrown into the big tricks. Let’s just wait and see.

What are you hoping the course builders do different compared to last year’s Pretoria course?
It’s hard to beat last years. I love everything the course builders do, I just know they will deliver. What ever they do, we will throw down. Big jumps are always fun and I love Double Double sections.

With the progression of FMX, there’s a fine line between landing new innovative tricks and crashing out. Where do you draw the line?
I draw the line at preparation. Only going for new things after they are well practiced. Yeah, there is a big risk on Body Varials or Tom Pages’ Bike Flip, but every trick has hundreds of hours preparation and countless practice runs into foam pits. I think for myself, if I have about an 80% chance of landing it, I’ll give it a go. Some riders might take more chances, like Tom Pages would risk more.

You’re the only rider doing The Bundy. How did you come up with the trick and how long did it take you to get it dialled?
It is a Body Varial I’ve had to work on for a long time. It was named The Bundy as a bit of a laugh, seeing as the hometown is Bundaberg, but the name has stuck. I can do Handle-Bar tricks pretty comfortably and I always knew I would be able to spin a backflip through them, it was just a matter of having the guts to do it. So I gave it a go and got it pretty quickly. Lot’s of practice into the foam pit to make sure my landings were straight. A lot of pain went into learning it so I’m glad I can get them good now. Still nerve racking to do.

What new tricks are you working on or planning to work on, or is that a secret?
I have a whole heap of new tricks I can do into the foam pit, but I will keep them secret for later on.

A question most want to know the answer to – what will it take to beat a perfect Tom Pages run?
That’s a hard question! Someone would have to match his run with extra flip tricks, or Tom would have to make a mistake. He is unbeatable at the moment, he has pushed the level of Freestyle so far that it looks more like BMX.

What are you looking forward to most coming back to South Africa and competing in the 4th stop of the tour?
I love the people there, its a good crowd, everyone is friendly. It is an amazing country and will truly be a pleasure to be there again. I can’t wait!

Besides Pages, Sheehan and Sherwood, which other riders on the tour have become a threat?
David Rinaldo is riding crazy and really pushing himself. Not to mention guys like Rob Adelberg, Remi Bizouard, Taka Higashino. I think every rider competing has a chance of a podium finish. Everyone is really pushing themselves.

Take us through an X-Fighters weekend, from practice, to planning your runs, to what goes through your mind when you are about to compete?
Well the X-Fighters crew really looks after us and make us all feel welcome into new countries. After getting settled first thing on the list is to get the bikes running right. Each venue may be at different altitudes and temperatures so you need to fine-tune the engine to those places. We make sure we have mechanics with us for this, as it can be time consuming. Once that is done you worry about the course and how you will attack each jump, which eventually gives you an idea of how your run will go against the clock and what tricks you do where. Qualifying is the most important night, as that makes or breaks your final result. If you ride bad, you go head to head with one of the top riders. So the risk of placing badly on the final night is higher. A lot of focus goes into these runs, although you try not to break under pressure.
On finals night I always keep in touch with fans on Facebook or Instagram between runs. The only reason we are here is because of the fans and even you guys reading this interview. So I try to get everyone involved with what I’m doing, what changes they suggest to my runs and they have a direct influence to what I do in my next run. Then it’s focus time again and I try do everything as clean as I can. Before you know it, you have done all your runs and you can relax. It takes it out of you, you get exhausted by competing.

How do the South African fans compare to those around the world?
I think they have seen less of the sport and have a great appreciation for what we do. You can really tell they appreciate us coming to perform in front of them, which motivates me to do my best. They are one of a kind.

Lastly, any words for your fans out here in South Africa?
I’ll be keeping my eye out for you all. Take photos when I ride for Instagram or Facebook and hashtag #TeamMoore so I can find you after the comp online. Even make a sign in the crowd saying TEAM MOORE! I’ll be looking for you! Can’t wait to get there!

The fourth stop of the 2015 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour will take place on 12 September in Pretoria, South Africa. Tickets are on sale here.
Can’t make it? We have you covered, as we’ll be broadcasting the event live right here on LW Mag!