Finally dropping in!

***Attention! Change in Schedule: Event will take place on April 1 (local time) due to bad weather forecasts***

The anticipation has been mounting for months now and finally the FMB Diamond Series is just around the corner: the world’s best slopestyle athletes are dropping into the legendary course at Crankworx Rotorua on Saturday, April 1 (local time). The event has been rescheduled due to bad weather forecasts for Sunday. You can watch all the FMB Diamond Series action from Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza live on Red Bull TV and on fmbworldtour.com from 3.30pm NZDT (April 1)/ 04.30am CEST (April 1) / 10.30pm EDT (March 31) / 7.30pm PDT (March 31)!

The FMB Diamond Series is the pinnacle of the FMB World Tour. Only the best slopestyle and dirt jump athletes qualify for the five events in 2017. Crankworx Rotorua will be welcoming the best riders in the world for the first contest at the diamond level this season. Eight athletes pre-qualified for all 2017 FMB Diamond Series Events thanks to their positioning in the FMB World Tour Ranking at the end of last year: Nicholi Rogatkin (USA), Brett Rheeder (CAN), Max Fredriksson (SWE), Thomas Genon (BEL), Emil Johansson (SWE), Logan Peat (CAN), Medhi Gani (FRA), Tomas Lemoine (FRA) have already punched their ticket to the world’s most challenging slopestyle events.

All but Mehdi Gani (broken jaw) Brett Rheeder (knee injury) and Thomas Genon (broken ankle) will be battling it out on the dirt in New Zealand. The event in memory of slopestyle legend Kelly McGarry, is expecting record-breaking crowds to head to the course for the final taking place on Saturday, April 1, at 3.30 pm local time. What do world-class FMB athletes have to say in the wake of the first FMB Diamond Series Event of the season and about their goals for 2017?

Nicholi Rogatkin: Rotorua is one of my most favorite events of the year. Last year, my run there was one of my most valued contest run memories of all time. So, I can’t wait to go back there and see what all the boys will be doing this year, and try to do a game-changing run. In terms of pressure, there’s always pressure surrounding the event and surrounding the world title. But when you’re about to drop in, the only pressure is the rider vs. the course, and conquering that pressure is what gets the best results.

Max Fredriksson: Over the winter I’ve been working on some new tricks and dialing everything up, so I’ll be ready for Rotorua. I’m super stoked about going back to Rotorua again, the event is one of my favorite ones because of the great course and there is such a chill overall vibe. My goal is to stay consistent with my riding during the events this year and hopefully get some nice results.

Thomas Genon: It’s real sad not being able to ride at Crankworx Rotorua this year. Contests are not my priority right now. My ankle is still stiff and I don’t have a real date of when I will be 100% again, but rehab has gone well so far. I would just like to be ready for all other FMB Diamond Events. It is the first time that I have been away from riding for a while.  I don’t just want to go back to where I was, I want to be better than that. We will see how I can go this season, but the most important thing is to be able to ride my bike again and do the thing I love the most. I can’t wait to be back on two-wheels again!

Emil Johansson: Belonging to the top ranked riders in the world is something that I have worked towards last year and ending up there after my first year competing is something I only could have dreamed about. It just feels unreal! My goal for this season is to have fun riding all the Diamond Events. It will be epic to see all these new places!

Logan Peat: Rotorua is special to me for a few reasons. The course is one of a kind and perhaps one of the best Crankworx events there has ever been. On top of that the course it’s self was build by Kelly McGarry and it is very special knowing his hands built the course. I’m looking forward to the new Crankworx event. Can’t wait! This winter has been on of the toughest I can remember. The weather has been a challenge not giving me the same amount of offseason riding as normal. Coming into the year I’m looking to get Crankworx NZ under my belt. Then it is time for some serious homework on the bike to bring something new for the other events.

Mehdi Gani: Unfortunately, I will miss the first Crankworx stop this year in New Zealand due to a broken jaw. Crankworx Rotorua is one of my most favorite events of the season. It is an amazing course and country. I have been working on a few things during the offseason and hope I can put them I a run this year. Even though my season hasn’t started that well, I hope I am going to have lots of fun with my bike this year. I want to reach my goal of traveling around the world again this year and take part in the biggest events like Crankworx with my friends on the FMB World Tour.

Tomas Lemoine: I’ve been training and I feel ready for 2017! Rotorua is simply awesome: the slopestyle course is always perfectly prepared thanks to the awesome job the builders do and has quality dirt. It’s the best course of the year in my eyes. Everyone wants to shred the course hard in honor of McGazza. I want to do my best this year again and look forward to enjoying the season and having good times with my homies!

The full rider lineup consists of 18 athletes, who will be dropping into the course designed by Kelly McGarry and Tom Hey in order to secure the first FMB Diamond Series points of the season. The scores of the athletes at the diamond contests Crankworx Rotorua, Crankworx Les Gets, Crankworx Innsbruck, Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler and Red Bull District Ride will be totaled up with their best result at an FMB Gold Event to determine, who will become the FMB World Champion in 2017. The complete rider lineup for Crankworx Rotorua can be found here!

Keep your eyes peeled for further information about live webcasts and calendar updates on www.fmbworldtour.com or stay informed and sign up for the FMB World Tour Newsletter.

And do not forget that all the action from the FMB Diamond Series is broadcasted live on www.redbull.tv. Get the latest on everything bike-related at the Red Bull Bike Channel: redbull.tv/bike.

Red Bull TV is distributed digitally at www.redbull.tv and as an app across mobile phones, tablets, consoles, OTT devices and Smart TVs.

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