Aust Underground FMX preview

The 2011 Underground Tour is going to be the biggest and best yet!

BY THREE-TIME UNDERGROUND CHAMPION JOE SHEPPARD

Well it's just less than a week before the revamped Australian Underground FMX Championship kicks off in Gympie, and it's shaping up the biggest and best year of the series yet.

We've expanded up to five rounds in four different states, finishing with the Unit FMX Open in Rockhampton at the end of the tour. That's going to be an exciting event - it's the first time we've been able to hold an event that is 100% open to all riders to qualify for, and with big prizemoney and a killer course it's gonna be a hell of an event.
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The amount of talent in the field this year is amazing. At any event there are at least half a dozen riders who have a genuine shot at taking the win, and the depth of talent and the variety of courses will make sure the title goes down to the very last round.

Early favourites have to be Rhys Hillier, who has won more rounds than any other rider but never won the series, and Joel Brown, who is a two-time series champ and is back after a couple of years out. They'll have their work cut out for them though, with riders such as Jake Bowen, Adam Grope, and Luke Saunders all keen to get some wins.

The talent doesn't stop there, the Gympie round has at least seven or eight riders who I think could do some damage on the day.

Every year the series has one rider who seemingly comes out of nowhere and surprises everyone, and my pick this year is Cameron Hermanson from the Sunny Coast. Cam has all the tricks, an effortless style and is working on getting the flip dialled so I think he'll be the rider to watch this year.

There are two new rounds this year, to go with the existing rounds in Gympie, Corryong and Rocky. South Australia is getting its first round at Adam Grope's compund, and round four is making it's way to Rocky Valley near Mudgee, which promises to be a big course with a few technical surprises for the riders. Adding these new rounds really makes the comp the widest ranging FMX series we've seen in Aus to date.

As for myself, I'll be out there doing my best to clock up my third series win in a row, but it's going to be a big ask: there are so many people riding well, plus I'm just getting old! It's all good fun though, so I'm gonna do my best to show some of these kids a few old tricks, and at the end of the day this series is all about having fun, and I'll be having plenty of that!

I'll keep you all updated on how the series is panning out, it's gonna be good times ahead!

Unit's Joe Sheppard will be gunning for his fourth series win in a row!

• By Simon M