BNQT Must Watch: First Moto 360 Front Flip Landed by Mark Monea

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March 10, 2011

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Australian FMX Pro - Mark Monea - in the midst of a
360 front flip attempt.

Mark Monea is Cam Sinclair's mechanic and does not
ride professionally...yet.

(As seen on USAToday.com) - Australian freestyle motocross rider Mark Monea broke new ground on March 2, 2011 by landing the first ever 360 front flip on a dirt bike. Monea from Victoria, Australia had practiced the maneuver for a month via a jump ramp into a foam pit.

Action sports athletes including FMX and BMX riders commonly use large foam pits as a safe way to learn new progressive maneuvers.

Snowboarder Shaun White benefited by a foam pit's forgiving landings while training at his secret halfpipe ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics as he mastered the now infamous double cork 1260.

Freestyle Motocross is arguably the most dangerous of all action sports in terms of inherent risk. Most every competitive rider on the circuit has suffered a fracture, a concussion, a torn ligament or some other injury while rising through the pro ranks. (See Athlete Recovery Fund)

Just two years ago X Games FMX Gold Medalist Jeremy Lusk died after a crash while attempting a dangerous "Hart Attack" backflip, named after inventor and fellow FMX pro Carey Hart.

For Monea the attempt to land the 360 front flip originated by a bit of peer prodding.

"Three or four months ago, Cam (Sinclar) said 'Do a front flip into the foam pit!' that he'd just built on a mini bike, so I did it. Then he kept nagging me to do it on a big bike, and one day I got sick of him peer pressuring me so I went for it and it come around pretty easily, so we just stuck at it and it went from there."

As they were preparing to film the stunt for ESPN, Sinclair provided some additional insight.

"It's called the carry-on. It's a new tick. Originally he was working on the front flip, but this adds a little twist to it and so now it's called the carry on hopefully it goes alright."

In the video posted by X Games on Youtube, Monea executes a number of practice attempts into the foam pit before proceeding to the fateful first try on solid ground.

"I've been practicing it for four weeks now and pretty much getting the same result into the foam pit so I'll think I'll go for it," he said.

Monea approaches the jump with perfect speed and momentum, then at the takeoff, with seemingly little effort, he tucks his head in a forward, slightly off center motion, which quite gracefully inverts the rear of the bike carrying it through a corkscrew trajectory before Monea spots his landing and sticks the trick cleanly.

Friends and onlookers attending cheer with exaltation.

In a week that also saw snowboarder Mark McMorris push the progression of slopestyle with a triple cork 1440, it seems there's no end in sight to the evolving nature of action sports.

MORE BNQT MUST WATCH:

SNOWMOBILER'S CRAZY COULOIR CRASH

http://www.bnqt.com/blogs/detail/BNQT-Must-Watch-Snowmobilers-Crazy-Couloir-Crash/8167.html

SKI PARAGLIDER JIBBING TRAM CABLES

http://www.bnqt.com/blogs/detail/BNQT-Must-Watch-Ski-Paraglider-Jibbing-Tram-Cables/8157.html

WINDSURFING TOMAHAWK

http://www.bnqt.com/blogs/detail/BNQT-Must-Watch-Windsurfing-Tomahawk/8151.html

BRYAN HERMAN: EMERICA STAY GOLD B-SIDE

http://www.bnqt.com/blogs/detail/BNQT-Must-Watch-Bryan-Herman-Emerica-Stay-Gold-B-side/8132.html

STREET LEAGUE DIME SQUAD GIRLS

http://www.bnqt.com/blogs/detail/Street-League-Dime-Squad-Girls-Go-Gaga/8113.html

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