Queensland-based Australian Freestyle Motocross Champion Kain Saul has placed second in the first ever official New Zealand FMX National Championships.

The “Red Bull FMX Battle” event was part of Raceweek in the North Island town of Wanganui and is one of the country’s biggest motorsport weekends, with Saul impressing in his effort against the Kiwi contenders.

After qualifying, Saul had to go head-to-head against New Zealand local favorite Nick Franklin with each rider having a 120 second run to throw down their biggest tricks for the judges. Eventually it was Franklin who came out on top narrowly beating the Aussie visitor for the win.

“I went out and completed a pretty spot on run with all my biggest tricks – I thought it would have given me the win easily. I was a bit stunned,” Saul said. “Talking to the judges afterwards they said he got one extra jump in on his run because he rode the course a bit faster than I did.”

Despite missing out on the win, Saul was happy with his return to the competitive scene and is excited for the up coming 2010 season.

“I’ve been working hard on a few new tricks, I’m confident that 2010 will be my best season yet,” Saul concluded.

Saul’s name has been in lights in recent weeks since becoming the first person in the world ever to land a backflip on a Harley Davidson. The jump was televised worldwide and was one of the most downloaded Australian clips on YouTube for many weeks. This incredible achievement placed the current Australasian FMX champion amongst the very best innovators in the sport of FMX.

RED BULL FMX BATTLE FINAL RESULTS
1st Nick Franklin (NZ)
2nd Kain Saul (AUS)
3rd Steve Sommerfield (AUS)