Reaching the pinnacle of Freestyle Motocross in 2009 was the realisation of a long-held dream for Australia’s Blake ‘Bilko’ Williams and he remains just as eager to succeed in 2010.

Williams stole the show at last year’s X Games with a Gold medal in Moto X Freestyle and Silver in Moto X Best Trick, deserved rewards for years of commitment to the sport.

Reaching the end of a tough road to recovery after surgery, Bilko wowed fans at his first public demo of 2010 at the Mulwala Extreme Ski Festival on the weekend alongside the Showtime FMX team.

He’d lost none of his signature style and showed why he is considered one of the sport’s most dynamic and exciting stars.

Bilko said he was looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead in 2010 and said the competition was set to be tough as riders continue to raise the bar.

“It was good to spend some time at home over the break but even better to really get back into riding,” said Williams. “I was a guest rider for the Showtime team at the Mulwala Extreme Ski Festival on the weekend which was a lot of fun, there were heaps of fans out there and it was a great event for a small country town.

“I’m heading back to the US on Friday where I’ll be doing some appearances for sponsors including Monster Energy and Fox over the next few Supercross events. I’ll be getting in as much practice as possible while I’m there, riding alongside Nate Adams at his compound.”

Williams’ first competitive outing will be the X Fighters qualification event which selects riders to compete on the five-stop, international tour.

“This will be my first X fighters event, let alone series, so my goal is to be top three and build on that throughout the competition.

“I’ll be up against some very good riders so I’ll be looking to be consistent and keep working hard on new tricks.”

The jewel in the crown of FMX is X Games, where Bilko will look to defend his result and go one better.

“There’s a lot of risk in bringing new tricks to X Games but the reward makes it worth the effort.

“Throughout the year I’ll be riding non-stop and building confidence ready to throw down my best tricks.”

As well as a hectic competition schedule, Bilko will headline the Crusty Regional Tour and new Nitro Circus Live Tour which will travel from coast to coast in Australia.

“I’m excited to have signed with Monster Energy for another three years, they complete an awesome lineup of sponsors including Fox, DVS, Oakley, Pro Circuit, CTi, Pro Taper, GPR Stabilizers, Powerhouse Motorcycles, Ogio, Kicker, (Brooksy at) Humps, Bumps and Jumps plus the team at WMG and Fluid PR.

“A special thanks has to go to my fans, who, along with my sponsors, have stuck by me over the years and especially the last few months during my time off.”

“I’m looking forward to a really big year on the bike in 2010.”

Visit www.bilko22.com for more news and information on Bilko’s year ahead.