The world’s top 12 freestyle motocross athletes converted Rome’s Stadio Olimpico into a modern Circus Maximus on Friday, with defending champion Nate Adams sealing the victory.

In front of 45,000 spectators, Adams nailed the tricks to earn the title as the new Roman Caesar.

Andre Villa took second place and Australian whiz kid Josh Sheehan came out of nowhere to take third place in the third stop of the 2011 Red Bull X-Fighters Tour.

The wave would not stop rolling through the Stadio Olimpico crowd as Adams and Villa were revving up for the start of the final showdown battle on two wheels.

When it finally did, Adams got off 18 flawless jumps within the 120-second time limit to win over the five-member gladiator jury, picking up his fifth victory in the 11-year history of the Red Bull X-Fighters.

“It was the most difficult win in my career after I had a crash in Qualifying”, the 27-year-old American said afterwards.

On the biggest FMX course ever built in Italy – with 11 kickers and eight dirt landings – the athletes pushed themselves to their limits, jumping distances of up to 30 meters and as high as 15 meters.

Co-favorite Dany Torres, who won in Rome last year, sent a shiver through the big crowd when he crashed at the end of a botched landing in the second round. His bike veered off the course and into a barrier.

Torres came to Rome with five broken bones that weren’t quite healed but nevertheless won the qualifying round. Judging by the way his right ankle feels right now, he will leave Rome with six broken bones.

The Spaniard was confident he would be ready to battle for the victory at the next stop in front of his home crowd in Madrid.

Victorian Blake Williams was fourth, Robbie Maddison eighth for the round in Rome.

Adams widened his lead in the overall 2011 Red Bull X-Fighters standings, following a third place in Dubai and victories in Brazil and Rome, to 40 points over Villa.

The Norwegian still has plenty of time to catch Adams in the three remaining stops, the next taking place in Madrid, Spain, on 15 July.

X-Fighters will make its way to Sydney in Australia for the season finale on 17 September.