After a slow start to the season, defending Red Bull X-Fighters World Champion Thomas Pagès of France came back at Las Ventas in Madrid on Friday night with fury.

To defeat the most spectacular display of tricks ever seen in the World Tour, the Frenchman had to make history, and he did, pulling off the first Bike Flip in competition.

Pagès is a hot and cold kind of rider, and tonight he had to be downright ‘caliente’ to claim first place at Red Bull X-Fighters’ 13th consecutive tour stop in Madrid.

In what was definitely the most progressive battle in the history of the world’s most prestigious freestyle motocross event series, Pagès was the best of the best, locking the top of the podium with the Bike Flip everyone’s been waiting for.

Second- and third-place finishers Josh Sheehan of Australia and Levi Sherwood of New Zealand were spectacular as well, delivering performances that would have won just about any other competition.

Sheehan soared with rarely seen double backflips three times that evening, and Sherwood introduced his new Rowdova Flip with his usual perfection.

And all three of the riders had to carry off the risky tricks in heat after heat to make it to the finals.

With Sherwood, the 2012 overall champion, having won the first two events of the 2014 season, a comeback by 2013 world tour champ Pagès makes it anyone’s title to claim. And it’s far too soon to count out Sheehan, who has two second-place finishes under his belt.

The fireworks will continue in Munich, Germany, on 19 July, where for the first time in FMX history the full track will be floating on a lake.

2014 Red Bull X-Fighters
Round three – Madrid, Spain

Overall results:
1. Tom Pages
2. Josh Sheehan (AUS)
3. Levi Sherwood
4. Dany Torres
5. Taka Higashino
6. Maikel Melero
7. Clinton Moore (AUS)
8. Mat Rebeaud
9. Rob Adelberg (AUS)
10. Libor Podmol