The greatest line-up of international freestyle motorcross riders will hit Sydney this November with the announcement that six of the world’s best will compete at the inaugural Australian Open of Supercross (AUS-X Open) at Allphones Arena.

Rider adrenaline will be amplified by the addition of a record $120,000 prize purse up for grabs, making it the richest FMX event to ever beheld in the Southern Hemisphere.

Recently-announced Australian Jackson Strong will be joined by countryman Rob Adelberg, French riders Thomas Pagès and David Rinaldo, Japan’s Taka Higashino and Libor Podmol of the Czech Republic as they prepare to launch themselves into the history books and attempt stunts previously thought impossible.

All six riders have either won or finished on the podium previously in the X-Games, X-Fighters and World FMX Championships pitting them amongst the most elite group of freestyle riders on the planet.

Pagès will be heading to the AUS-X Open ultra confident after producing his second consecutive win on the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour over the weekend, in the front of the famous Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa.

The victory in South Africa puts the Frenchman on top of the overall World Tour rankings and was truly one of the best FMX runs of his illustrious career. Pagès is thriving at the opportunity to take on the world’s best while taking in the sights of one of world’s most lively and vibrant cities.

“I can’t wait to head down under to compete against the best guys in the world for the FMX Best Trick at the AUS-X Open,” said Pagès. “I grew up riding in the backyard of my hometown of Nates in France and now to be showcasing what I can do to a massive crowd in Sydney, Australia is unbelievable!

“I will be bringing everything I have to Sydney for this event, maybe even some new tricks we’ve been working on, because I know each rider will be pushing 100 percent to win this thing. Sydney is an incredible city and I’m looking forward to kicking it around town and checking some of the sights and meeting the Aussie fans!”

FMX Best Trick gives riders just one jump each to attempt the biggest, most technical and most challenging stunt of their careers. To win, it will take landing something that has never been seen before.

The freestyle element of the AUS-X Open has event organisers filling seats fast at Allphones Arena with the FMX Best Trick set to become one of the biggest freestyle competitions in the world.

“We’re super excited to host both freestyle and supercross disciplines at the AUS-X Open and with Saturday already sold out, seats are selling fast for Sunday’s second show with the announcement of the world’s best heading to Sydney,” said event director Adam Bailey of AME Management.

“For a lot of these riders this will be their first trip to Australia and what better way welcome them than to 20,000 plus screaming fans in the heart of one of the world’s liveliest cities.”

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres encouraged freestyle motocross fans of all ages to book their tickets and get along to the event.

“With a world class line-up of riders, the AUS-X Open is one of the most exciting events on the calendar,” he commented. “The AUS-X Open has been secured exclusively for Sydney by the NSW Government through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW and promises to attract thousands of visitors to Sydney Olympic Park in November.”

After a complete sell out, a second AUS-X Open event was announced for Sunday, 29 November. A complete replica of night one, this second opportunity offers fans who missed out the chance of a lifetime to see the world’s best supercross and FMX athletes go head to head in one of Australia’s premier venues.

Tickets are available through Ticketek. For more event information go to www.ausxopen.com.