Freerider recently hit the road with Germany’s freestyle legend Busty Wolter, visiting seven pro FMX parks along the way, and meeting up with 16 freestyle riders from countries Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Finland, Norway, Sweeden and Spain.
It was an epic road-trip with the good-times rolling non-stop for 4000km, and once completed, one thing stood out clear, being, the Americans no longer have it all their way in the world of freestyle motocross.
Over the next few issues of FRMX we’ll bring you the story as it unfolded during each stop, offering insights into each country, its riders and FMX scene. This issue we start where the tour kicked off in Germany with Busty and the “Upforce” crew, but first, a little look at the history of FMX in Europe.

Fabian Baeursachs leads Busty over a 70-foot gap only feet apart at the Upforce park outside of Berlin.

Roots

Talk to any freestyle rider outside of America about how they started their career and they’ll nine times out of ten say, “After watching that first Crusty video it really inspired me to try some of the tricks…Or seeing Jeremy McGrath bust that Nac Nac in supercross blew my mind…” Two moments in time that changed the paths of so many dirt-bike riders around the world.

Europe, now 45 countries strong with a total population of around 730 million, is the home of the motocross world championship and many of the best MX racers of our time. Back around 1995 when that first Crusty Demon video was released a core group of these racers followed the freeride/freestyle trend and soon found themselves surrounded by more fame than they’d ever imagined.

Spanish rider Edgar Torronteras and French riders Manu Troux, Cyril Porte, Xavier Fabre and Jeremy Lamblin were some of the first riders to really gain any exposure in the sport when they started doing Expression Sessions at supercross events throughout Europe, while other European riders practiced tricks away from the spotlight during a motocross race or while play-riding with mates.

Sebastian “Busty” Wolter is one of those guys who started his freestyle career off the back of a solid motocross racing career. A top five runner in the German championships he was always the guy racing for the love of it. The guy happy to battle all moto for a podium, and not one pissed off at finishing runner-up. The guy not worried about shaving a tenth of a second of his lap-time, and instead using it to bust a trick each lap to the dismay of his father and mechanic. “It’s all about the fun man!” he say’s now in his best English/German accent, and it’s this attitude he still lives by today that has made him one of the most popular riders in the European FMX scene.

“I’ve always loved to jump,” he says. “From four-years of age I started breaking my pushbikes over jumps I made from wooden planks jacked up by bricks in our backyard. Then when I finally got my first decent BMX bike it was like the best thing that ever happened to me, and I still carry that feeling now,” he recalls with found memories of his early childhood.

That’s Our Trick Man!

A 1984 model Suzuki RM80 was his first dirt-bike that he shared with his younger brother Philip. Together they learnt to ride, and they still ride together today. Their father Clemens, a racer himself, took them to local race meetings on the outskirts of Berlin – the city where they were born – two years after their introduction to the sport and rode the senior class while the two boys raced the 10-14 years 80cc class.

Busty was the more determined rider of the two though and reached success in the sport much faster. “I’d be on the track practicing for a good half hour while Philip still searched the van for his missing sock”, laughs Busty now about his little brother.

“I always dreamed about being a pro rider and looked up to the likes of McGrath, Everts and Mike Healey. Then when MC busted out that Nac Nac it really inspired Philip and myself to start trying tricks. We started thinking up different variations of the Nac Nac, like putting one leg over the front of the seat, and then next thing you know we see Brian Swink bust one out (a Can Can), and we’re like, hey man, that’s our trick!”

In the year 1999, at 22-years-of-age, Busty scored a journalist job at the German based Moto X magazine, and mixed his commitment to racing with writing articles about the sport. Around the same time Moto X organised the first ever FMX contest in Germany, and the staff knowing Busty could throw a mean Whip and a few tricks, asked him to compete, which he did and he ended up winning.

The doors to more freestyle shows and contests opened for Busty after that one event, but it wasn’t an easy path to follow with Busty explaining, “It made sense for me to turn away from racing towards freestyle as it really suited my style and the money I made from one show was more than I’d ever earned from racing motocross. But FMX in Germany at the start was hard to get off the ground as people weren’t open minded and asking tracks if we could set up a ramp and landing was met with a big ‘You what!’ They didn’t support us at all so I continued to practice on the biggest jumps and table tops the tracks had until another German rider, Fabian Bauersachs, built the first real FMX compound in the country.”

Fabian, or Fab for short, also rode that first FMX contest in Germany finishing a few places behind Busty, and soon after the event the two of them teamed up as riding partners practicing at Fabs FMX park every chance they could, and pushed each others riding limits until they were without doubt the leading FMX riders in Germany, and till this day still are and consistently remain competitive at the major FMX events throughout Europe.

Upping The Force

Busty, a name he Americanised from Basti, short for Sebastion, really suits his larger than life character. He’s one very funny dude, very easy going and one who’s very dedicated to seeing the sport as a whole progress as much as his own career. He strikes the perfect balance between rider/professional/joker, and knows when to push each part of his mixed personality. Spend more than 15-mintues with the guy and he’ll have you either laughing so hard or hiding out of sight from an overdose of corny jokes or funny facial expressions. But in between those jokes his mobile phone rings constantly. Calls from sponsors, promoters, riders – lining up new deals, organising dates and times to fit in photo and film shoots, and sessions to practice. It never stops, but he’s worked out to only answer those calls that need dealing with in the present moment to keep him sane … The rest can wait he says, “They’ll get back to me if it’s really important!”

As much as Busty loves the lifestyle and fun side that comes with the sport, he’s also wise enough to realise it won’t be around forever. He’s always thinking of the bigger picture, like ways he can give back and continue to be involved with the sport on some level. He’s taken on the roll as president of his local motocross club, where his crew has their FMX park set-up, to help see the complex as a whole improve.

One of his major sponsors, Fox Racing in Germany, have set up a deal that will see him continue his relationship with the brand long after he hangs up his boots. For Busty, It’s not just about receiving large boxes of free gear, although that’s one of his favourite parts of being sponsored; it’s more about a working relationship that sees both sides benefit from the ride. “I’ve always understood the business and marketing side of the sport, and how it’s just as important as good riding to be successful. I remember way back in 2002, while hanging out with my good friend Marc Fischer – who also has a good business head – after a riding session, and we came up with the idea of starting our own freestyle crew to help promote us all as one team. Basically we wanted to give our friendship a name. We were amped on what we were doing and the friends we had that were into the same thing, so inspired by the likes of the Mulisha and Hession Agression etc. we decided to name ourselves ‘Upforce’. Our good mate Fab was the next to officially join us and now we have ten riders in total, the others being Tobi Immler, Fredrik Berggren, Stefan Bengs, Freddy Peters, Oli Krause, Malte Ulrich and my brother Phillip.”

Busty, Fab and Marc are the older riders of the crew who are there to help the younger Upforce members with direction and advice from their own experiences and knowledge learnt from years involved in the sport. “You don’t really need a team to be successful,” says Busty, “But it’s great to have a good group of riders to ride and hang with that all have the same desire to succeed. It’s also good for us when shows come up as we can offer promoters more than one rider, which makes it easier for them. As a group we all have different characters and personalities, but we also have the ability to talk to each other to work through any problems that might arise. I also feel one reason a group is stronger as a force is we can help each other with tricks without jealousy entering into it, and the competitiveness between us all is there in a healthy way.”

An option for Busty when his career slows down in 3-5 years time is to keep helping younger FMX riders through the Upforce banner, and growing the brand with the help of his crew by attracting sponsors and putting together their own freestyle demos and shows in Europe.

He once thought early in his career that America was the best place to ride and make it in the sport, but has since figured out he has everything and more right at his own doorstep.

Busty loves his hometown, has just moved into a new apartment with his girlfriend of 11 years, Maya. He has his personal mechanic, Mini, close by to look after all his mechanical needs, and knows where he can get help from friends for any occasion at the drop of a hat. He really has his act together, and reflecting on his situation he says, “Starting up your career in a strange place isn’t so easy, and with the set-up I have right now it would take a few years to build the network I currently have if I moved to somewhere like California. I can jump on a plane at any moment and ride my spare bike at Andre Villa’s park in Spain, or choose one of three parks to ride at all within a few hours drive. When I think about how good I have it right now I kind of think to myself…It can only go down from here right?”

The Road Trip

M80 is a rad FMX only TV series that appears on Fuel TV, and one of it’s crew members, Robert Castorina, put the idea to Busty about doing the ultimate freestyle road trip through Europe visiting as many top riders along the way. Busty, always up for a challenge, then made contact with his large network of riding mates that spread throughout Europe and worked out a route that covered over 4000 kilometres in two weeks starting early May.

M80 founder Adam Barker (also man behind Fresno Smooth, and involved with No Fears Chapter One series) replaced Robert as the main camera man at the last minute, bringing with him the laugh-a-minute Ryan Leyba, an ex-freestyler and now photographer for Transworld Motocross. I (Goba) made the fourth member of the traveling circus, and by the time I arrived in Berlin the crew had already slipped in one day of filming at the Upforce compound 15km south west of the city.

We managed to slip in another the day I arrived with Busty and Fab, and the first thing that struck me was how up for riding these guys were. On a course that had three eight metre radius ramps to dirt landings, a super kicker, two mini ramps, a wall ride and foam pit, there was plenty of options for them to choose from. Circling around the outside of the compound was a motocross track to cut laps on when the wind blew too strong, which it did most of the afternoon.

One of the major downers of the Upforce compound is you can’t ride past 6PM because of near-by neighborhoods, which is when the wind dies down and the prime riding conditions appear. Never-the-less Busty and Fab lit up the course hitting ramps at times 1-2 metres apart throwing down Double Lookback Harts, Double Nacs, Tweak Airs and flat Whips. Both riders showing a huge display of trust in each others ability that obviously comes from years of riding together.

Day two saw us hit up Stefan Bengs park 40kms south of Berlin. Driving Busty’s massive VW van/transporter on the wrong side of the road (opposite to Oz) along the autobarn at speeds up to 160kmph on route to our destination was nearly as exciting as watching the riders tear up Stefans park under a setting sun. 160kph is fast in a big bread box, but nowhere near as fast as a red Porsche flashing by in a blur at speeds towards 300kph. The noise comes first then all you see is a red streak off into the distance. Germany is famous for many things such as one-litre beers, Oktoberfest, sauerkraut, Bratwurst, but nothing comes close to their autobarns with unlimited speed limits. Crazy!

Stefans park sits next to an open field so is prone to copping strong cross winds so Busty’s brother Phillip got the momentum rolling by hitting up the fitty track and two mini kickers to dirt landings until it dropped enough for the big bikes to hit the bigger gaps. The last hour of sunlight provided the perfect atmosphere for both riders and film crew, as with the wind dropping and the golden light glowing, capturing the action was epic to say the least. Silhouettes of riders executing perfect tricks against an orange backdrop is always a sight to remember, and with no incidents the crew felt stoked for many more good sessions to come.

Our last stop in Germany was 400kms southwest of Berlin at Fab’s park and the journey was made with stomachs full of German sausage (Bratwurst), hot chips and ketchup, thanks to Busty shouting us at one of his favourite takeaway stops in Berlin before departure.

Strange noises and foul odours set the scene in the VW, but on arrival things turned for the better to see Fab’s old man had parked a cherry picker right next to one big dirt landing.

Another late arvo session took place between Busty and Fab, with Fab showing incredible extension and execution on his double grab tricks and Rulers for a big fella. Busty started Flipping combo’s – Whips and One Handers, with one of the highlights being the pair Flipping off the same ramp only a few metres apart, which was very cool to watch from 30-feet high in the cherry picker. The vibe was all-time, and already the Euro roadtrip after three days was sizing up to be something quite special.

Later that evening after a feast put on by Fabs parents the four of us set off towards Mat Rebeaud’s park in Switzerland very stoked on what we’d achieved so far on the road.

Will this turn out to be the best FMX roadtrip ever? was the question, and the answer will only be found in coming issues of FRMX so stay tuned.

Word on Upforce riders:

Fabian Bauersachs – switched to FMX in 2000 after many years racing motocross in the German championships. Unlike his more extroverted mate Busty, Fab is the quiet achiever of the pair. He’s the type to perfect his tricks before going public, with Busty naming him “The Perofessor of FMX”, as he’ll try the one trick 50 times in a row until he has it dialed, unlike Busty who will throw it down at events straight up then work on it. Fab’s quiet nature does work against him at times though, especially at competitions where the crowds and promoters like to see riders that show-off so to speak. Fab says this has cost him places in competitions and he should work more on this side of his personality, which would also help him attract more sponsors. If he can make this happen he will certainly raise higher in the Euro rankings now that he has Flip combo’s happening as well.

Stefan Bengs – is one of the newcomers to the Upforce crew, and one of the exciting riders to hit the German/Euro FMX scene. With his strong BMX background Stefan learnt the more technical tricks and Flip combo’s very quickly. Riding FMX for only one-and-a-half-years he raised eyebrows after finishing 5^th at his first German FMX comp. His bike control and ability is very high, and according to Busty he always asks the right questions and is keen to ride at any opportunity, and points out you don’t see many of the younger riders coming through with this quality. “Stefan pisses ice-cubes when he talks as he’s so cool just being himself, but when he tries to be cool people take him the wrong way”, says Busty relating to Stefan’s weak point.

Freddy Peters – is another Upforce newcomer with loads of talent, but with a little too much attitude that tends to let him down, with Busty pointing out, “Freddy burst onto the scene finishing fourth in the Night Of The Jumps FMX comp, but then slackened off thinking he’d done the hard work and made it to the top. Then he started to talk it up a little too much and he lost respect from many riders. He’s a good kid though and we try and kick him up the arse when we can, and he’s starting to realise his way isn’t working so well. The thing that will stop him from being one of the top riders is his laziness, but at least he is aware of it and wants to change.” Freddy busts big, and only time will tell if he makes a success out of FMX.

Check out www.bustywolter.com and www.upforce.de for more info on Busty and the Upforce crew.