XDL Championship Series
Round 1: Daytona International Speedway
Bill Dixon Wins FMF Cup, Takes Up Where He Left Off
By Randy Grube
Photos By David Avila

Images from this event can been on our gallery page.

2010 marks a new chapter for the quickly growing XDL Championship Series. With a schedule that includes Round 1 at Daytona and the Finals at Indy, as well as a new TV show called Inside XDL on Versus Network, XDL is poised to make the jump into the big leagues over the next three years. At Daytona, a new format for FMF Cup was introduced, and for the first time ever, women’s sportbike freestyle was presented at the highest level. Yet for all the innovation, some things didn’t change. Factory Yamaha rider Bill Dixon continued his dominance in FMF Cup and put himself on a path to become the first-ever repeat XDL champion. The weather had a negative impact on the competition and attendance all weekend, but the event itself distinguished itself for being well run and entertaining. With a few small changes and better weather, XDL Daytona will turn into a barnburner in 2011.

XDL entered the 2010 season with the intention of raising the bar once again. As part of that approach the FMF Cup national championship format was changed to three runs of two minutes each, versus just one three minute run in the past. The final score is determined by adding the two highest scores together. This creates more drama and excitement for fans and gives the athletes a better opportunity to maximize their scores. Dixon took the win over Luke “Duke” Emmons by a mere 2.5 point with a monster second run that netted him 84.5 points, the highest score of the weekend. Emmons had Dixon beat in the other two runs but it wasn’t enough. The way Emmons has been riding it is only a matter of time before he breaks through for a big win, just like Brian Bubash did at the ‘09 Indy Finals. Red Bull rider Aaron Colton placed a respectable fifth after overcoming a very serious off-season foot injury. The iron man award goes to Dan Jackson who first had to battle through the sudden onset of flu symptoms on Saturday, then suffered a massive high-side in his second run on Sunday. The accident caused hand and foot injuries but Jackson got his bike and himself put back together just in time for the final run and managed a well-deserved 12th place finish.

The new for 2010 Sartso Women’s Cup was an instant hit and is sure to blossom into a major draw for fans. Dena Sodano took the win with a very well executed run and the magnitude of her accomplishment showed in an emotional podium interview. The K&N Circle Challenge saw the return of Jesse Toler who beat out Aaron Colton in a tight come-from-behind battle in very slippery conditions. The Speed and Strength Sickest Trick went to Bill Dixon for his switchback scrape wheelie, a feat so far only he has mastered in competition. The Aprilia All Star Challenge is back in full force in 2010, now as a true all star format, showcasing the best XDL athletes. This competition combines racing with sportbike freestyle elements making it an exciting and demanding format. In 2008 and 2009 it was dominated by Dan Jackson and Bill Dixon, but it looks like this year we have a three-way battle for the top, with dark horse Eric Pettit laying down a scorching 27.72 second run that was almost 1.5 seconds faster than second place Dan Jackson’s 29.06.

Round 2 of the XDL Championship Series takes place April 9 & 10 at Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake Havasu City, AZ, as part of Spring Break Bike Week. XDL can be followed on xdlshow.com.