The sound of stampeding Texas Longhorns will temporarily be replaced by 12 snarling 250cc engines as Red Bull X-Fighters makes its United States debut. The world's premier, most-progressive freestyle motocross event will take on a rodeo theme at the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards in Texas on Saturday, June 14.

MORE COWBELL

When the sun sets and the Texas heat dissipates (just slightly), the high-flying action will raise the temperature right back up, as the world's best riders push each other to new heights in their quest for the Red Bull X-Fighters Fort Worth trophy and overall title of Red Bull X-Fighters World Series Champion.

As the saying goes, "Everything's bigger in Texas," and that promises to hold true. The riders, conjuring the spirit of the cowboys who roamed these parts in years past, will compete on a massive FMX playground that will be constructed on a vast field set amongst hundreds of century-old wooden bull pens, just a cow chip's throw from the Livestock Exchange.

The rider list includes past Red Bull X-Fighters winners Mat Rebeaud (Switzerland), Ronnie Renner (USA) and Dany Torres (Spain), as well as Twitch Stenberg (USA), Matt Buyten (USA), Eigo Sato (Japan) and Charles Pages (France), plus Robbie Maddison (Australia) the Guinness World Record holder for longest motorcycle jump (322 feet). In a unique twist, a 10-rider qualifier will determine the final four competitors for a total of 12 two-wheeled cowboys.

THE FMX JET SET

The Fort Worth stop is the third of five international Red Bull X-Fighters events in 2008. The global series gets underway at the Monumental Plaza de Toros in Mexico City on April 4, followed by the Sambodromo in Rio de Janeiro on May 3. After the Fort Worth event, the series heads to Europe at the Steinbruch Oetelshofen in Wuppertal, Germany on July 4 and concludes at the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas in Madrid on July 17-18.

FROM SPANISH BULL RINGS TO TEXAS BULL PENS

Red Bull X-Fighters started in 2001 in Valencia, Spain at the bullfighting arena where 'Mad' Mike Jones claimed victory and uttered the words that continue to live in infamy, "Today, the bull won." Since that historic night seven years ago, Red Bull X-Fighters events have taken place in the world's most famous bull rings in Madrid (Las Ventas) and Mexico City (Monumental Plaza de Toros) and at Slane Castle in Ireland.

Tickets for the public will go on sale in April.

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