Julien Vanstippen defends King of the Whip title

Triple Crown for Julien Vanstippen at King of the Whip 2024. Image by Eric Palmer.

King of the Whip is presented by LW Mag in association with Ford, Monster Energy, Yamaha, Garmin, Motul, GoPro, PlayTSOGO and Estrella Cerveza.

Over 20 of the best freestyle motocross and motocross riders took to the ramps to compete in the Best Whip and Best Trick contests. Up for grabs was a share of the R225,000 cash prize and various prizes from the official event partners.

The 2024 edition saw the biggest list of international riders come out to compete - Julien Vanstippen (Belgium), Tom Parsons (USA), Pat Bowden (Australia) Genki “Wanky” Watanabe (Japan), Andreu Lacondeguy (Spain), Sebastian Westberg (Finland) and Antonio Navas (Spain).

Event organiser Ryan van der Spuy, said: “Every year this event exceeds expectations. It has gone from strength to strength and now an event with international acclaim. We’re in our third year at this venue, sold out again, and saw seven international riders competing against our local stars, our most ever, which shows the event's growth and recognition both locally and internationally.

Additionally two firsts for this event, and the sport itself, saw an official pre-event riders press conference as well as betting partner playTSOGO join to allow fans the opportunity to bet on their favourite riders.”

The action for the Best Whip competition began with the riders going head-to-head in four qualifying rounds. Judges were on the lookout for amplitude, style, and variation when deciding which of the 15 riders would qualify into the semi-finals. Seven more riders were eliminated in the semi-finals, leaving only eight to compete in the Finals.

Before the King of the Whip could be crowned, FMX riders had a chance to show off their crowd-thrilling freestyle tricks in the Best Trick Right-Side-Up and Upside-Down competitions where Pat Bowden proved to be the King of the tricks.

In the Best Trick Right-Side-Up competition, each rider had two chances to take to the ramps and pull off the best trick possible. Bowden claimed victory showcasing his heart-stopping tricks like a Holy Grab to Double Hart-Attack Lookback and a Holy Grab to Rock Solid Indie. He was joined on the podium by crowd-favourite Genki Watanabe in 2nd place and Julien Vanstippen, who finished 3rd.

For the Best Trick Upside-Down, the riders had three jumps each to stake their claim. Not content with one first place, Bowden took the top step again to claim the title with a Backflip No Hander, Backflip Cliffhanger and a Backflip Double Grab. Rounding out the podium was Watanabe, who slotted into 2nd place and Dallan Goldman, who grabbed 3rd.

Bowden, winner of the 2024 Best Trick Right-Side-Up and Upside-Down competitions, commented: “It feels awesome as I had no expectations coming here. I didn’t even know if I would be riding until two days ago, as I broke my ankle around 10 days ago. I just taped my ankle as best I could before riding, so going home safe with two medals in the bag feels incredible.”

After the Best Trick contest, it was time for the evening’s premier event: The Best Whip final. As the sun set, the tempo began to ramp up, with the action only aided by dazzling pyrotechnics display and a crowd on the edge of their seats. The Best Whip final saw the riders pull out all the stops to unseat reigning champion, Vanstippen as King of the Whip. It was a hotly contested battle for between Tom Parsons, on-board the Stark Varg electric bike, and the defending champion Vanstippen. Vanstippen stepped it up a level to ultimately emerged as the 2024 winner and claim the Triple Crown. Parsons followed him in 2nd and Watanabe claimed 3rd, rounding out the top five were local riders Dalton Venter and Dallan Goldman, respectively.

Vanstippen, winner of the 2024 Best Whip competition, commented: “Third time in a row, baby. I'm so stoked and thankful to be back here. The crowd was insane, so claiming my third King of the Whip title in front of them was a fantastic experience. King of the Whip always puts on such a great event, and I can't wait to be back next year battling it out with these amazing riders in front of this crowd!”

King of the Whip 2024 final results

Best Whip
1st Julien Vanstippen (Belgium)
2nd Tom Parsons (USA)
3rd Genki Watanabe (Japan)
4th Dalton Venter (South Africa)
5th Dallan Goldman (South Africa)

Best Trick Right Side Up
1st Pat Bowden (Australia)
2nd Genki Watanabe (Japan)
3rd Julien Vanstippen (Belgium)

Best Trick Upside Down
1st Pat Bowden (Australia)
2nd Genki Watanabe (Japan)
3rd Dallan Goldman (South Africa)