Robbie Maddison cynosure of all eyes

Red Bull X-Fighters kicks off on Friday :

Australia's Motocross stunt man and FMX rider Robbie Maddison is to show stunt man will once again come up with his marvelous stunts to thrill the crowds in Dubai on Friday as he is due to perform at the Dubai Red Bull X-Fighters World Series show. The first of the Series show organized by the Red Bull the sponsors of the round the world Series will have many more stunt men taking part in this desert city which is expected to attract a large number of spectators on this day.

All eyes will be on Aussie rider Robbie Maddison who performed well during the recently concluded event in Borrego Springs, California.

He jumped over sculptures made by local artist Ricardo Breceda, took place on his wedding day and was dedicated to his wife Amy and his family. There are a total of 77 sculptures in the area depicting pre-historic animals that inhabitated the region. Maddison gained worldwide fame with his jumps over the Corinth Canal (2010) and the Tower Bridge (2009).

Red Bull X-Fighters: FMX Tour for immortality!

Motorcycles that fly and athletes who call themselves acrobats of the air; Freestyle-Motocross (FMX) is the name of the sport and the Red Bull X-Fighters World Series is the world's top competitive series. This year's calendar features stops in Dubai (UAE), Brasilia (BRA), Rome (ITA), Madrid (ESP), Warsaw (POL) and Australia.

'If you need to win one series in order to gain immortality, then it is definitely this one,' is how Nate Adams (USA) put it after the 2010 season finale.

The defending champion and his rivals scored 770 jumps, 524 flips and were aloft on their bikes for nearly 17 kilometers last season.

There will be even more jumps this year for the high flyers because the Red Bull X-Fighters World Series will expand to six stops. The battle for the overall championship in the most important series in this extreme sport will take place on four continents this year. The season kicks off on April 15 at Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, followed by stops in Brasilia (May 28), in Rome's Olympic stadium (June 25), at Madrid's bullfighting arena (July 15), and at Warsaw's Narodowy Stadium (August 6) before the season finale "down under" in Australia (September 17).

There is a lengthy list of challengers who will be aiming to dethrone Nate Adams: Robbie Maddison (AUS), Andre Villa (NOR), Levi Sherwood (NZL), Mat Rebeaud (SUI) and Dany Torres (ESP) are among the top contenders for the 2011 title. But there are also new rising stars, such as Australia's Mark Monea, who has caused a sensation in the pre-season with a first-ever 360 front flip.