Chris Ridgway, #1 plate, holds off Todd Thompson, #206, while defending his title at eX5. Photograph courtesy of Extremity Games.
Chris “Ridge” Ridgway continued his reign as Limb-Loss Motocross Champion by winning his fourth consecutive gold medal during the fifth annual Extremity Games (eX5), held May 29 at the Baja Acres motocross facility in Millington, Michigan. In defending this title, Ridgway, a two-time X Games gold medalist, banged bars and kicked up roost with familiar Extremity Games competitors like professional snocross racer Mike “Monster” Schultz and X Games silver medalist and eX5 coordinator Jim Wazny, according to an eX5 press release.
“This is where Adaptive Moto X got started, and I’m proud to be a part of it,” Ridgway was quoted as saying.
New to the Extremity Games roster were West Coast racers Todd Thompson and Beau Meier, who finished second and third, respectively.
In the limb-difference class, returning X Games gold- and Extremity Games bronze-medalist Sampie Erasmus took gold, and newcomers Shane Shipley and Nick Pappas took silver and bronze, respectively.
“Extremity Games has seen amazing growth over the last five years,” said eX5 Executive Director Beth Taylor. “This year we have had a lot of returning athletes, but a lot of new riders as well.”
For the second year in a row, Extremity Games teamed up with Adaptive Action Sports (AAS) over Memorial Day weekend to also host a qualifier for the Moto X Super X Adaptive races at the ESPN® Summer X Games 16 that will be televised on ESPN in late July/early August. Newcomer Thompson won the X Games qualifier in the limb-loss class followed by Schultz in second, Meier third, Dave Turner fourth, and Wazny fifth. South African favorite Erasmus won the X Games Qualifier in limb-difference followed by Shipley in second, Jesse Gildea third, Ranel Cox fourth, and Darius Glover fifth. Ridgway and Ricky James are also included on the official invite list.
AMA Motocross Hall of Fame inductee Doug Henry attended the eX5 festivities to support the athletes and sign autographs with his fellow adaptive competitors. Henry has been riding and racing in AAS events since a crash in a supermoto race that left him partially paralyzed in 2007, an injury that he is currently recovering from.
“I enjoy seeing the kids [and] how eager they are to go racing,” Henry was quoted as saying. “There’s a good family atmosphere here and I’m just glad I came to be a part of it.”
